Common Sense Grappling and Restraining
Grappled vs. Restrained (simplified explanation)
In 5e, a grappled creature has been "grabbed," such that it can't move away until it breaks free of the grapple.
A restrained creature has trouble using its limbs such that it can't move away AND has disadvantage on dexterity saving throws, attacks against it have advantage, and its attacks have disadvantage.
How do you grapple?
The grappling creature makes a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). If the grappler's total is higher, the target is grappled.
An optional rule allows a smaller creature to climb onto a larger creature by grappling. (DMG pg. 271) See also Common Sense Claw and Bite Attacks.
How do you restrain?
According to rules as written, you can't...without the grappler feat or a net.
How do you break a grapple or restraint?
The grappled creature makes a contested Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check versus the grappler/restrainer's Strength (Athletics). If the grappled/restrained creature has a higher total it escapes. On a tie or failure, the status is unchanged (still grappled/restrained). Nets have special rules on how to escape, namely a DC 10 strength check or 5 slashing damage to the AC 10 net.
What's missing?
- The PHB and DMG provide no way for a player (other than the Grappler feat or a net) to restrain a creature. This goes against common experience. Anyone can restrain someone if they are stronger than the other person by simply wrapping their arms around them. They don't have to be a pro wrestler.
- If a restrained creature has reduced use of its limbs, can it perform somatic components of spells?
- Not all restraints are the same. A creature might be hobbled, have its hands tied, or be gagged, or all three.
- By common experience, you can use all sorts of dexterous acrobatics to avoid a grapple such as juking, leaping, or diving and rolling, but once you are grappled and can't move, acrobatics doesn't do you much good.
- If you are grappling or restraining a creature, do you have free use of both your limbs, one limb, no limbs?
- What if you want to sneak up on a guard and cover their mouth before they shout?
- How exactly does one grapple a prone creature, while standing up? Like, squeeze them with your feet? This is, in fact, allowed by the rules. And it is very powerful because a prone grappled creature can't stand up until they escape the grapple.
What's good about 5e grappling?
- Unlike real life, where any fight will nearly always devolve into grappling, D&D manages to prevent grappling from being an overpowered or overriding game mechanic.
- Grappling and restraining are not "incapacitation." While grappling a foe stops it from moving, it doesn't stop it from making or avoiding attacks. Likewise a creature that grapples can make attacks and avoid attacks. This makes for good game play. Nobody wants to be told, "You got grappled. There's nothing you can do now."
Suggested Rules
Grappling (Revised)
As an attack on its turn, a creature can attempt to grapple a target creature within its reach. The target creature must be no more than one size larger than the attacker. The attacker makes a Strength (Athletics) check opposed by the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). If the attacker's total is higher, the target is grappled.
The attacking creature must have anatomy suitable for grappling which is free to use for grappling. Humanoids require at lest one free hand to grapple. A humanoid grappling or shoving with only one free hand suffers disadvantage on checks to make or maintain a grapple.
If a creature attempts to grapple/restrain a prone creature, the attacking creature is prone, regardless of whether the attack is successful.
Attacks of Opportunity against Grapplers
If an attacker drops a shield or a weapon in hand in order to grapple or shove with two hands and the target creature isn't currently restrained or incapacitated, the target may use its reaction to make an attack of opportunity against its assailant. On a hit, the target creature gains advantage on their check to avoid the grapple or shove.
Restraining (revised)
A creature that is restraining another creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws. However, a creature that is grappling can use their reaction to end the restraint or grapple if they are targeted with an attack they can see or an effect that causes them to make a Dexterity saving throw.
Multiple grapples
If a creature is grappled by two or more creatures, it is restrained. The creature has disadvantage to escape the joint grapple/restraint. A single check is used to resolve the escape attempt, not two separate checks.
Surprise Restraints and Restraining Already Grappled Creatures
If a creature makes a grapple attack with surprise or if it is grappling an already-grappled creature, it can attempt a special restraining grapple as part of that action. A humanoid must have two free hands to attempt a restraining grapple. When approaching a creature stealthily to attempt a restraining attack with surprise, the DM may give the attacker disadvantage on their stealth check because of how close they are to the target. If the stealth check is successful and/or the DM rules the attack comes with surprise, the attacker may attempt one of the following restraining attacks, which are resolved the same as a grappling attack. On a success the target is restrained and suffers the chosen effect: pinned arms, covered mouth, hobbled or choking.
Pinned arms restraint
The attacker attempts to trap the target's arms. A target restrained in this manner cannot grapple or shove other creatures, and must succeed on an Intelligence (Arcana) check of DC 10 + spell level in order to cast a spell with somatic components.
The DM may set an appropriate DC for a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check for the restrained creature to make interactions with items on their turn. Thrown weapon attacks are not possible with pinned arms.
Covered mouth restraint
The attacker attempts to cover the target's mouth to prevent them from speaking. A creature restrained in this manner is silenced, but may cast a spell with verbal components if it succeeds on an Intelligence (Arcana) check of DC 10 + Spell level.
Hobbled restraint
The attacker grabs or wraps the target's legs. A creature restrained in this manner has disadvantage on checks and saves to avoid the prone condition, for instance a shove attack or spell effect. The attacker is prone if they are making the grapple/restraint on a standing or prone target, even if the attack is unsuccessful.
Choking restraint
The attacker attempts to prevent the target from breathing or to reduce blood flow to the brain. A creature restrained in this manner is suffocating.
Escaping a grapple or restraint (Revised)
As an action on its turn, a creature grappled or restrained by another creature may attempt to break free and end the condition(s). The creature makes a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the grappling/restraining creature's Strength (Athletics). If the escaping creature's roll is higher, it is no longer grappled or restrained.
After escaping a grapple and before the end of its turn, a creature does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the creature it has escaped. [This avoids the frustrating loop of getting restrained, escaping, and then getting AoO'd with an attack that restrains. If you escape from a creature as an action, you are not simply turning your back on a foe for better prospects. You are fighting to get free of their reach. If you've done that successfully, you've bested the grappler. Period.]
If a grappled creature makes a successful attack against the grappler or takes an action that deals damage to the grappler, it can use a bonus action to attempt to break the grapple/restraint.
Additionally, if the grappler/restraining creature takes damage or fails a saving throw, the grappled/restrained creature can use its reaction to attempt to make an escape attempt with advantage.
If there are multiple grapplers and one takes damage, the restrained creature can attempt to escape with a normal roll instead of disadvantage. [Note, this is a how a Dexterity-focused build escapes grapple. They adroitly poke the grappler in the eye, or kick them in the shin, or wait for them to get whacked, and then attempt to escape when the grappler is reeling in pain.]
Attacking while grappling
Ceatures with bite attacks have advantage to bite a creature they have grappled. As described in Common Sense Claw and Bite Attacks, a target that has been bitten has disadvantage to escape a grapple or restraint by the biting creature, until the beginning of the biting creature's next turn. [Note, this is the whole point of predators biting.]
A humanoid creature that has grappled a target can make an attack against the grappled creature with a free arm. If the attacker has grappled or restrained with two arms, and releases one arm to make an attack, the grappled/restrained creature can use its reaction to make an escape attempt with advantage. If the creature escapes, the attacker has disadvantage on the attack.
A melee weapon attack by a grappler with other than an unarmed strike or a dagger, light hammer, or similarly small weapon, has disadvantage. Melee spell attacks while grappling likewise have disadvantage, unless they are made with an unarmed strike or dagger-sized weapon. For example, attacking someone with a long, pointy rapier while holding them in headlock is quite difficult. Attacks using weapons with reach are not possible.
Tying up a restrained creature
If a creature is restrained, another creature can attempt to tie them up (not the creature or creatures maintaining the restraint). Details for checks on tying knots are described in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. [Tying up a creature typically takes one or more minutes to get out the rope, cut it to length, tying starting knots, tighten the knots appropriately as you release the grapple, and so on. It should be considered a difficult and time-consuming task and one that requires skill, rather than a simple, "I use my action to tie them up," whereupon the DM says, "okay, they are tied up for eternity."]
Forced Movement and Tug-of-War
According to the rules as written, the grappled condition ends if "an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by the thunderwave spell." To this, we add a few clarifications:
- If grappler and grappled creature are subject to the same forced movement, such as the gust of wind spell, sliding down unstable terrain, or moving in a river, attempts to end the grappled condition have advantage until the beginning of the grappler's next turn.
- If a second creature grapples and attempts to drag an already-grappled creature away from its first grappler, the two grapplers make opposed strength (Athletics) checks. On a success, the second grappler breaks the first grapple and can move the grappled creature.
- The above rules apply to creatures that are restraining and restrained as well as grappling and grappled.
Contribution Credits
| Type | Source |
|---|---|
| Cover Art | Bears, ractapopulous, pixabay noncomercial license. |
Change Log
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2022.08.19 | Typo corrections |
| 2022.07.29 | Added clarifications for climbing on larger creatures, forced movement and tug-of-war, removed AoO unless attacker drops a shield or weapon. |
| 2022.07.18 | Initial release |
| 2023.01.26 | Minor clerical updates |
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