Does Grapple Give Advantage on Attacks? A Comprehensive 5e Guide
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The short answer is yes, grappling a creature can grant you advantage on attack rolls, but not directly through the grappled condition itself. The advantage arises from a specific feature or ability that interacts with the grappled condition. Let’s delve into the nuances of grappling in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
Grappling is a special melee attack that allows you to seize control of a creature, limiting its movement and actions. It’s a powerful tool for controlling the battlefield and setting up opportunities for your allies. But it’s often misunderstood how exactly it interplays with gaining advantage on your attacks. While the grappled condition itself doesn’t automatically grant advantage, there are ways to achieve it through clever tactics and teamwork. For example, the feature that gives advantage is “You have advantage on Attack rolls against a creature you are Grappling”. A successful grapple can be a crucial first step in a strategy that ultimately leads to advantage on attacks.
Understanding the Grappled Condition
Before we go any further, it’s essential to understand what the grappled condition actually does. A grappled creature’s speed becomes 0, meaning it can’t move. It can still take actions, including attacking, unless otherwise restricted. Crucially, being grappled doesn’t impose disadvantage on its own attacks, nor does it grant advantage to attacks against it.
Achieving Advantage Through Grappling
The key to gaining advantage while grappling lies in combining the grapple with other conditions or abilities. Here are a few common methods:
- Specific Class Features and Feats: Certain character classes or feats might grant you advantage on attacks against a creature you are grappling. Some homebrew rules may give advantage.
- The Restrained Condition: The restrained condition imposes disadvantage on the creature’s attack rolls and grants advantage to attack rolls against it. A character could use their action to try and pin a creature that they have already grappled, making another grapple check. If successful, both you and the creature become restrained, giving you the desired advantage. This comes at the cost of also restraining you, which may not be desirable.
- Prone Condition: Combining grappling with the prone condition is another common strategy. While grappling a creature, you or an ally can use the Shove action to knock the target prone. A prone creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and attack rolls made within 5 feet of it have advantage. Keep in mind that ranged attacks against prone creatures have disadvantage if the attacker is within 5 feet.
- Teamwork and Positioning: Even without directly imposing a condition, a successful grapple can create tactical advantages. By moving a grappled creature into a position where an ally can easily flank it, you can set up advantage for your team.
Grappling: Beyond Advantage
Grappling is more than just a way to gain advantage. It’s a versatile tool for controlling the battlefield. A well-executed grapple can:
- Isolate a dangerous enemy: Prevent a powerful spellcaster or melee combatant from reaching your weaker party members.
- Disrupt enemy formations: Pull a creature out of cover or away from its allies.
- Control movement: Prevent a creature from escaping or reaching a desired location.
- Set up combos: Coordinate with allies to create opportunities for devastating attacks or spells.
FAQs: Grappling in 5e
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the rules and strategies surrounding grappling in 5e:
1. Does grapple give you advantage?
No, the grappled condition itself does not directly give you advantage on attack rolls. Other abilities, features, or conditions are needed to gain advantage.
2. Does grappling count as hitting with an attack?
Grappling uses the “Attack” action, and is considered a special melee attack.
3. Does grapple trigger extra attack?
No. The Attack action counts as the Attack action. A feature that triggers when you take the Attack action (like Extra Attack) is not invalidated by grappling or shoving. You can use your Extra Attack to grapple and then make a weapon attack.
4. Does grapple have advantage on prone targets?
No, the grapple check itself doesn’t automatically have advantage against prone targets. However, if you successfully grapple a creature and then knock it prone, melee attacks against the prone, grappled target within 5 feet would have advantage.
5. Does grapple impose disadvantage?
The grappled condition itself does not impose disadvantage on attacks. However, the restrained condition, which can be achieved by pinning a grappled creature, does impose disadvantage on the restrained creature’s attacks.
6. Does invisibility give advantage on grapple?
No. Grapple attempts are ability checks, not attack rolls. Therefore, invisibility does not grant advantage on grapple checks.
7. Can you full attack while grappled?
Instead of making a check, a grappled creature can attempt any action that does not require two hands to perform. The grappled creature DOES NOT need to make a check to do these things, and they include casting spells, attacking, full-attacking, and pretty much any action that doesn’t involve movement or two hands.
8. Are you prone if you grapple a prone creature?
No. You can grapple a prone enemy while you are standing, and you can grapple a standing enemy while you are prone. The requirement is one free hand and within 5ft.
9. Do barbarians have advantage on grapple?
Raging barbarians typically don’t have automatic advantage on grapple checks simply from being in a rage. But, they do get advantage on Strength checks, and since grappling is an opposed Strength (Athletics) check, they get advantage that way.
10. Can you attack a target you are grappling?
Yes. You can attack a target you are grappling, provided you have a free hand to wield a weapon or perform an unarmed strike.
11. Can you make attacks of opportunity while grappling?
Grappled creatures cannot make attacks of opportunity. However, a grappler can make attacks of opportunity unless their hands are otherwise occupied.
12. Can you fly while grappling?
When you are grappled, all your movement types become zero. You can’t walk, swim, burrow, crawl, stand up from prone, climb or fly, and if you are currently flying (without hover) you begin to fall.
13. Should you grapple or shove first?
Usually you only want to Grapple then Shove if you want to hold a target prone (as you can’t get back up if you have 0 speed, and being grappled reduces your speed to 0, so grapple + shove can effectively “pin” a target).
14. Does falling prone break a grapple?
No. Grappled and Prone are different conditions, independent of each other.
15. Can a stunned creature resist a grapple?
RAW, the stunned condition doesn’t prevent you from making contested ability checks.
Conclusion
Grappling is a powerful and versatile tool in 5e. While the grappled condition itself doesn’t grant advantage on attacks, it serves as a foundation for creating tactical opportunities through other conditions, abilities, and teamwork. By understanding the nuances of grappling and how it interacts with other mechanics, you can become a master of battlefield control and a valuable asset to your party. Remember to consider combining grappling with conditions like prone or restrained, and look for class features or feats that enhance your grappling abilities.
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