Grappling with Grappling

Grappling is a major action with at least one free hand that attempts to seize the target with an opposed check, your Athletics versus the target’s Athletics/Acrobatics. Alternately, it can refer to the target attempting to escape a grapple, using their Athletics/Acrobatics against the grappler’s Athletics.

For ease of terminology, you will be used to refer to the one initiating and holding the grapple, and the target to refer to the one being grappled and trying to escape.

Checks to initiate a grapple has disadvantage the target is a larger size category than you. You have disadvantage again (for double disadvantage) if the creature is three or more size categories larger. This is typically Gargantuan size for a Medium player.

Conversely, you have disadvantage to grapple a target and their mount if you aren’t two or more size categories larger than either of them. This is also typically Gargantuan size, as most player mounts are Large.

If a creature you are currently grappling has any held/worn items, or has anatomy/features with hit points, you may attempt to grapple that specific item/anatomy, seizing it on a success.

Your speed is ordinarily halved while grappling one or more creatures, but any forms of movement that do not rely on your speed (such as moving through a minor action) are unaffected.

• If you teleport while grappling a target, the target moves with you.

Your target cannot normally move by any means, including through means other than a move action, of their own volition. If they (or anyone else) successfully inflicts forced movement on you, you let go of the grapple, unless either you have a Step or other effect that lets you bring them with you, or you are still within grappling range from your new location.

• However, they can move if the movement is teleportation, in which case they escape your grapple as part of the movement.

Many creatures who grapple can have their grappling appendage directly struck to attempt to break the grapple. If a given limb/anatomy is strikable in this way, it will specify itself as such on its stat block. If a creature is using multiple appendages/limbs, all of those limbs must be simultaneously hit to qualify.

• Switching arms in/out of grappling is a free action, though if the grappler ever has no arms on the grappled target, the grapple is broken.

If you and the target are both flying and in a grapple, neither side can fall unless:

• The grapple ends.
• Both sides are made to fall (such as an effect that knocks them Prone).
• If the target is made to fall, you can voluntarily release the grapple, fall with them, or pass an Athletics check (against the attack roll that caused the effect, or DC if no roll is given) to keep them afloat. Failing this check causes you to fall with them.
• If you are made to fall, the target goes with you.

If you are grappling multiple targets, everyone is dragged with you. Each target’s grapple is tracked separately; if some ability affects a target, it does not affect the other grappled targets, while if something affects you, it affects your grapple in relation to all your targets.

• If you voluntarily give up a grapple, you can choose which to give up.
• If involuntary, you give up all grapples.

If you want to move a grappled target into another space within range, you must expend speed equal to how far you moved them. This counts as forced movement for the target but cannot be used to deal fall damage.

• If you have multiple targets grappled, you can move each target for however much speed you expended.

If you are grappling a target at a range beyond the 5 ft. melee range, track how far they are from you when you first grappled them.

• You grapple a target at 10 feet. When you move, they move with you, remaining 10 feet away in relation to you.

If you can grapple by other means (such as a minion grappling on your behalf or psionic means), assume it uses the same skills to check unless the other means specifically states otherwise.