Hey there, my players come up with a great idea "the fist of Buda". In my group, there is an Aarakocra Ranger and a Halfling Monk and they want to train a combo maneuver. The Idea is that the Ranger flies up with the Monk and let him drop on an enemy. The monk than will attack the enemy from above and won´t take much damage due to slow fall (ability lvl 4 monk). They even buyed a belt for the Monk with little hooks in it, so that the Ranger can hold him with his claws.
I think it is a unique method to fight together and I will allow it, but I am not quite sure how to balance it. What I did so far is, that the Monk can use slow fall to reduce his damage, but still take some damage. The enemy will take the whole damage from the fall (like being hit by a stone). The Ranger had to make a grappling attack against the Halfling (but with advantage) and as bonus action, he can drop the Halfling.
What do you guys think about it? Should I change anything? I mean it is not that powerful but it looks cool :D
1) Slow fall makes you fall slow, so the damage from the impact on the enemy (I guess that is what the idea here is) should be also reduced by the same amount.
2) Grappling a willing ally shoud not require a grappling attack at all. Just do it, as long as the Aarakocra has enough carrying capacity to lift the halfling.
1) Slow fall makes you fall slow, so the damage from the impact on the enemy (I guess that is what the idea here is) should be also reduced by the same amount.
I´ve got the same topic with my player. He argue with that the description of slow fall nowhere say how it work. So he was thinking that the Monk didn´t fall slower, rather that his senses are getting faster and that the Monk experience the fall slower (like a kind of slow motion) and can react to it in a proper way. Therefore, the enemy would take full damage. Is there somewhere a better description of slow fall?
2) Grappling a willing ally shoud not require a grappling attack at all. Just do it, as long as the Aarakocra has enough carrying capacity to lift the halfling.
Yeah that sounds fair. I will get rid of the roll.
I’d have the ranger make a ranged attack roll to hit with the halfling, and I’d call it an improvised weapon so no proficiency bonus, since that’s basically what’s happening. If he misses, the halfling still takes fall damage and lands in an adjacent square. That would also be the rangers action for that round, so he can’t drop the halfling and also fire his bow. If not a to hit roll, then the target should get a save to dodge it. Either way it can not just be an auto-hit. I’d allow the technique via rule of cool, but a bonus action auto hit is crazy powerful. Also, what’s the ranger’s strength? Can he lift the halfling? (plus his own gear, plus the halfling’s gear) Possibly also have the halfling make a DEX save (DC 10+number of squares he fell, maybe?) to land on his feet. Fail means he lands prone in a random square, success lands on his feet in a square he chooses
In past editions, slow fall required the monk to be within reach of a wall or cliff side or something they could grab on to to slow themselves down. In this one, it just seems to happen.
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Hey there,
my players come up with a great idea "the fist of Buda". In my group, there is an Aarakocra Ranger and a Halfling Monk and they want to train a combo maneuver. The Idea is that the Ranger flies up with the Monk and let him drop on an enemy. The monk than will attack the enemy from above and won´t take much damage due to slow fall (ability lvl 4 monk). They even buyed a belt for the Monk with little hooks in it, so that the Ranger can hold him with his claws.
I think it is a unique method to fight together and I will allow it, but I am not quite sure how to balance it. What I did so far is, that the Monk can use slow fall to reduce his damage, but still take some damage. The enemy will take the whole damage from the fall (like being hit by a stone). The Ranger had to make a grappling attack against the Halfling (but with advantage) and as bonus action, he can drop the Halfling.
What do you guys think about it? Should I change anything? I mean it is not that powerful but it looks cool :D
Two things that sound a bit bumpy here:
1) Slow fall makes you fall slow, so the damage from the impact on the enemy (I guess that is what the idea here is) should be also reduced by the same amount.
2) Grappling a willing ally shoud not require a grappling attack at all. Just do it, as long as the Aarakocra has enough carrying capacity to lift the halfling.
@Voras first of all, thx for your tip :)
I´ve got the same topic with my player. He argue with that the description of slow fall nowhere say how it work. So he was thinking that the Monk didn´t fall slower, rather that his senses are getting faster and that the Monk experience the fall slower (like a kind of slow motion) and can react to it in a proper way. Therefore, the enemy would take full damage. Is there somewhere a better description of slow fall?
Yeah that sounds fair. I will get rid of the roll.
I’d have the ranger make a ranged attack roll to hit with the halfling, and I’d call it an improvised weapon so no proficiency bonus, since that’s basically what’s happening. If he misses, the halfling still takes fall damage and lands in an adjacent square. That would also be the rangers action for that round, so he can’t drop the halfling and also fire his bow. If not a to hit roll, then the target should get a save to dodge it. Either way it can not just be an auto-hit. I’d allow the technique via rule of cool, but a bonus action auto hit is crazy powerful.
Also, what’s the ranger’s strength? Can he lift the halfling? (plus his own gear, plus the halfling’s gear)
Possibly also have the halfling make a DEX save (DC 10+number of squares he fell, maybe?) to land on his feet. Fail means he lands prone in a random square, success lands on his feet in a square he chooses
In past editions, slow fall required the monk to be within reach of a wall or cliff side or something they could grab on to to slow themselves down. In this one, it just seems to happen.