so steel hawk fighters have an ability called launch which states
Launch
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn to magically launch yourself with a mighty leap. While standing on a solid surface, you can use a bonus action to leap horizontally, vertically, or a combination of both, up to a combined distance that totals no more than 15 feet. For example, you can choose to leap 10 feet horizontally and 5 feet vertically, potentially allowing you to avoid a dangerous trap or barricade blocking your path. When you reach 7th level in this class, the leap’s distance can total up to 30 feet instead.
You can’t use this feature if your speed is 0, and if you leap completely horizontally, you still leap 1 foot off the ground. Leaping in this way doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, and if you fall immediately after using this feature, you can subtract up to 30 feet from the fall when calculating falling damage.
You can use this feature three times, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest. Beginning at 7th level, you can use this feature four times between rests, and beginning at 15th level, you can use it five times between rests.
Leaping in this way can also strengthen your strikes by using the force of your momentum. If you make a melee weapon attack immediately after using Launch, you have advantage on the attack roll, and if the attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8 damage of the weapon’s type. At 10th level, this extra damage becomes 1d10, and at 18th level, it becomes 1d12. The attack can be made immediately after you land at the end of the leap or during the leap’s movement.
so my players question is, seeing as by the wording launch doesnt use your REMAINING or current TOTAL amount of movement, its a free 15 feet and free 30 feet at level 7, can they use this ability to grapple an enemy and launch themselves and the grappled target 30 feet vertically then WWE style slam them down 30 feet for the 3D6 fall damage seeing as the player would be safe from this damage, but also if they grappled the creature with a single hand, launch, attack with they're weapon in the other hand for the abilities extra 1D8 damage THEN slam them down for the 3D6 damage, would this be possible? im aware that normally moving a grappled creature would be at half your movement speed but the launch ability doesnt seem to use your own movement so it sounds like it by passes this limitation.
The ability doesn't count towards your normal movement, and while technically it doesn't look like there's any restrictions against performing the maneuver described, 3d6 is not really impressive damage at 7th level- a decently-built fighter is going to match or exceed that with their weapon damage even without a magic weapon.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
If you're needing to use movement to move a grappled opponent, but then saying the launch isn't movement then you could argue that launch can't move the opponent.
So I'd suggest, since grappling someone then launching sounds cool, that you DO treat it as movement, but as kind of EXTRA movement for the purposes of transporting the grappled foe, with any implications that fall out from that.
Otherwise you're kind of saying it both is and isn't "movement ".
so steel hawk fighters have an ability called launch which states
Launch
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn to magically launch yourself with a mighty leap. While standing on a solid surface, you can use a bonus action to leap horizontally, vertically, or a combination of both, up to a combined distance that totals no more than 15 feet. For example, you can choose to leap 10 feet horizontally and 5 feet vertically, potentially allowing you to avoid a dangerous trap or barricade blocking your path. When you reach 7th level in this class, the leap’s distance can total up to 30 feet instead.
You can’t use this feature if your speed is 0, and if you leap completely horizontally, you still leap 1 foot off the ground. Leaping in this way doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, and if you fall immediately after using this feature, you can subtract up to 30 feet from the fall when calculating falling damage.
You can use this feature three times, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest. Beginning at 7th level, you can use this feature four times between rests, and beginning at 15th level, you can use it five times between rests.
Leaping in this way can also strengthen your strikes by using the force of your momentum. If you make a melee weapon attack immediately after using Launch, you have advantage on the attack roll, and if the attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8![]()
damage of the weapon’s type. At 10th level, this extra damage becomes 1d10![]()
, and at 18th level, it becomes 1d12![]()
. The attack can be made immediately after you land at the end of the leap or during the leap’s movement.
so my players question is, seeing as by the wording launch doesnt use your REMAINING or current TOTAL amount of movement, its a free 15 feet and free 30 feet at level 7, can they use this ability to grapple an enemy and launch themselves and the grappled target 30 feet vertically then WWE style slam them down 30 feet for the 3D6 fall damage seeing as the player would be safe from this damage, but also if they grappled the creature with a single hand, launch, attack with they're weapon in the other hand for the abilities extra 1D8 damage THEN slam them down for the 3D6 damage, would this be possible? im aware that normally moving a grappled creature would be at half your movement speed but the launch ability doesnt seem to use your own movement so it sounds like it by passes this limitation.
thoughts?
The ability doesn't count towards your normal movement, and while technically it doesn't look like there's any restrictions against performing the maneuver described, 3d6 is not really impressive damage at 7th level- a decently-built fighter is going to match or exceed that with their weapon damage even without a magic weapon.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Interesting.
If you're needing to use movement to move a grappled opponent, but then saying the launch isn't movement then you could argue that launch can't move the opponent.
So I'd suggest, since grappling someone then launching sounds cool, that you DO treat it as movement, but as kind of EXTRA movement for the purposes of transporting the grappled foe, with any implications that fall out from that.
Otherwise you're kind of saying it both is and isn't "movement ".
I think.