So I'm considering building a Goliath Monk Grappler, which means I'd be able to embiggen and then, as a Large creature, potentially drag other Large size creatures without penalty to my movement. However, Large category monsters are like Hill Giants, which weigh 4500lbs. Drag capacity is 30x your Strength score, for a Goliath that's 60x Strength and when embiggened that's 120x Strength. But even if I were wearing a Belt of Hill Giant Strength, I'd only be able to drag 2,520lbs.
How in the heck is anyone who's Large size category supposed to drag another Large creature using the Grappler feat? A lot of Large size category enemies weigh thousands of pounds. Does the Feat allow you to more of less ignore the weight of the enemy for the purposes of drag (since they aren't dead weight and are still supporting themselves on their legs, presumably), or does it really just come down to what you're fighting and how much they weigh?
You are introducing a complication (weight) that doesn’t matter according to the rules. Size category is all that matters in grappling. If you can grapple and move someone according to size rules, then you can. The target’s weight is irrelevant. So all you need to do is remove the complication you added, and everything works just fine.
Additionally, there is no information in the rules about how much any creature in the monster manual (or other sources) weighs. So that part is purely speculation.
So I'm considering building a Goliath Monk Grappler, which means I'd be able to embiggen and then, as a Large creature, potentially drag other Large size creatures without penalty to my movement. However, Large category monsters are like Hill Giants, which weigh 4500lbs. Drag capacity is 30x your Strength score, for a Goliath that's 60x Strength and when embiggened that's 120x Strength. But even if I were wearing a Belt of Hill Giant Strength, I'd only be able to drag 2,520lbs.
How in the heck is anyone who's Large size category supposed to drag another Large creature using the Grappler feat? A lot of Large size category enemies weigh thousands of pounds. Does the Feat allow you to more of less ignore the weight of the enemy for the purposes of drag (since they aren't dead weight and are still supporting themselves on their legs, presumably), or does it really just come down to what you're fighting and how much they weigh?
It comes down to what you’re fighting and what they way, unless the ability provides specific wording that trumps that general weight rule.
such wording can be found in abilities like mighty impel from path of the giant barbarian. Where, regardless of their weight, based purely on size, you can use a bonus action to throw the enemy up to 30ft.
so, large hill giant thrown 30 ft. Tiny evil pixie. Thrown 30ft.
I'd also add that most of the time when applying a grapple and moving someone, the grappler is NOT moving deadweight, they apply the grapple to joints etc and use leverage so most of the time the grappled creature moves in the direction you want them to as the path of least resistance to reduce the effect of the grapple and not because they are being dragged.
So, you might be able to force the living hill giant to move by grappling it but be unable to move its body after it is dead :)
However, those are logic arguments and this is D&D. The simple answer is that you can grapple and move the creature larger than you because that is what the rules say.
In addition, it gets even more interesting when you consider that a creature can grapple another creature that is up to one size category larger than themselves as long as they have a free hand. So, your large sized goliath can grapple huge sized creatures ... have someone cast Enlarge on them and the now Huge size Goliath can grapple Gargantuan creatures :) ... so feel free to grapple that Ancient Red Dragon ... in theory. :)
edit: Tarrasque's are Gargantuan too ... so feel free to grapple one of those if you prefer :) [Thanks for the correction :) ]
Gargantuan is the largest listed size category in the rules ... however, there is also the Titan size category which only seems to apply to the Tarrasque and which doesn't appear to be defined.
Tarrasque are Gargantuan. Titan is a descriptive tag for creatures that are not necessarily of G size for example, the Empyrean Iota is a Medium Celestial or Fiend
The only edition of D&D that had strength and encumbrance rule that actually scaled in a quasi-sensible manner for the giant monsters that exist in D&D was 3.x, where lifting ability was on an exponential scale.
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So I'm considering building a Goliath Monk Grappler, which means I'd be able to embiggen and then, as a Large creature, potentially drag other Large size creatures without penalty to my movement. However, Large category monsters are like Hill Giants, which weigh 4500lbs. Drag capacity is 30x your Strength score, for a Goliath that's 60x Strength and when embiggened that's 120x Strength. But even if I were wearing a Belt of Hill Giant Strength, I'd only be able to drag 2,520lbs.
How in the heck is anyone who's Large size category supposed to drag another Large creature using the Grappler feat? A lot of Large size category enemies weigh thousands of pounds. Does the Feat allow you to more of less ignore the weight of the enemy for the purposes of drag (since they aren't dead weight and are still supporting themselves on their legs, presumably), or does it really just come down to what you're fighting and how much they weigh?
You are introducing a complication (weight) that doesn’t matter according to the rules. Size category is all that matters in grappling. If you can grapple and move someone according to size rules, then you can. The target’s weight is irrelevant. So all you need to do is remove the complication you added, and everything works just fine.
Additionally, there is no information in the rules about how much any creature in the monster manual (or other sources) weighs. So that part is purely speculation.
It comes down to what you’re fighting and what they way, unless the ability provides specific wording that trumps that general weight rule.
such wording can be found in abilities like mighty impel from path of the giant barbarian. Where, regardless of their weight, based purely on size, you can use a bonus action to throw the enemy up to 30ft.
so, large hill giant thrown 30 ft. Tiny evil pixie. Thrown 30ft.
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As Xalthu said, size is all that matters in grappling. The game just doesn't go into as much details regarding weight.
While not official ruling per se, if interested this question was asked before to game devs;
But DM can always rule against it if determining it's impossible.
I'd also add that most of the time when applying a grapple and moving someone, the grappler is NOT moving deadweight, they apply the grapple to joints etc and use leverage so most of the time the grappled creature moves in the direction you want them to as the path of least resistance to reduce the effect of the grapple and not because they are being dragged.
So, you might be able to force the living hill giant to move by grappling it but be unable to move its body after it is dead :)
However, those are logic arguments and this is D&D. The simple answer is that you can grapple and move the creature larger than you because that is what the rules say.
In addition, it gets even more interesting when you consider that a creature can grapple another creature that is up to one size category larger than themselves as long as they have a free hand. So, your large sized goliath can grapple huge sized creatures ... have someone cast Enlarge on them and the now Huge size Goliath can grapple Gargantuan creatures :) ... so feel free to grapple that Ancient Red Dragon ... in theory. :)
edit: Tarrasque's are Gargantuan too ... so feel free to grapple one of those if you prefer :) [Thanks for the correction :) ]
Gargantuan is the largest listed size category in the rules ... however, there is also the Titan size category which only seems to apply to the Tarrasque and which doesn't appear to be defined.
Tarrasque are Gargantuan. Titan is a descriptive tag for creatures that are not necessarily of G size for example, the Empyrean Iota is a Medium Celestial or Fiend
The only edition of D&D that had strength and encumbrance rule that actually scaled in a quasi-sensible manner for the giant monsters that exist in D&D was 3.x, where lifting ability was on an exponential scale.