Counterintuitively, the grappled condition doesn't have any effect whatsoever on combat.
Drops speed to 0. Get a hold on a flying enemy while it's close, to keep it from getting out of reach. Keep a ranged fighter close to impose disadvantage. Keep a melee fighter away from your mages. Keep an enemy from leaving an area of effect like silence or wall of fire. If speed is 0 you cannot get up from prone, so shove them down.
Just a couple of very effective ways to use grapple.
You know I'm talking about the context to which this entire thread is dedicated.
Well the advantage on a prone enemy that can't get up counters the disadvantage of not being able to see, so there's that. Alternatively, you can drag the enemy out of the darkness.
Yes, "Prone: ... An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature ..." So grapple, knock prone, and drag out of the darkness to make it easier to hit.
Assuming you are affected by the darkness the same as your taeget.
[Edit: in which case you have disadvantage for attacking an unseen target, and gain no benefit from them being prone.]
Yes, "Prone: ... An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature ..." So grapple, knock prone, and drag out of the darkness to make it easier to hit.
Assuming you are affected by the darkness the same as your taeget.
[Edit: in which case you have disadvantage for attacking an unseen target, and gain no benefit from them being prone.]
Which is why you drag them out of the darkness. I feel like we said that already.
And if your DM is ruling that darkness does not give you advantage on a target you can't see just because they can't see you (as was mentioned earlier), grappling a prone enemy will give you advantage to counter the disadvantage of darkness.
And even if playing with RAW and attacks didn't have advamtage or disadvantage, grappling the enemy still let's you know where they are so you don't attack an empty square.
EightpackKilla you like to live dangerously! More than a few of my party-goers would shoot at that voice :) But yeah leading people to your quarry in the dark and team tactics are always good.
I don't think anyone's mentioned yet the benefit of your Devil's Sight Warnock teaming up with your Moon Druid Giant Constrictor Snake who has Blindsight, and your Wizard casting Touch spells through their Bat familiar. Meanwhile the raging barbarian is holding two enemies in the darkness and the whole party has advantage.
In fact the Warlock is less equipped in this party because his advantage is shut down by Fog Cloud, while the rest of the party has that tool to use against enemies with Truesight
Darkness has a radius of 15'. Fireball has a radius of 20'
Just sayin'
On the occasion you are fighting a powerful caster, consider changing tactics. If you choose to take the same approach the Wizard may want to spend his turns looking through his familiar. Then he'd be able to counterspell the enemy each round. But most enemies aren't powerful casters...
Always consider your situation; your allies, your enemies, your environment. When you make your decisions. Sometimes your best approach is to hold enemies in darkness while blindsighted allies rip them to shreds. Sometimes your best approach is to convince the opponent to join you instead. There are always a myriad of options to choose from.
DxJxC - Yeah its daft but the reason its obnoxiously correct according to most people was the weird tweet errata that a familiar could use a help action, when really it would have been better to say a magical construct you are in telepathic contact with couldnt take an action at all without you giving yours up. (And if you dm and think thats fair enough to add to familiars then more power to you, A mage could still use their action to then give the familiar its action to breathe in that circumstance though.)
You want to have how your game world fits together on point if the party start training creatures - The devilsight warlock with his three darkmantle hunting pets will make many encounters very different. Still thats preferable to the mounted knight on a basilisk (blinkers a good idea)
Dragon's Breath on the familiar isn't much stronger than Call Lightning or Spiritual Weapon, but it's a lot easier to interrupt given that the Bat has a single hit point. It's a quick way to lose your familiar and your spell slot. At least they'll use their attack to do it. Make sure you cast Mage Armor on the thing so it'll have a chance.
Dragon's Breath on the familiar isn't much stronger than Call Lightning or Spiritual Weapon, but it's a lot easier to interrupt given that the Bat has a single hit point. It's a quick way to lose your familiar and your spell slot. At least they'll use their attack to do it. Make sure you cast Mage Armor on the thing so it'll have a chance.
It has a few advantages. Namely, it doesn't use your action for the bat to use its breath
2 - can fly above and cone below to make a 15 diameter sphere - much better than a cone usually
3 - can see in darkness and breathe accurately on enemies and then they cant see it and attack back - ever - save move to finish move from position away from exhale point each round - bonus - the bat can carry the darkness stone / eversmoking bottle and try guessing that target location as it zooms in and solo's an encounter.
Thats better than call lightning except in range and it beats spiritual weapon in damage done unless the creatures attacked are allowed to mathematically predict the center flight path of a dive bombing cloud of death and darkness or use AoE - so dont use death bat vs AoE capable targets.
Since Dragon's Breath is a 2nd level spell, would the familiar be limited to non-light producing breaths like acid, cold, or poison in order to not have the spell dispelled by the darkness?
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"Not all those who wander are lost"
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Drops speed to 0. Get a hold on a flying enemy while it's close, to keep it from getting out of reach. Keep a ranged fighter close to impose disadvantage. Keep a melee fighter away from your mages. Keep an enemy from leaving an area of effect like silence or wall of fire. If speed is 0 you cannot get up from prone, so shove them down.
Just a couple of very effective ways to use grapple.
Ok you cheeky guys :)
You know I'm talking about the context to which this entire thread is dedicated.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Well the advantage on a prone enemy that can't get up counters the disadvantage of not being able to see, so there's that. Alternatively, you can drag the enemy out of the darkness.
Why would you take them OUT of the darkness?! It's easier to hit them if they're in the darkness!
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Not when you're holding them prone.
Extended Signature
Oh Yeah?
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Yes, "Prone: ... An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature ..." So grapple, knock prone, and drag out of the darkness to make it easier to hit.
Assuming you are affected by the darkness the same as your taeget.
[Edit: in which case you have disadvantage for attacking an unseen target, and gain no benefit from them being prone.]
Extended Signature
Which is why you drag them out of the darkness. I feel like we said that already.
And if your DM is ruling that darkness does not give you advantage on a target you can't see just because they can't see you (as was mentioned earlier), grappling a prone enemy will give you advantage to counter the disadvantage of darkness.
And even if playing with RAW and attacks didn't have advamtage or disadvantage, grappling the enemy still let's you know where they are so you don't attack an empty square.
Not only all that.
But its a free action to go IC: "Guys, follow my voice. I have one of the guys in my arms."
for people to "hear(perception)" you, to find an enemy.
Blank
EightpackKilla you like to live dangerously! More than a few of my party-goers would shoot at that voice :) But yeah leading people to your quarry in the dark and team tactics are always good.
I don't think anyone's mentioned yet the benefit of your Devil's Sight Warnock teaming up with your Moon Druid Giant Constrictor Snake who has Blindsight, and your Wizard casting Touch spells through their Bat familiar. Meanwhile the raging barbarian is holding two enemies in the darkness and the whole party has advantage.
In fact the Warlock is less equipped in this party because his advantage is shut down by Fog Cloud, while the rest of the party has that tool to use against enemies with Truesight
Extended Signature
Darkness has a radius of 15'. Fireball has a radius of 20'
Just sayin'
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Bdaddly - cast dragons breath on your bat familiar, let the blind fools know the wrath of the Death bat
When I read this, I was sure it was against the rules since familiars cant attack, but dragon's breath does not make an attack roll, so...
RELEASE THE DEATH BAT!
On the occasion you are fighting a powerful caster, consider changing tactics. If you choose to take the same approach the Wizard may want to spend his turns looking through his familiar. Then he'd be able to counterspell the enemy each round. But most enemies aren't powerful casters...
Always consider your situation; your allies, your enemies, your environment. When you make your decisions. Sometimes your best approach is to hold enemies in darkness while blindsighted allies rip them to shreds. Sometimes your best approach is to convince the opponent to join you instead. There are always a myriad of options to choose from.
Extended Signature
DxJxC - Yeah its daft but the reason its obnoxiously correct according to most people was the weird tweet errata that a familiar could use a help action, when really it would have been better to say a magical construct you are in telepathic contact with couldnt take an action at all without you giving yours up. (And if you dm and think thats fair enough to add to familiars then more power to you, A mage could still use their action to then give the familiar its action to breathe in that circumstance though.)
You want to have how your game world fits together on point if the party start training creatures - The devilsight warlock with his three darkmantle hunting pets will make many encounters very different. Still thats preferable to the mounted knight on a basilisk (blinkers a good idea)
Dragon's Breath on the familiar isn't much stronger than Call Lightning or Spiritual Weapon, but it's a lot easier to interrupt given that the Bat has a single hit point. It's a quick way to lose your familiar and your spell slot. At least they'll use their attack to do it. Make sure you cast Mage Armor on the thing so it'll have a chance.
Extended Signature
It has a few advantages. Namely, it doesn't use your action for the bat to use its breath
DB bat familiar advantages
1 - doesnt use your action,
2 - can fly above and cone below to make a 15 diameter sphere - much better than a cone usually
3 - can see in darkness and breathe accurately on enemies and then they cant see it and attack back - ever - save move to finish move from position away from exhale point each round - bonus - the bat can carry the darkness stone / eversmoking bottle and try guessing that target location as it zooms in and solo's an encounter.
Thats better than call lightning except in range and it beats spiritual weapon in damage done unless the creatures attacked are allowed to mathematically predict the center flight path of a dive bombing cloud of death and darkness or use AoE - so dont use death bat vs AoE capable targets.
Since Dragon's Breath is a 2nd level spell, would the familiar be limited to non-light producing breaths like acid, cold, or poison in order to not have the spell dispelled by the darkness?
"Not all those who wander are lost"