This is a good question. According to Hoyle, a ranger uses their action to command their animal companion to perform one action from a list: Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help. Animal companions can also take the Dodge action if they're not issued a command on the ranger's turn, so we know they can also take actions independent of the ranger.
Grappling is an ability check that can be used in place of an attack while taking the Attack action. It's also intended for creatures with open hands, which I'm not sure any compatible beast has. However, some beasts, such as a wolf, could plausibly grapple a creature using a bite attack. It's also worth noting the giant crab can actually grapple targets as part of its claw attack, but that's a rider effect with a save DC.
This is where we get into "rulings, not rules" territory. I don't think it's unreasonable to allow a grappled animal companion to try and escape. And that action exists outside the normal list of actions anyone can take in combat. The issue is how do you resolve it. Do you order the animal companion to do so, burning your action in the process? Do you ignore the animal companion, attack normally, and let it do so automatically; as if it were taking the Dodge action? Or do you just focus fire to down the grappler since being grappled doesn't negatively impact attack rolls?
I hate to say it, but this largely comes down to a table-by-table basis.
EDIT: I know that's kind of wishy-washy, but I don't have anything better for you.
I knew it would be a discussion with no real definitive answer when I asked it. I appreciate the thoughts. Here is another one that kind goes along with the first. The beast auto dodges if not given a command. Although it doesn’t take any kind of spent action economy from the ranger, it is a command to have the beast move. So if you command the beast to move would it not auto dodge? LOL! What a clunky subclass.
Personally I think the commands that take a command from the ranger, and possibly some kind of spent action economy from the ranger, are just those that directly effect combat. The beast “...obeys your commands as best as it can...” for anything else, and this is why speak with animals is so important to the beast master ranger.
Clunky? Perhaps. The goal is to have both ranger and animal companion fight as a single unit. It's not perfect, but it's not as bad as a lot of detractors make it out to be.
Oh, please don't get me wrong. I love the class and subclass. I am a big fan and advocate for each and on how they should be interpreted and played by both players and DMs alike. I'm one of the folks that interpret the beast acting on the ranger's turn as part of the ranger's turn as a part of the ranger.
“The beast obeys your commands as best as it can.”
The beast master description goes on to say that the commands must be verbal, commands to move do not require the ranger’s action and that commands to use the Attack, Dash, Disengage or Help action require the ranger’s action.
It never says that those are the only commands that the beast master can make.
If the ranger commands something and the beast can do it, it will. Escaping a grapple is something the beast could do before it was bonded by the ranger so it can do it and it will do it if commanded. Escaping a grapple is not one of the actions that require the ranger’s action to command so it requires no action from the ranger.
The writers didn’t describe every single thing that a ranger could command because they didn’t need to.
I agree 100%! It is still a creature. The beast master ranger just trades a little action economy of their own for some super powers for the beast. But the beast is still an animal. 👍
Monster Manual: Actions :When a monster takes its action, it can choose from the options in the Actions section of its stat block or use one of the actions available to all creatures, such as the Dash or Hide action, as described in the Player's Handbook.
This is a rule that states that there are actions that don't need to be called out to be used. If arguments show up here are some justifications that a beast can do any action and sometimes the dm can rule that the beast doesn't need a command or that the beast master can command it without using his action. A great example is a Deep Rothe casting dancing lights. most dms rule communication is a free action and deep Rothes communicate via the spell. So, a ranger probably shouldn't be required to order it to cast that spell in order to remain fair and consistent.
PHB actions in combat:
When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here, an action you gained from your class or a special feature, or an action that you improvise. Many monsters have action options of their own in their stat blocks.
When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.
I knew it would be a discussion with no real definitive answer when I asked it. I appreciate the thoughts. Here is another one that kind goes along with the first. The beast auto dodges if not given a command. Although it doesn’t take any kind of spent action economy from the ranger, it is a command to have the beast move. So if you command the beast to move would it not auto dodge? LOL! What a clunky subclass.
Personally I think the commands that take a command from the ranger, and possibly some kind of spent action economy from the ranger, are just those that directly effect combat. The beast “...obeys your commands as best as it can...” for anything else, and this is why speak with animals is so important to the beast master ranger.
Remember the auto doge was a change of the rules from the original printing. I think wizards intended doge and hide to be free actions but players and dms weren't understanding this concept so they tried to simplify it via errata but it actually didn't clear it up or simplify the situation.
This came to my attention in a different forum.
Can (I guess I'm asking as per KISS RAW) the beast master ranger's animal companion use an action to escape a grapple? Commanded or otherwise?
This is a good question. According to Hoyle, a ranger uses their action to command their animal companion to perform one action from a list: Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help. Animal companions can also take the Dodge action if they're not issued a command on the ranger's turn, so we know they can also take actions independent of the ranger.
Grappling is an ability check that can be used in place of an attack while taking the Attack action. It's also intended for creatures with open hands, which I'm not sure any compatible beast has. However, some beasts, such as a wolf, could plausibly grapple a creature using a bite attack. It's also worth noting the giant crab can actually grapple targets as part of its claw attack, but that's a rider effect with a save DC.
This is where we get into "rulings, not rules" territory. I don't think it's unreasonable to allow a grappled animal companion to try and escape. And that action exists outside the normal list of actions anyone can take in combat. The issue is how do you resolve it. Do you order the animal companion to do so, burning your action in the process? Do you ignore the animal companion, attack normally, and let it do so automatically; as if it were taking the Dodge action? Or do you just focus fire to down the grappler since being grappled doesn't negatively impact attack rolls?
I hate to say it, but this largely comes down to a table-by-table basis.
EDIT:
I know that's kind of wishy-washy, but I don't have anything better for you.
I knew it would be a discussion with no real definitive answer when I asked it. I appreciate the thoughts. Here is another one that kind goes along with the first. The beast auto dodges if not given a command. Although it doesn’t take any kind of spent action economy from the ranger, it is a command to have the beast move. So if you command the beast to move would it not auto dodge? LOL! What a clunky subclass.
Personally I think the commands that take a command from the ranger, and possibly some kind of spent action economy from the ranger, are just those that directly effect combat. The beast “...obeys your commands as best as it can...” for anything else, and this is why speak with animals is so important to the beast master ranger.
Clunky? Perhaps. The goal is to have both ranger and animal companion fight as a single unit. It's not perfect, but it's not as bad as a lot of detractors make it out to be.
Oh, please don't get me wrong. I love the class and subclass. I am a big fan and advocate for each and on how they should be interpreted and played by both players and DMs alike. I'm one of the folks that interpret the beast acting on the ranger's turn as part of the ranger's turn as a part of the ranger.
“The beast obeys your commands as best as it can.”
The beast master description goes on to say that the commands must be verbal, commands to move do not require the ranger’s action and that commands to use the Attack, Dash, Disengage or Help action require the ranger’s action.
It never says that those are the only commands that the beast master can make.
If the ranger commands something and the beast can do it, it will. Escaping a grapple is something the beast could do before it was bonded by the ranger so it can do it and it will do it if commanded. Escaping a grapple is not one of the actions that require the ranger’s action to command so it requires no action from the ranger.
The writers didn’t describe every single thing that a ranger could command because they didn’t need to.
I agree 100%! It is still a creature. The beast master ranger just trades a little action economy of their own for some super powers for the beast. But the beast is still an animal. 👍
I'm adding to this because it was never stated.
This is a rule that states that there are actions that don't need to be called out to be used. If arguments show up here are some justifications that a beast can do any action and sometimes the dm can rule that the beast doesn't need a command or that the beast master can command it without using his action. A great example is a Deep Rothe casting dancing lights. most dms rule communication is a free action and deep Rothes communicate via the spell. So, a ranger probably shouldn't be required to order it to cast that spell in order to remain fair and consistent.
PHB actions in combat:
When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here, an action you gained from your class or a special feature, or an action that you improvise. Many monsters have action options of their own in their stat blocks.
When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.
List of actions: Attack, Cast a Spell, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Ready, Search, Use an Object, Improvising an Action
Remember the auto doge was a change of the rules from the original printing. I think wizards intended doge and hide to be free actions but players and dms weren't understanding this concept so they tried to simplify it via errata but it actually didn't clear it up or simplify the situation.