If a Battlemaster has an Eldritch Claw Tattoo and activates its Eldritch Maul feature, can the extended 15-foot reach of the melee attack combine with the Grappling strike maneuver (i.e., spend a superiority die and try to grapple the target as a bonus action)? I would lean towards the answer being no, but would like to hear other opinions (or rulings if they have been made).
It seems like the Eldritch Maul feature is intended to be a temporary reach extension that ends after the attack (though this is not explicitly written), and a maintaining a grapple requires the grappled target to be within continuous reach of the grappler (third bullet of the grappled condition in the PHB). Thematically, I see this as the magic of the tattoo extending from the attacker for a brief moment, but not being a continuous grappling tendril (as would be present in the Coiling Grasp tattoo).
Eldritch Maul allows attacks with a weapon or an unarmed strike to hit targets up to 15 feet of you. It doesn't extend your character's inherent reach, which is what is required for grappling.
A grapple isn't an attack with a weapon or an unarmed strike, so it doesn't benefit from the feature.
And even if it did work, as soon as the attack ended and your reach no longer extended to the grappled target, the description of the grappled condition would indicate the grapple would end essentially as soon as it began.
The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by the thunderwave spell.
So aside from the good points raised above, this is one more reason why it would not effectively grapple someone.
100% it increases your reach. Why not? Would you not allow smite, or sneak attack because it doesn't say so specifically? Let your players have nice things.
100% it increases your reach. Why not? Would you not allow smite, or sneak attack because it doesn't say so specifically? Let your players have nice things.
Because that's not what the rules say. Do you let your players cast wish at level 1?
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If a Battlemaster has an Eldritch Claw Tattoo and activates its Eldritch Maul feature, can the extended 15-foot reach of the melee attack combine with the Grappling strike maneuver (i.e., spend a superiority die and try to grapple the target as a bonus action)? I would lean towards the answer being no, but would like to hear other opinions (or rulings if they have been made).
It seems like the Eldritch Maul feature is intended to be a temporary reach extension that ends after the attack (though this is not explicitly written), and a maintaining a grapple requires the grappled target to be within continuous reach of the grappler (third bullet of the grappled condition in the PHB). Thematically, I see this as the magic of the tattoo extending from the attacker for a brief moment, but not being a continuous grappling tendril (as would be present in the Coiling Grasp tattoo).
No it wouldn't work as grappling use one of your free hand and Eldritch Maul doesn't, its inky tendrils launch toward the target.
Eldritch Maul allows attacks with a weapon or an unarmed strike to hit targets up to 15 feet of you. It doesn't extend your character's inherent reach, which is what is required for grappling.
A grapple isn't an attack with a weapon or an unarmed strike, so it doesn't benefit from the feature.
And even if it did work, as soon as the attack ended and your reach no longer extended to the grappled target, the description of the grappled condition would indicate the grapple would end essentially as soon as it began.
So aside from the good points raised above, this is one more reason why it would not effectively grapple someone.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
100% it increases your reach. Why not?
Would you not allow smite, or sneak attack because it doesn't say so specifically? Let your players have nice things.
Because that's not what the rules say. Do you let your players cast wish at level 1?