Relatively new DM here and I'm running Lost mines for a few colleagues. they were attacked by the oh so lovely Stirges in Wave Echo Cave and the question came up: can a PC that has one sucking on their neck fall prone to have a friend get advantage on a attack on it? (they know they could spend an action removing them but wanted to kill them instead and were missing horribly which lead to a lot of laughs)
I've checked the rules on grappling and the prone condition but I don't think the attachment counts as a grapple as there are no checks to initiate or break it.
I ruled: sure I'll give advantage as you are an easier target thus making the creature sucking on you an easier target.
Just wondering if there is any rule or something that deals with this.
I believe that there was a similar topic on these forums somewhere that just went back and forth over pages and pages, which is why I think DxJxC is correct. The rules don't give a particularly clear case either way.
But whatever you rule, remember to be consistent. If the PCs can do it to the monsters, the monsters can do it back.
While this situation might not explicitly be a grapple, the concept/interaction is the same, and there is official Sage Advice on the topic:
Say I grapple you, then I drop prone. Are we now prone together?
No. A creature you’re grappling isn’t knocked prone if you become prone. You’re now holding onto the creature from a prone position.
Keep in mind that a Stirge is size Tiny, and attached to its target (presumably not Tiny). If anything, going prone would make the attached Stirge harder to hit, not easier. You're reducing the amount of angles the Stirge can be attacked from, and you might inadvertently end up giving it cover.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
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Relatively new DM here and I'm running Lost mines for a few colleagues. they were attacked by the oh so lovely Stirges in Wave Echo Cave and the question came up: can a PC that has one sucking on their neck fall prone to have a friend get advantage on a attack on it? (they know they could spend an action removing them but wanted to kill them instead and were missing horribly which lead to a lot of laughs)
I've checked the rules on grappling and the prone condition but I don't think the attachment counts as a grapple as there are no checks to initiate or break it.
I ruled: sure I'll give advantage as you are an easier target thus making the creature sucking on you an easier target.
Just wondering if there is any rule or something that deals with this.
Not one that specifically addresses attached creatures that I know of. I'd rule just as you did.
This is an improvised situation that requires an improvised ruling by the DM.
Ok cool good to know I didn't mess that up. Ups the confidence a bit there. Thanks for the replies.
I believe that there was a similar topic on these forums somewhere that just went back and forth over pages and pages, which is why I think DxJxC is correct. The rules don't give a particularly clear case either way.
But whatever you rule, remember to be consistent. If the PCs can do it to the monsters, the monsters can do it back.
While this situation might not explicitly be a grapple, the concept/interaction is the same, and there is official Sage Advice on the topic:
Keep in mind that a Stirge is size Tiny, and attached to its target (presumably not Tiny). If anything, going prone would make the attached Stirge harder to hit, not easier. You're reducing the amount of angles the Stirge can be attacked from, and you might inadvertently end up giving it cover.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.