Grappling and Shoving in 5e: 2014 and 2024 Rules Compared
To grapple in 5e you replace one attack with a grab against a creature no more than one size larger. In the 2014 rules you win a Strength (Athletics) contest. In the 2024 rules it is an Unarmed Strike option: the target makes a Strength or Dexterity save against DC 8 + your Strength modifier + proficiency bonus.
How does grappling work in 5e?
Grappling means grabbing a creature so it can't move away. In both rule sets you give up one attack from your Attack action to try it, you need a free hand, and the target can be no more than one size larger than you. If you have Extra Attack, you can grapple with one attack and strike with the other.
Where the 2014 and 2024 rules differ is how the grab succeeds. The 2014 Player's Handbook uses a contest of skill checks. The 2024 Player's Handbook folds grappling into the Unarmed Strike and makes the target roll a saving throw. Either way, you roll a d20.
What changed between 2014 and 2024 grappling?
| 2014 rules | 2024 rules | |
|---|---|---|
| How to start | A special melee attack in place of one attack | Unarmed Strike, choosing the Grapple option, in place of one attack |
| Who rolls | Both: your Strength (Athletics) vs. the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) | Only the target: a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (its choice) |
| Target number | The other side's check result; a tie means the grapple fails | DC 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus |
| Size limit | No more than one size larger | No more than one size larger |
| Effect on the target | Speed 0 | Speed 0, and disadvantage on attacks against anyone but you |
| Moving the target | You move at half speed, unless it is two or more sizes smaller | Each foot costs 1 extra foot, unless it is Tiny or two or more sizes smaller |
| Escaping | Action: Athletics or Acrobatics, contested by your Athletics | Action: Athletics or Acrobatics check against your grapple DC |
| Letting go | Any time, no action needed | Any time, no action needed |
For a quick sense of the difference, take a fighter with Strength 16 (+3), proficiency bonus +2 and proficiency in Athletics (+5), grabbing a foe with +2 to the relevant roll. Under the 2014 contest the fighter wins about 61.75% of the time. Under the 2024 rules the DC is 13, and the foe fails its +2 save 50% of the time. The 2024 version is a little less reliable for a skilled grappler early on, but the DC grows automatically with your proficiency bonus.
How do you grapple step by step?
2014 rules
- Take the Attack action and use one attack to grapple.
- Check the target is within reach and no more than one size larger.
- Roll Strength (Athletics). The target rolls Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics), whichever it prefers.
- If your result is higher, the target is grappled. A tie means nothing happens.
2024 rules
- Take the Attack action and make an Unarmed Strike with one attack, choosing the Grapple option.
- Check the target is within 5 feet (or your reach) and no more than one size larger.
- The target makes a Strength or Dexterity saving throw against DC 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus.
- On a failed save, the target has the Grappled condition. You don't make an attack roll at all.
What does the Grappled condition do?
- Speed 0: the grappled creature can't move on its own, and bonuses to speed don't help.
- Attacks (2024 only): it has disadvantage on attack rolls against any target other than the grappler.
- No advantage for attackers: unlike Restrained, being grappled does not give other creatures advantage to hit it.
- It ends if: the grappler is incapacitated, or the two get separated beyond the grapple's reach, for example by Thunderwave or a shove.
Grappled creatures can still attack and cast spells. The full list of conditions is in conditions in 5e.
How does shoving work in 5e?
A shove uses the same system as a grapple in each edition: an Athletics contest in 2014, or a Strength or Dexterity save against your DC in 2024 (the Shove option of an Unarmed Strike). The target must be no more than one size larger. If you win, choose one:
- Knock it prone: melee attacks against it have advantage, and it has to spend half its movement to stand.
- Push it 5 feet away: useful for knocking enemies off ledges or out of reach. Forced movement like this doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.
The classic combo is grapple plus shove prone. The target can't stand up because its speed is 0, so everyone in melee keeps advantage against it. With Extra Attack, a fighter can do both in a single Attack action.
How do you escape a grapple?
The grappled creature uses its action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. In 2014 it's a contest against the grappler's Athletics; in 2024 it needs to meet or beat the grappler's escape DC. Other ways out include teleporting away (Misty Step), being pulled free by an effect that moves it out of reach, or incapacitating the grappler. A Freedom of Movement spell also lets a creature escape easily.
Who should build around grappling?
Grappling rewards high Strength. In 2014, proficiency (or Expertise) in Athletics makes your grabs more reliable; in 2024 your DC uses your Strength modifier and proficiency bonus, so Athletics matters less. Barbarians are strong grapplers in 2014 because Rage gives advantage on Strength checks. Fighters and Monks with Extra Attack can grab and strike in one turn. The Grappler feat adds benefits in both rule sets, such as advantage on attacks against the creature you hold. For more on contested checks and DCs, see skill checks in 5e.
What happens if you grapple a flying creature?
A grappled creature's speed becomes 0. In both rule sets, a flying creature whose speed drops to 0 falls, unless it can hover or is held aloft by magic. So grappling a flying monster with no hover ability brings it down, and it takes falling damage if it was high up. That makes grappling one of the best answers to harpies, manticores and other flyers that would otherwise stay out of reach.
FAQ
Does grappling use your action in 5e?
It replaces one attack of the Attack action. A character with Extra Attack can grapple with one attack and hit with the other in the same action.
Does grappling give you advantage?
No. The Grappled condition only sets the target's speed to 0. In the 2024 rules it also gives the target disadvantage on attacks against anyone other than you. Advantage comes from features like the Grappler feat, or from shoving the target prone.
How do you escape a grapple in 5e?
Use your action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. In the 2014 rules it is a contest against the grappler's Athletics; in the 2024 rules you need to beat the same DC the grappler used.
Can you grapple a creature larger than you?
Only if it is no more than one size larger. A Medium character can grapple a Large ogre but not a Huge giant.
Do you need a free hand to grapple?
Yes, in both rule sets you need at least one free hand to start a grapple. Monsters with special grab attacks follow their own stat block instead.
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