Grappling and Shoving Rules

Two of the most tactically interesting options in D&D combat aren't spells or special attacks — they're wrestling someone to the ground and pushing them into a wall. Grappling and shoving are special melee attacks available to any creature with a free hand, built into the core combat rules in the Player's Handbook. They reward players who think spatially about the battlefield and can completely flip the dynamics of an encounter when used well.

Definition and scope

Grappling and shoving are defined in Player's Handbook (5th Edition, p. 195) as special melee attacks that replace one of a creature's attacks during the Attack action. Neither deals hit point damage on its own — that's the point. Instead, they impose conditions or reposition targets in ways that set up everything else.

A grapple attempts to seize a creature, applying the grappled condition on a success. A shove attempts to either knock a creature prone or push it 5 feet away. Both actions are constrained by size: a creature can only grapple or shove a target that is at most one size category larger than itself. A Medium human can grapple a Large ogre. That same human cannot grapple a Huge giant.

The grappled condition, per the Player's Handbook, reduces the affected creature's speed to 0 and prevents it from benefiting from any bonus to speed. It doesn't prevent the grappled creature from attacking, casting spells, or taking other actions — a detail that surprises many newer players.

How it works

Both actions follow a contested ability check, which is worth understanding step by step.

To grapple:
1. The attacker makes a Strength (Athletics) check.
2. The target makes either a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check — the target's choice.
3. If the attacker's result equals or exceeds the target's, the grapple succeeds and the grappled condition is applied.
4. The grappled creature can use its action on subsequent turns to attempt an escape, repeating the contest.

To shove:
1. The attacker makes a Strength (Athletics) check.
2. The target makes either a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check — target's choice.
3. On a success, the attacker chooses the effect: prone or pushed 5 feet.

One structural note worth absorbing: both contests are resolved with ability checks, not attack rolls. That means the attacker's proficiency bonus only applies if they're proficient in Athletics. It also means these actions cannot critically succeed or critically fail in the way attack rolls can — there's no natural-20 equivalent here.

If a character has the Extra Attack feature, they can replace one of those attacks with a grapple or shove while still making their remaining attack(s). This interaction is what makes fighters and barbarians particularly effective at grapple-based tactics.

Common scenarios

The key dimensions of D&D combat become visible through how these two actions interact with the environment and other rules.

Cliff edges and hazards. Shoving a creature prone adjacent to a pit deals no damage — but a second shove, or a grapple followed by movement, can send it over the edge entirely. The Dungeon Master's Guide (p. 271) provides guidance on fall damage at 1d6 bludgeoning damage per 10 feet fallen, to a cap of 20d6.

Concentration spells. A caster maintaining a Concentration spell must make a Constitution saving throw when damaged. Grappling the caster doesn't directly threaten concentration, but holding someone in place while an ally deals repeated damage is one of the cleaner ways to force repeated saves.

Prone vs. pushed. These two shove outcomes serve different tactical purposes. Prone imposes disadvantage on the target's attack rolls and gives melee attackers within 5 feet advantage on attacks against it — but ranged attackers actually gain disadvantage against a prone target. Pushing 5 feet back can interrupt spellcasters who need a clear line of effect, separate a dangerous enemy from a downed ally, or buy a round of movement economy.

Dragging a grappled creature. A creature moving while grappling its target drags that target along, but at half speed. This makes high-movement characters — monks, barbarians with Fast Movement, or creatures with a fly speed — disproportionately useful as grapplers.

Decision boundaries

The grapple-or-shove decision isn't always obvious, and the right call depends on three converging factors.

Target size. Against a creature exactly one size larger, the contest is still winnable but statistically harder. A Medium creature grappling a Large one faces the same mechanic, but the Large creature's Strength score is typically higher, shifting the expected value of the contest.

The terrain. Shoving prone in an open field is less useful than grappling someone near difficult terrain or an edge. The D&D FAQ addresses several edge cases about movement and forced repositioning that inform these spatial decisions.

Action economy. Grappling alone costs one attack and creates a condition that requires the opponent to spend an action to escape. That's a net gain if the grapple holds. But grappling without follow-through — just holding someone in place without a plan — is often weaker than simply attacking. Shoving prone, by contrast, immediately benefits every ally making a melee attack that round, distributing the value across the table rather than concentrating it on one creature.

One additional contrast worth holding in mind: grappling scales with the grappler's Athletics proficiency and Strength modifier, making it most powerful on Strength-based martial characters. Shoving scales similarly but its prone effect also benefits spellcasters standing next to the target, giving it slightly broader value in a mixed party.

For a broader picture of how these mechanics fit into the action economy framework, the how-it-works overview walks through the full structure of a combat turn.