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During a recent session my character disengaged to run past the enemies blocking his exit. As a halfling I can move through a medium creature's space since I am small, and the disengage prevents the opportunity attack... but would it prevent the guard from trying to tackle me or grapple me?

Mars Plastic
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MC_Hambone
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1 Answers1

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PHB (Players Hand Book) Page 192:

Disengage: If you take the Disengage Action, your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn

Emphasis to show that once you take the disengage action, no creature, be it the creature you were currently fighting, and/or a different creature you run past during that turn, can get an opportunity attack on you for attempting to move out of their attack reach. Also note that Opportunity Attacks happen only if you attempt to LEAVE the creature's reach, and happen in the seconds just before you finishing leaving their full reach.

What Disengage does NOT prevent, is a creature (on their turn) attempting to grapple, shove prone, or otherwise attack you. If they were trying to grapple, shove prone, or otherwise attack you while it was your turn; then they were (wrongly) doing so as an 'opportunity attack' and you should have been immune, otherwise they wouldn't have a turn for them TO be able to tackle, shove prone, or otherwise attack you until it was their turn in the initiative order of combat.

PHB page 195 covers both Opportunity Attacks and Grappling. To attempt to grapple a character, you have to use (or replace) the attack action; which is an action you can take only during your turn and thus creatures can not make a 'Grapple' attack action until it's their turn in the initiative order. An Opportunity Attack uses your reaction only (you only get one each round cycle, and only if something allows you a reaction), against the provoking creature and can be used when it's not your turn to make one melee attack only. You do not get to make a ranged attack or use any other action that does not involve a melee attack.

Kirt
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Airatome
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    Would this not apply to a ready action on the part of the guard: this is not an opportunity attack, but a "guard the door and attack anyone who tries to get through" ready action for the guard whose mission it is to guard the door. – KorvinStarmast Sep 21 '15 at 21:28
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    Hmmm.... A tricky/tough DM, would perhaps make his minions do such a thing. I would allow a player to do it so I don't see why not. If he's 'Readying an attack action' , and making it so that he's giving up that attack action to turn it into a grapple as per the rules on page 195 , then I would rule that if his action was triggered, he could make a grapple attack. – Airatome Sep 21 '15 at 21:30
  • I am still awaiting a reply from my GM... but I think it was as simple as me not running far enough during my turn in order to outpace the guard at the door, so then on the guards turn he ran up and tackled me... it just wasnt made clear during the game that that is explicitly what happened – MC_Hambone Sep 21 '15 at 21:31
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    @MC_Hambone Yes, if that were the case; if you Disengaged, moved passed all enemies without provoking any attacks, and THEN, after you ended your turn and the enemy got to do something? You were properly tackled by the guard you ran past and waved at as you squeezed between his legs. :P – Airatome Sep 21 '15 at 21:33
  • @MC_Hambone Also, Hambone, do keep in mind situations like Korvin posed above. The DM ultimately has rule over how, why, when things happened. Throwing the rules out the window is a special kind of torture we can inflict at will upon our players, but only if the same bending of the rules apply to the players as well. I have given you what the rules state specifically, but this also speculates he's USING these rules. If that makes sense? – Airatome Sep 21 '15 at 21:40
  • even if it was a "foul" on the DMs part, I wouldnt try to retcon my arrest as it is proving to be the most engaging RP experience I have had thus far... I am actually planning my escape OUTSIDE game time!! (shock horror!) – MC_Hambone Sep 21 '15 at 21:41
  • Hahaha, yea GM fiat can be frustrating, but ultimately if its used in service of a more exciting story, then I am OK with it... it's the only time I use it when I GM. – MC_Hambone Sep 21 '15 at 21:43
  • My reading is that a readied action is not an attack of opportunity. Both use your Reaction but are two different things. – Greenstone Walker Sep 21 '15 at 22:31
  • @GreenstoneWalker which is why I would personally allow a readied action to bypass the 'disengage disallows attacks of opportunity' clause. – Airatome Sep 21 '15 at 22:42
  • For grappling, I don't think you give up your whole attack action; don't you just give up one of the attacks within your attack action? – Mag Roader Sep 22 '15 at 01:05
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    @MagRoader That's correct, once you are able to make multiple attacks as part of the 'Attack Action' , you can choose to give up one to make a 'grapple'. But when you take an attack of opportunity, you get one melee attack only, that must always be only just a melee attack. When you take a readied action, however, I'm not sure how complicated the action can be as it uses your reaction once the trigger happens. – Airatome Sep 22 '15 at 14:25
  • Seven years is a long time, but you can improve this answer by specifically addressing what was brought up in multiple comments - what happens if the guard has a readied action to grapple when the creature enters or leaves its reach? – Kirt Mar 13 '22 at 19:42