D&D 5E Prone

[Snoring Rock]

Seems simple to me but if you are prone 1. you attack at disadvantage and 2. you can only crawl as a movement. If you get up to stand, it will cost you 1/2 of your movement. So does that mean I can stand up and attack in the same turn? Seems like too much so maybe I missed something.

 

[Caliban]

Seems simple to me but if you are prone 1. you attack at disadvantage and 2. you can only crawl as a movement. If you get up to stand, it will cost you 1/2 of your movement. So does that mean I can stand up and attack in the same turn? Seems like too much so maybe I missed something.

Yes, that's what it means. On your turn you can stand up using half your movement and still attack as normal.

What is bad is when your speed is reduced to 0 (such as by being restrained or grappled, etc) and then you get knocked prone - then you can't stand up.

 

[jaelis]

Yes, that's what it means. On your turn you can stand up using half your movement and still attack as normal.

That's right. It works out well in practice IMX.

Though I suspect more than a few DMs would let you attack with a crossbow without disadvantage while prone

 

[Snoring Rock]

Ah...crossbow. I like it.

 

[happyhermit]

Seems simple to me but if you are prone 1. you attack at disadvantage and 2. you can only crawl as a movement. If you get up to stand, it will cost you 1/2 of your movement. So does that mean I can stand up and attack in the same turn? Seems like too much so maybe I missed something.

Heck yeah! One of my favorite things about the way 5e plays. Don't forget you can drop prone for no cost. Sooo many situations you would see in movies, and yeah I suppose "real" life too feel much more fluid and real when a player can, for example; Stand up from behind a wall, take a shot, drop prone, and maybe even crawl a ways behind cover, all in one turn.

Probably one of the aspects that got the most positive reaction from my players, I had to figure out "readied actions" quick! I still love other systems and editions but the movement seems a bit unnecessarily stilted to me these days.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

The best thing about prone is that it imposes disadvantage on ranged attacks against you. Sharpshooters hate prone targets because unlike partial cover, they don't get to ignore it.

Though I suspect more than a few DMs would let you attack with a crossbow without disadvantage while prone

Yep. I for one have considered that house rule even without a player request. Ultimately, didn't introduce it for parsimony's sake (i.e. because I try to keep the number of house rules small), but if one of my players were interested in it, that would tip the balance in its favor.

Treat it as a special property of crossbows and possibly some other weapons. "Compact: attacks made with this weapon do not suffer disadvantage from attacking while prone." (I'm open to other names than "compact.")

 

[hejtmane]

Have a Barbarian with Tavern Brawler FirBlog Bear Totem for strength when he shoves a monsters that can be shoved prone; then hits ts them and gets to use a bonus action to grapple them and oh he has advantage on strength checks when he rages yea he has held a mob to the ground and pound it into the dirt while the other guys take out other mobs he has drug one and threw it off the cliff to it's death. Hard to slip that grasp once he locks on.

 

[Shiroiken]

Yep. I for one have considered that house rule even without a player request. Ultimately, didn't introduce it for parsimony's sake (i.e. because I try to keep the number of house rules small), but if one of my players were interested in it, that would tip the balance in its favor.

Treat it as a special property of crossbows and possibly some other weapons. "Compact: attacks made with this weapon do not suffer disadvantage from attacking while prone." (I'm open to other names than "compact.")

A DM judgement is better than houseruling an ability. Being Prone to hide under brush and fire a crossbow is completely different than trying to shoot it after the polearm master knocked you down from 10' away. I'd have no problem with a crossbow (and probably most spell attacks) not suffering disadvantage while deliberately prone. I'd definitely give disadvantage if it happened during combat by an outside effect.

 

[Kalshane]

You know, I didn't even realize that crossbows couldn't be shot from prone without disadvantage by default.

As for being "knocked prone" I don't see a whole lot of difference. I guess maybe, if you wanted to be strict, you could force the character to burn 5' of movement to "roll into a firing position" but the seems needlessly fiddly to me.

 

[CydKnight]

The best thing about prone is that it imposes disadvantage on ranged attacks against you. Sharpshooters hate prone targets because unlike partial cover, they don't get to ignore it.



Yep. I for one have considered that house rule even without a player request. Ultimately, didn't introduce it for parsimony's sake (i.e. because I try to keep the number of house rules small), but if one of my players were interested in it, that would tip the balance in its favor.

Treat it as a special property of crossbows and possibly some other weapons. "Compact: attacks made with this weapon do not suffer disadvantage from attacking while prone." (I'm open to other names than "compact.")

To me it would depend on whether the PC was prone by choice and possibly with intent beforehand to use a weapon in this manner. If the PC simply found itself prone due to the action of some creature(s) or other occurrence, I would likely stay with the rules as written.