[RPG] Grappling effect on Feather Fall

dnd-5egrapplespells

In creating a minor villain who uses feather fall to escape, I considered the possibility that a PC might try to tackle(grapple) them as they descended. It wasn't clear that this situation is addressed by the descriptions of grappling, or Feather Fall, and I didn't find a reference here, or in errata/sage advice entries.
I figured three possible interpretations based on the available rules.

  1. Overly RAW reading of Grapple rules(half serious): Grappled targets are reduced to zero speed, thus the feather fall speed of 60'/round would become zero, and they would both hover in the air as long as the grapple was held.

  2. The grappler does not alter the spell effect, and may float down along with the caster (the negative extrapolation from this option being that a caster can allow anyone hanging on to them to also float down)

  3. The grapple attack or extra weight disrupts the spell, and both fall the remaining distance.

Is there a reference regarding grapple or feather fall that I have missed that would indicate the correct resolution?

Best Answer

The grappler just hangs onto the falling character

It's definitely not option (1) because grappling only reduces the Speed attribute of a character to zero, and feather fall's falling movement is not derived from a character's Speed. Even a very, very strict RAW reading doesn't make the grappler and grapplee hang mid-air.

If a weight increase affected the spell it would be noted in the spell's effect, so it's not (3).

I think you've covered all possibilities, so by a process of elimination that leaves option (2): that someone can dangle off a feather falling character. This is also the result of least weirdness, and D&D 5e's rules are written predicated on them being read naturally, with the least weirdness.

I also think this option is fine.

  1. As the spell says, the targeted creature's fall rate is reduced.
  2. This doesn't prevent them from carrying things while they're falling, but anything, if dropped, isn't suspended by the spell's effect on the targeted creature and would fall as normal.
  3. Someone grappling a feather falling character neither breaks the spell, nor is a subject of feather fall themself. Nor does feather fall say that they're magically slippery and can't be held onto.
  4. Therefore, the grappler benefits from the reduced rateā€¦ at least, so long as they maintain the grapple.

So in other words: go for it, jump onto that falling character and you'll slow down with them, so long as you managed to hang on. Just beware that you're one successful check to break the grapple away from plummeting at full speed away from them.