Clarification on Replacing Attacks With Grapple Attempts

[Rerem115]

In preparation for playing a druid for the second time, I was checking out the different beasts, when I encountered a conundrum in the Pounce attacks of many creatures:

"If [the creature] moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the creature can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action."

There's nothing RAW preventing me from replacing the claw attack with a Shove attempt, but it does lead to some squirreliness. If my Shove attempt knocks the creature prone, can I still make a bite attack as a bonus action? If my shove attempt doesn't knock it prone, do they still have to make a Strength save?

[RickAllison]

In preparation for playing a druid for the second time, I was checking out the different beasts, when I encountered a conundrum in the Pounce attacks of many creatures:

"If [the creature] moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the creature can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action."

There's nothing RAW preventing me from replacing the claw attack with a Shove attempt, but it does lead to some squirreliness. If my Shove attempt knocks the creature prone, can I still make a bite attack as a bonus action? If my shove attempt doesn't knock it prone, do they still have to make a Strength save?

Let’s do some unpacking. You’re using the Attack action to make your regular attack with this form since it doesn’t have Multiattack. This means you have five potential options for your normal attack from this: Bite, Claw, unarmed (per normal; I don’t know why you would use this), or you could substitute Shove or Grapple.

There are two interpretations of how Pounce works which will matter for you. The official Sage Advice is that the prone check for the bite attack is tied to the Pounce ability as a whole, that you need to run the 20 feet and hit it with a claw attack to trigger the bite even if the target is already prone. The second interpretation is that the line can be treated separately, that the beast can simply take the bite against a prone target. So that’s definitley something you should check with your DM, but I would lean toward no for most tables. The official ruling is that a successful Shove will not trigger the bonus action bite attack.

Your final question is easy. If you made a Shove attempt, you never made a claw attack. There is no reason for them to make a Strength save because you never triggered Pounce.

[NaughtyTiger]

There's nothing RAW preventing me from replacing the claw attack with a Shove attempt

There is nothing in RAW allowing you to replace the claw attack as a requirement for pounce.

Consider TWF: you can replace your attack action with a shove, but that doesn't make it automatically valid for TWF. It is the same wording.

TWF:
"When you take the Attack action and Attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a Bonus Action to Attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand"

[Aimeryan]

In preparation for playing a druid for the second time, I was checking out the different beasts, when I encountered a conundrum in the Pounce attacks of many creatures:

"If [the creature] moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the creature can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action."

There's nothing RAW preventing me from replacing the claw attack with a Shove attempt, but it does lead to some squirreliness. If my Shove attempt knocks the creature prone, can I still make a bite attack as a bonus action?

RAW, yup, pretty unambiguous. Jeremy Crawford RAI, no.


If my shove attempt doesn't knock it prone, do they still have to make a Strength save?

No, under any ruling but a house rule - it is not a claw attack.