Quote Originally Posted by Enderasha View Post
I admit a lot of this is derived from me wrestling (pun intended) with player tactics that came about in the last game I ran and know it will creep up again. Players went expertise/advantage/or both on athletics checks for grapples to the point where almost no monster can realistically resist despite their strength score. This was then coupled with grapple=>Shove to prone which serves almost the exact same purpose as the pin action a grapple feat player can except the shove can be done in place of a single attack and doesn't impart restrained onto the grappler. The grapplee still has disadvantage on all physical attacks from the ground and all melee attacks against them are at advantage.

I like having diversity in my enemies and villains and plot NPC's but unless they flew, had teleport, or freedom of movement (which is surprisingly a large percentage of monsters, humanoids, and the like; and even then freedom of movement can be counterspelled)they could just be pushed face first into the ground and be screwed then subsequently dragged through whatever static spells were active on the battlefield such as web, wall of fire etc.

I want to reign in grappling for people that don't have any of the feats and fighting styles that are specifically designed to make it better.

Also regarding forced movement and grapple. If you hit someone with a Crusher or Swarmkeeper etc and move them away from a grapple then the grapple immediately ends per the rules. Is there anything legally that prevents someone from simply using the shove action on their ally who can willingly fail to resist and push them out of the grapple?
My best advice is to *not* nerf something because the players have """"too much""" success with it.

How about, rather than "reign in" grappling, you have the enemies participate in the fun?

What I mean by that is, you have a technique that is both effective by the rules AND known as effective in-universe, why would the PCs be the only ones to use it?

Give some NPCs proficiencies and expertises in Athletics, plus grapple moves, and moves that work on grappling opponents, for example.

You can have wrestlers, and have some of them recognize the PCs as fellow wrestlers.