When playing D&D I generally find myself playing the martial classes. I find it an interesting challenge to flavor my mechanically- very simple attacks. I recently came across that you can replace any of your weapon attacks with a grapple or shove action. And while useful feel like there’s alot of times you might as well just hit them with your weapon. I just wanna throw people around sometimes y’know.

And “shove” just doesn’t have the same kinda weight that “suplex” has. So I was inspired to create several homebrew techniques for us more brutish types.

THROWS, SUPLEXES, AND SLAMS:

To start off, we can’t just have everyone slamming the crap out of each other so we will have to gate some of the techniques behind some sort of walls.

Throws:

Throws are a special technique where you physically force a creature to the ground. Most throws must be initated whilst the target creature is in a grappled state. Basic Throws are usable by everyone and advanced throws must be learned through feats and or class features.

There are two types of Throw checks: Athletic and Acrobatic.

Both checks work mechanically equivalent to a grapple check but they describe what skill is modifies the check for the user. In other words, the Athletics skill modifies Athletic Throws and the Acrobatics skill modifies Acrobatic Throws. The target still gets to choose between the two when defending.

There is currently only one Acrobatic throw but I thought I’d leave it open for future iterations.

Basic Throws:

Suplex: Athletic

After grappling a creature you can spend another weapon attack and attempt a suplex. You and the target make another grapple check and if the target fails you lift and slam them dealing 1d8+STR MOD bludgeoning, knocking the target prone, and repositioning them 5 ft behind you.

This ends the grapple.

Slam: Athletic

After grappling a creature you can spend another weapon attack and attempt a suplex. You and the target make another grapple check and if the target fails you take out their legs and slam them dealing 1d8+STR MOD bludgeoning, knocking the target prone.

This ends the grapple.

Advanced Throws:

Dwarven Suplex: Athletic

After grappling a creature you can spend an additional weapon attack to attempt this technique. You and your target make a throw check. If your target fails you grapple your opponent from behind and throw them behind you. Dealing 2d8+STR MOD bludgeoning, knocking the target prone, and repositioning them 5ft behind you.

This ends the grapple.

Hurricane Throw: Acrobatic

As an weapon attack, you and a creature within 5 feet must make an Throw check. If you target fails you grapple their head with your legs, twisting downward using the momentum to send them slamming into the ground. Dealing 2d4+STR MOD bludgeoning, knocking the target prone.

Aurora Suplex: Athletic

After grappling a creature you can spend an additional weapon attack to attempt this technique. You and your target make a grapple check. If your target fails you grapple your opponent from the front, lift and slam them over you whilst keeping them pinned to the ground. Dealing 1d8+STR MOD bludgeoning, knocking the target prone, and repositioning them 5ft behind you.

You and the target are then considered restrained until the grapple ends.

Powerful Bomb: Athletic

After grappling a creature you can spend an additional weapon attack to attempt this technique. You and your target make a throw check. If the creature fails you raise them into the air and using your strength to slam them down on the ground. Dealing 2d8+STR MOD bludgeoning and knocking the target prone.

This ends the grapple.

Lariat: Athletic

After running 10 feet you can spend a weapon attack to attempt this technique. You and the target creature must make a throw check. If the creature fails slam into them knocking them prone and dealing 1d8+STR MOD bludgeoning.

Acquiring Throws:

Access to Throws will be determined based of of your Class.

Throw Chart:

In addition I’ve updated the Grappler Feat:

Prerequisite: Strength 13 or higher
You’ve developed the skills necessary to hold your own in close-quarters grappling. You gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on attack rolls against a creature you are grappling.
• You can use your action to try to pin a creature grappled by you. To do so, make another grapple check. If you succeed, you and the creature are both restrained until the grapple ends.
• Creatures that are one size larger than you don’t automatically succeed on checks to escape your grapple.
• You gain access to the next level of throws. In other words:
  • If you don’t have any throws you gain basic throws.
  • If you have basic throws you learn advanced throws
  • If you have advanced throws, you gain a +2 to throw checks.

Alright thanks for reading. If you’d like to see more of my homebrews for D&D 5E click here.