@JeremyECrawford can a monk "deflect missiles" a goblin (or rock) from a goblin hucker? I mean…. its a ranged weapon attack, but… goblin
— Sabrina Henderson (@Claire_Tigress) October 22, 2016
With Deflect Missiles, a monk can try to reduce the damage of a ranged weapon attack no matter what the missile is. #DnD https://t.co/oSeY9D5IOx
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) October 24, 2016
@JeremyECrawford best part is that a monk can deflect a goblin, grab it and throw it back.
oooh yeah.
— Enrico Boccardi (@EnricoBoccardi) October 24, 2016
Look at the second paragraph of Deflect Missiles (PH, 78). You can catch a missile only if it's small enough to fit in your hand. #DnD https://t.co/LxdvZQT8bg
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) October 24, 2016
So a monk wearing a belt of storm giant strength couldn’t return fire with a boulder thrown by a giant? 🙁
I feel like this ruling goes against the spirit of the ability.
Can an arrow fit in your hand? Strictly speaking, no! It’s far longer than your hand. But you can grip it around the shaft, so… surely it makes sense that you could catch it and throw it back?
So what about a goblin? Yes, an entire goblin doesn’t fit in your hand. But what about the goblin’s wrist, or ankle, or some other section that you can fit your hand around? If you can catch an arrow and whirl it around and toss it back, why can’t you catch a goblin by the wrist, sling it around your head in an arc, and chuck it back from whence it came? I can’t think of a good reason.
Now, a boulder? That’s another matter… but even there, I’d argue that so long as the projectile weight is within the monk’s strength limits to handle, they should have the chance of deflecting it – it’s just probably not going to happen because the projectile does so much damage, and you usually won’t be able to negate it.