Entangle - it's tied to the condition right?

[Olive]

I used to have a cleric with access to the nature domain in the party in the old game I ran but the player was a bit odd and didn't really engage with game at all (plus could only cast entangle once a day so it wasn't too much of an issue). That said the spell Entangle always seemed a but powerful

Now I'm running a new game with a druid in it and the player is much more switched on. He cast Entangle in the first session the other day and it suddenly occurred to me that we might have been misusing the spell all these years.

Here's the spell

Entangle
Transmutation
Level: Drd 1, Plant 1, Rgr 1
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Plants in a 40-ft.-radius spread
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Reflex partial; see text
Spell Resistance: No
Grasses, weeds, bushes, and even trees wrap, twist, and entwine about creatures in the area or those that enter the area, holding them fast and causing them to become entangled. The creature can break free and move half its normal speed by using a full-round action to make a DC 20 Strength check or a DC 20 Escape Artist check. A creature that succeeds on a Reflex save is not entangled but can still move at only half speed through the area. Each round on your turn, the plants once again attempt to entangle all creatures that have avoided or escaped entanglement.
Note: The effects of the spell may be altered somewhat, based on the nature of the entangling plants.

Entangled isn't defined here but it had never occurred to me to look it up as a condition. So I did and found this:

Entangled: The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the spell’s level) or lose the spell.

This makes it considerable less powerful than a plain language interpretation is prone to do. But I just thought I'd check that as a RAW interpretation, the spell means that the targets are subject to the condition if they fail their saves.

Right?

 

[Vegepygmy]

I just thought I'd check that as a RAW interpretation, the spell means that the targets are subject to the condition if they fail their saves.

Right?

Right. Out of curiosity, exactly what did you think it did?

 

[KarinsDad]

Right?

Right.

However, the spell itself does have some other specifications such as the Strength / Escape Artist check if the Reflex save is failed.

 

[Olive]

Out of curiosity, exactly what did you think it did?

I'm not sure any more but I think we always said it meant you couldn't move unless you made your save... Was is differently written in 3e?

 

[starwed]

You probably can't move unless you make your save:

Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force.

The plants are rooted to the ground, and you can't get more immobile than that.

 

[Darklone]

The spell is still extremely strong. Even creatures that make their save will often hate to spend a whole round to get out of the spells area. And creatures that are entangled have a hard time to get out, even worse at lower levels.

 

[kolikeos]

Entangled characters need to succeed on a Concentration check to cast a spell while Entangled, but if the spell has no somatic components (like a Still Spell for example) do I still need to make that check?

 

[starwed]

Since it's a concentration check, I don't see why it being stilled would matter... Apparently being entangled is distracting in some weird way that I don't quite follow.

 

[jasin]

In the same way as being grapple do being on a ship in stormy seas is, I suppose. I don't find it very strange that being tumbled around, grabbed by your face by animated vines or wrestlers is considered inherently distracting, even if you don't need to move to complete your spell.

 

[starwed]

You can also be entangled by things like a tanglefoot bag. How is that distracting, or at least any more so than being sickened, shaken, or even paralyzed? Just one of the weird quirks of the RAW; I'd probably let a player who complained about that tanglefoot bag cast a still spell without the check, even though it's explicitly called out in the rules as requiring one.