House Rule needed (Spells with fixed DCs)

[Chacal]

Our group is finally agreeing that spells like entangle, web, briar web, create a balance problem. (I caught their 2nd level PCs in entangle recently because curiously, they didn't find a problem with entangle when they were the ones casting it )

The problem with these spells is, in our opinion, the fixed DC for the balance/ Strength check.


Did someone house ruled this ?

Chacal

 

[EOL]

I haven't house ruled it, but I agree that it can be a problem. I had a 13th level paladin completely hosed with web, because even though he made the reflex save he was still in the middle of the web and even though he had +5 str he rolled badly a couple of times and was stuck for several rounds...

 

[Malin Genie]

The House Rule our DM is using:

Grass (short/clipped) -8 DC
Long grass/small shrubs -4 DC
Shrubbery/undergrowth 0
Light forest +4 DC
Jungle/dense forest +8 DC

to the checks.

 

[Chacal]

Originally posted by Malin Genie
Grass (short/clipped) -8 DC
Long grass/small shrubs -4 DC
Shrubbery/undergrowth 0
Light forest +4 DC
Jungle/dense forest +8 DC
to the checks.

Thanks for sharing.
Il like the -X DC part, but the other part does bother me a lot : +4 DC (not to talk about +8)
makes the check always fail for 95% of our PCs up to the 5th level. That's a lot for a 1st level spell.

That's an interesting starting point, though.
I 'll have some playtest asap with the following steps (-6 , -4, -2, 0 , +2).

Chacal

 

[hong]

I haven't house ruled it, but I agree that it can be a problem. I had a 13th level paladin completely hosed with web, because even though he made the reflex save he was still in the middle of the web and even though he had +5 str he rolled badly a couple of times and was stuck for several rounds...

Your paladin should have just broken out the alchemists' fire and burned his way out of the web. If he can't take 1d6 points of damage from the fire, he's in worse trouble than from the web itself.

 

[billking]

I think it would be a lot more fair, and a lot less boring, to change the rules for actions you take to get out of the web.

Old text: A stuck creature can break loose by spending 1 round and succeeding at a Strength check (DC 20) or an Escape Artist check (DC 25). Once loose (either by making the initial Reflex save or a later Strength check or Escape Artist check), a creature may progress through the web very slowly. Each round devoted to moving allows the creature to make a new Strength check or Escape Artist check. The creature moves 5 feet for each full 5 points by which the check result exceeds 10.

Better text: A stuck creature can break loose by spending 1 action and succeeding at a Strength check (DC 20) or an Escape Artist check (DC 25). Once loose (either by making the initial Reflex save or a later Strength check or Escape Artist check), a creature may progress through the web very slowly. Each move action the creature takes allows the creature to make a new Strength check or Escape Artist check. The creature moves 5 feet for each full 5 points by which the check result exceeds 10.

 

[Chacal]

I think it would be a lot more fair, and a lot less boring, to change the rules for actions you take to get out of the web.
round -> action
move action the creature takes

I like this one too. I'll playtest this friday (I assume that the druid PC will cast entangle)
Thanks

Chacal

 

[EOL]

Your paladin should have just broken out the alchemists' fire and burned his way out of the web. If he can't take 1d6 points of damage from the fire, he's in worse trouble than from the web itself.

Yeah, that's exactly what he said, except he didn't have any....