Is The Web Spell Broken?

[Lasher Dragon]

LMAO Merak

 

[Mark Chance]

Of course, it's a 20 Str check and a 25 Escape Artist check.

Not quite. The DC 20 STR check and DC 25 Escape Artist check only apply to break loose after failing the initial Reflex save against the spell. Once broken free, it is either a STR check or an Escape Artist check, either permitting 5 feet of movement for every 5 points of success over 10.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Especially poignant is the fact that strength checks don't exactly scale with levels. Not to mention that in order to move 5ft of more requires a full round action. There aren't many high-levels spells that can tie up higher-level characters this well. You'd think folk would catch on after a while when they see high-level characters making use of what is only a 2nd level spell whenever possible.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

If you thought Web is overpowered, what about Entangle? Twice the area effect of Web and 1 level lower.

Bah. The difference is that Web can take very strong and mobile critters out of the combat for a couple rounds even if they make their save.

Web is a vastly underestimated spell in its utility, especially at higher levels when it is an excellent candidate for quickening. Delaying a couple dangerous opponents for a round or two is very valuable, so much so that I have found I can never prep too many Walls of Force myself.

Is Web overpowered? It might seem so if the only thing you know how to do is maximize output of damage.

Yes, some monsters might have no decent means of dealing with Web. But they are monsters. They tend to have good offenses and are often nearly helpless against someone who understands their weaknesses. Using Web against the right monster is called good play.

PCs have no excuse. They should be able to handle it.

 

[smetzger]

b) no size benefits to escape? I would have thought that large or huge creatures would find a much easier job of brushing through the webs.

House rule warning...
Yeah, thats one of my house rules, STR checks get a size bonus the same as grapple checks, and Escape Artist checks get an inverse size modifier.

I started implementing this after a huge dragon got caught in a Wall of Thorns.

 

[shilsen]

Especially poignant is the fact that strength checks don't exactly scale with levels...

I know people get emotional about rules on this forum, but aren't we overdoing it a bit ?

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Why not just torch the web as soon as it appears; it's not like it causes big damage or anything...

 

[Caliban]

Why not just torch the web as soon as it appears; it's not like it causes big damage or anything...

You can burn yourself out at the rate of one 5 foot square a round with a torch. And you take 2d4 fire damage when you clear your own square. This assumes that you have a readily available means of fire. Many creatures don't.

 

[Khristos]

I believe that casting a fireball into a cover situation requires a "to hit" roll for it not to detonate prematurely on the first obstacle

 

[Caliban]

I believe that casting a fireball into a cover situation requires a "to hit" roll for it not to detonate prematurely on the first obstacle

Only if it's a narrow opening you are shooting through. Generally you just target the fireball at the center of the web, as that's the point at which total cover begins. The fireball then covers the same area as the web, burnning it all in one go.