Web

[klofft]

I feel like I'm being complete obtuse about this.

My party is using web spells for battlefield control, stretching them between buildings to prevent their opponents' forward movement and to funnel them into choke points. The spell description says that fire destroys them, but its reasonable for me to assume that my attackers do not have access to fire. Yet they want to destroy these "web walls" so they can progress.

Can someone hack through a web? The spell description doesn't make this clear.

Thus far, I have been ruling that hacking involves a STR check, just like escaping from the web does. But honestly, I'm starting to think that may be too easy (especially with the high-STR monsters I'm using). On the other hand, it IS only a 2nd-level spell.

Am I missing something? Do formal rules for this exist?

Thanks!
C

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I don't know of any formal rules for this.. which puts my answer squarly in the HR side of things....

"Any fire—a torch, burning oil, a flaming sword, and so forth—can set the webs alight and burn away 5 square feet in 1 round"
ergo, a 5' section of web is destroyed by 5 points of damage from an attack {approximate mid-point of Fire damage listed}

"The strands of a web spell are flammable"
ergo, the web has a vulnerability to Fire, lets say this vulnerabiity means Fire damage bypasses a damage resistance

HRs:
1) S;ashing weapons face 5 points of DR, Bludgening faces 10 points, Piercing weapons are in-effective and cannot damage a web. Fire faces no DR and applies as the spell description states.

Result:
Slashing at the web requires 10 points of damage to clear a square, or 15 points from a bludgening weapon.

This HR'd Web will slow down any opponent, cutting through is time consuming but effective. High STR creatures would prefer to just bull thier way through.

The most effective means of clearing a Web is to light it on fire and follow the burning web while full-attack via ranged weaponry

 

[UnsocialEntity]

If you want some sort of hacking method, you will have to use a house rule.

Otherwise you're stuck needing a dispel magic, a torch, or be willing to wait a long time for it to disappear heh. Or I suppose charming the mage and suggesting he dismiss it.

Web is just one of those spells that's extremely effective against mook type creatures that aren't buff enough to force their way through it. If you're using humanoids in a city environment (you mentioned buildings), getting a torch lit really shouldn't be a problem if they have some time. Or they could back off and fight in areas with nothing for the caster to anchor the spell.

 

[Jack Simth]

With a 20 foot radius, and only needing to anchor on two diametrically opposed points, the Web spell makes for very easy combat control, as you only need something solid every 40 feet. If you're working on getting the invading monsters out of a city, it'll work very well (most streets aren't THAT wide in a medieval-esque city (even in modern times, most streets aren't that wide, although some are).

Web is one of the top spells at 2nd level; it's a very effective spell for stopping or slowing things down.