Suppose you're fighting a large, scary monster with lots of scary attacks, can you throw a net at it to buy time? According to the description of Net:
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 20 Escape Artist check (a full-round action). The net has 5 hit points and can be burst with a DC 25 Strength check (also a full-round action).
So you can get out with a full round action, (and let's assume our monster has no problem passing that Strength check). If it takes a full round action, that's an excellent deal for a party that needs a few rounds to buff at the start of combat. One PC sacrifices his action to waste one full round of the monster.
But can the monster get out faster than that? It says the Net has 5 HP. Could it use on of its many attacks to rip the net to pieces and the rest to rip one of us to pieces? If that's possible, then the net isn't so useful. (Also because you already get an attack of opportunity when you throw it.)
I believe that yes, the monster could attack the net, thereby attempting to destroy it. The monster still has to use one or more attacks to break the net, though, meaning that even if it moves into melee range of a target with its remaining move-action, that is still a round spent not charging and mauling the cleric ;)
Also you only provoke attacks of opportunity from the enemy if they can reach you. Since you throw a net and only have to hit touch-AC, you can usually throw it from out of reach and still have a good chance of entangling your enemy.
-Nearyn
I believe that yes, the monster could attack the net, thereby attempting to destroy it. The monster still has to use one or more attacks to break the net, though, meaning that even if it moves into melee range of a target with its remaining move-action, that is still a round spent not charging and mauling the cleric ;)
Also you only provoke attacks of opportunity from the enemy if they can reach you. Since you throw a net and only have to hit touch-AC, you can usually throw it from out of reach and still have a good chance of entangling your enemy.
Alas! Net has a maximum range of 10 feet, so if the monster has reach, you're in range.
So could the monster use one of its attacks to sunder the net, and the rest to tear the net thrower apart? And if the initial sunder fails, could it continue to try to sunder, and once he's free, use the rest of his attacks on the net thrower?
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Sunder would only be appropriate if the trailing end of the net was still attended by the one who threw it, because then you can go off of their CMD.
If nobody is holding on to it, it's an attack against an unattended object, with no hardness (unless it's a magical net), and 5+ HP of slashing damage destroys it.
To mitigate that a bit I made a character with the Strong Arm, Supple Wrist trait to increase the range of my nets by another 10 feet, and once I have some cash I'm enchanting a +1 net with distance, making it's total range (if I also move 10+ feet) 30 feet.
Is enchanting a net really worth it? It's going to get destroyed pretty soon.
Spells can repair any such issues. Further, enchanting nets can be a very efficient tactic vs incorporeals.
-Nearyn
Net as a long term debuff is also fine. Although I'm really hoping to use it to buy us some time.
Increasing the range of a net seems almost like cheating. The range is so short, you've got to be in danger to throw it. Making it a true ranged weapon takes away the primary downside of the net.
But assuming our net has a range of only 10 feet, the monster can trivially break it with its first attack and then tear into the thrower with its remaining attacks? Because that makes the full round strength check a bit meaningless. 5 points of damage is pretty trivial.
Net as a long term debuff is also fine. Although I'm really hoping to use it to buy us some time.
Increasing the range of a net seems almost like cheating. The range is so short, you've got to be in danger to throw it. Making it a true ranged weapon takes away the primary downside of the net.
But assuming our net has a range of only 10 feet, the monster can trivially break it with its first attack and then tear into the thrower with its remaining attacks? Because that makes the full round strength check a bit meaningless. 5 points of damage is pretty trivial.
If your GM is consistently throwing solo monster encounters at you then they deserve to be trivialized by a net. If you ever face more than one of something the net can only be as good as any other single target debuff.
If your GM is consistently throwing solo monster encounters at you then they deserve to be trivialized by a net. If you ever face more than one of something the net can only be as good as any other single target debuff.
Don't worry, he isn't. It's just that we're about to face one that has beaten us before. We're trying to be more prepared this time. Maybe we're already over prepared, but the idea of using nets to buy us some time is definitely appealing.
But it looks like the monster won't be trivialized by the net, because he can break it with just one of its many attacks.
If your GM is consistently throwing solo monster encounters at you then they deserve to be trivialized by a net. If you ever face more than one of something the net can only be as good as any other single target debuff.Don't worry, he isn't. It's just that we're about to face one that has beaten us before. We're trying to be more prepared this time. Maybe we're already over prepared, but the idea of using nets to buy us some time is definitely appealing.
But it looks like the monster won't be trivialized by the net, because he can break it with just one of its many attacks.
Why would the BBEG bother removing the net? The BBEG can still attack at -2, move at 1/2 speed, and cast with a concentration check. A BBEG caster should be able to make the DC 15+SL concentration check with CL+Mod+d20.
/cevah
