One of my players has been trying to weasel his way into finding new ways of using Web in situations where it's not allowed, seeing the group has been outdoors a lot. Part of this does lie with the fact the group is now 3rd level and one of the two spells he learned was Web... and he's been frustrated that he cannot cast Web when to him it's obvious the spell should still be effective.
His latest thought? Have the Druid cast Entangle and then use the roots of Entangle as the foundation on which to cast Web.
So. Rather than rule outright "no" I said I'd find a ruling on the forums. Not seeing this specific question asked, I figure I might as well ask myself and hope someone responds by tomorrow evening. And thanks for taking time to consider the question. :)
Entangle doesn't create vegetation, it manipulates existing vegetation. If the vegetation is tall enough that's fine - but if it's grass or something it doesn't grow any taller with entangle cast on it. Roots/grass could anchor one side of the web but not both, the other side would need to be raised off the ground.
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Web creates a many-layered mass of strong, sticky strands. These strands trap those caught in them. The strands are similar to spiderwebs but far larger and tougher. These masses must be anchored to two or more solid and diametrically opposed points or else the web collapses upon itself and disappears. Creatures caught within a web become grappled by the sticky fibers.
As it covers a 20-ft.-radius spread we are speaking of several tens of kilos, so you need some decently strong plant, it is not a single web between two branches of a shrub. As avr said, entangle doesn't change the plants in the area, so the efficacy of the web depends on what is already present in the area.
The spell strands "must be anchored to two or more solid and diametrically opposed points", so, to have full efficacy, it should be cast indoor or in a forest. Open space is its bane.
I agree that entangle itself does not provide sufficient anchors unless the vegetation is already provides sufficient anchors.
That being said even outdoors it should not be that difficult to find sufficient anchors. Most terrains that have not been cleared for use will often provide sufficient anchors. Trees, bushes, large rocks and other object are all quite common. Even the land itself can provide anchors. Most untouched land is rarely perfectly flat. Small cliffs and hills can be used for this purpose. The area just outside a cities wall is probably going to be difficult to use web in. But in most virgin land it should not be that difficult.
This may mean that the spell becomes more defensive than offensive. Instead of using the spell to directly stop the enemies you can use it to prevent them from going through certain areas. One of my players uses this spell for this all the time and honestly it is often more effective this way than when he cast it directly on the enemy. Preventing the party form being surrounded, or protecting the vulnerable members in the part in the rear form attack is often well worth the spell. Using Web like this will also help make the spell retain its value at higher level. The character in my game that uses it like this is 13th level so this is one of his lower level spells, but it is still a very useful spell.
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True, but the height of the anchoring point and the position matter.
The spell is a spread, so it starts from a central point and extends from there, anchoring to opposite points. The unsupported parts of the spread collapse.
To make some example:
- a maize field in late summer will be perfect. The single plant isn't enough to anchor the web, but in the area of effect, you have hundred of anchoring points and will cover its full extension, but its height will be limited to the height of the maize plants;
- a single, isolated, lampost will give a strange result. The spell is a spread, so it starts in a point and expands to its limits. If you cast it on the plinth of the lampost you get nothing, there is not an opposite anchoring point. If you cast it at a point that is at 20' of height on the pole the strands can extend and anchor to points up to 20' away on a diagonal from the start point. You get something like a cone of webs;
- if you cast it under a dolmen you get a barrier that is a few feet thick, possibly with strand extending diagonally to ground outside the dolmen from the starting point if there is an opposite anchoring point on the dolmen.
A good description of the terrain is essential to use this spell well.