Quick question. In our last game, the Druid cast Entangle. The area is already covered with snow, but there are sufficient trees and bushes nearby that the Entangle can take effect. Seeing Entangle turns the region being entangled into Difficult Terrain, would the effect stack with the snow? And would snowshoes help alleviate any of the difficulty from the snow, or would the entangle effect make snowshoes useless?
My thought is that the area becomes very difficult terrain. However, I'm not sure if snowshoes are still at all effective (the rules don't specify), which is the difference between being able to move two five-foot squares for a 30 ft. Move Action, or one five-foot square.
I don't recall any rules saying difficult + difficult = very. It's not like fatigued + fatigued = exhausted.
But regardless, the snowshoes help negate the difficult terrain from the snow, not entangle.
So either it goes from difficult to very back to difficult, or it's two non-stacking instances of difficult, one is ignored, and you're left with difficult.
Snowshoes reduce the penalty for walking through heavy snow by 50%; for example, if moving through snow normally costs you 2 squares of movement (1 square plus a 1 square penalty) per square traveled, snowshoes reduce this cost to 1.5 squares per square traveled.
They don't negate the penalty entirely even if it comes from snow alone. If the GM has decided that it's gone from 2 squares of movement/square (snow) to 4 squares of movement/square (snow + entangle) then you might reasonably have snowshoes take it back down to 3 squares of movement/square.
But as Quixote said there's no rules saying how and if difficult terrain stacks. And yes, two difficult terrain types do stack together that way.
If more than one hampering condition applies, multiply all additional costs that apply. This is a specific exception to the normal rule for doubling.
Amusingly enough, the Catfolk Monk has Feather Step up, so she'll be able to run through the Entangle without any troubles. My curiosity (as I'm the assistant GM - it used to be my campaign but I allowed another player to take over and am mostly assisting with Roll20 and NPCs while my friend reshapes RoW into something fascinating) came partly in trying to figure out how far various characters could move in the Entangle, especially as most of the party is on the far side of the Entangle..
If more than one hampering condition applies, multiply all additional costs that apply. This is a specific exception to the normal rule for doubling.
Oh, yes. That sounds familiar. There you have it.
I suppose it only makes sense; if you're slogging through 3ft of snow and then a bunch of evergreens come to life and start grabbing you...
Okay. On a related note...
Here's what we know about Entangle: If you fail your save, you suffer the Entangled Condition and can only move at half speed. In addition, the entire area of effect is considered difficult terrain while the effect lasts.
So wouldn't that mean if you are Entangled your movement is effectively 1/4th of what it normally would be (unless you ignore the effects of vegetation as some classes are able to)?
Yes. Entangled condition = half speed, difficult terrain = half speed.
Entangle is such a good spell that I tend to be more strict on where and when it works. A couple shrubs or trees just won't cut it at my table. You want your spell with a huge area and range, great duration and awesome effect to work, there better be vegetation on more than half the squares in the area.
I would have agree'd with quixotes first post, but raw is raw...
I actually think the RAW makes more sense in this case. Deep snow + heavy underbrush = a harder time than just one or the other.
Yet another question. Sorry! Would Feather Step allow someone to ignore an Entangle Spell? It states that it allows people to ignore the adverse movement effects of Difficult Terrain.
Meanwhile, the Entangled Condition states "The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity."
This suggests to me that if someone with Feather Step up failed their saving throw vs. Entangle, they would be forced to move at half speed, take the penalties to attack rolls and dexterity, and can't charge... but would also ignore the Difficult Terrain aspect of the Entangle spell. But I could see players try to argue through this and claim it negates it entirely.
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The spell has two effects. You get to ignore one. That seems pretty clear.