What Can You Do When You're Netted?

[Panask]

According to the 3.5 PHB, when you hit a character with a net, the "entangled character takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls and a -4 penalty on Dexterity, can move at only half speed, and cannot charge or run.... If the entangled creature attempts to cast a spell, it must make a DC 15 Concentration check or be unable to cast the spell."

Have there been any clarifications on these rules? When you're netted, can you freely:

- Use any melee weapons, including a longsword or a spiked chain?
- Use any ranged weapon, including a bow or a sling?
- Move and move?
- Take a 5-ft. step and make a full attack?
- Change weapons?
- Get things out of your pack?

Many of these things would seem to me to be diffiuclt or impossible if you're entangled in a net (as opposed, say, to being affected by an entangle spell), but I haven't seen any rules that mention them.

Also, if you try to cut yourself out of a net from the inside, what kind of weapons can you use? Do you have to make an attack roll, and how much damage do you do? Does a net have a hardness? And what if you're trying to cut someone out from the outside?

I'm also interested in people's house rules on these subjects, but I realize that's another forum.

Much thanks,

Panask
Servitar to Baldur

 

[PrinceZane]

i can't speak by the rules, but i've been curious about this as well. one of my first "creative" ideas as a noob many moons ago involved a net and situations like that, but at the time we were all pretty noobish and weren't sure what to do, so just scratched it and went on. i'm kind of curious about this as well...

 

[Plane Sailing]

Yes - Use any melee weapons, including a longsword or a spiked chain?
Yes - Use any ranged weapon, including a bow or a sling?
Yes - Move and move?
Yes - Take a 5-ft. step and make a full attack?
Yes - Change weapons?
Yes - Get things out of your pack?

Bizarre, isn't it? it hardly seems to be a hindrance and makes you wonder why nets have ever been used for catching anything!

An interesting idea for a houserule is to allow for entanglement penalties to stack, so if you cover someone with more nets (or wind them up again and again in your combat net) their dex penalty will eventually exceed their Dex and they are rendered immobile. That would seem to match up with the way that real world nets are used.

Cheers

 

[Infiniti2000]

Yes - Take a 5-ft. step and make a full attack?

That's actually a No. If your movement is impeded, you cannot take a 5ft-step. Someone caught in a net cannot take a 5ft-step.

 

[Plane Sailing]

That's actually a No. If your movement is impeded, you cannot take a 5ft-step. Someone caught in a net cannot take a 5ft-step.

You're right, I got carried away. In a net.

 

[PrinceZane]

That's just.... weird. Maybe you could tie some stones to the edges to make it weigh down on them a bit more to add circumstance penalties or something. I would think entangled in a net would mean your kinda screwed until you cut/threw it off