Throwing net
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| Name | Throwing net |
|---|---|
| Launcher | throwing |
| Base damage | 0 |
| A mesh of ropes knotted together with weights around the edge. Originally used by hunters to entangle and entrap prey, it soon found obvious application in battle and gladiatorial arenas. Struggling victims can eventually destroy the net and break free, if they live long enough.
"The look of a scared thing -Edna St. Vincent Millay, "When the Year Grows Old". 1917. |
Throwing nets are Throwing weapons which deal no damage directly, but which can be used to temporarily disable foes and render them susceptible to powerful stabbing attacks. Anything that fails to evade a throwing net becomes entangled and loses the ability to move or make most attacks (spellcasting is unaffected, and the victim can still fire a blowgun, but all other attacks automatically fail). Because stabbing attacks can deal phenomenal amounts of damage, throwing nets can be useful for quickly subduing even powerful boss uniques in a few turns.
This lasts until the victim manages to slip out of the net or destroy it entirely. Each time the victim is prevented from acting due to the net, it attempts to either escape or damage the net, reducing its enchantment level by 1 to 5. If the net's enchantment falls below -7, it will be destroyed. Slipping out will leave the net behind in whatever shape it's in, while destroying the net leaves nothing. You can get a rough idea of what a throwing net's enchantment level is by its description:
| Enchantment | Name |
|---|---|
| +0 | Throwing net |
| -1, -2 | Frayed throwing net |
| -3, -4, -5 | Torn throwing net |
| -6 or worse | Falling apart throwing net |
Contents
Net Escape Factors
Positive
- Size (smaller is better)
- High EV (player only)
- High dexterity (player only)
- Monsters nearby (player only)
Negative
Net Deterioration Factors
Positive
- Size (bigger is better)
- Berserk
- Wielding an edged, vorpal, or flaming weapon (player only)
- Claws mutation (player only)
- High strength (player only)
- Blade Hands (player only)
- Monsters nearby (player only)
Negative
Any playable species smaller than medium (kobolds, halflings, and spriggans) will be unable to throw a throwing net properly (although they can still throw it with F*), and they have no effect on monsters that are big-size or larger, flying, insubstantial, or capable of eating items. Also, enemy gnolls, hill giants, and merfolk occasionally generate with throwing nets, though they usually use them as soon as you enter their line of sight, giving you plenty of time to escape.
Strategy
If you intend to use a throwing net to set up a stabbing attempt, throw it when the enemy is almost adjacent to you. Throwing it from too far away gives it time to escape or damage your net.
| Throwing net |
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History
In 0.14 small species will be able to use nets properly, and they will no longer deteriorate. Instead, there will simply be a chance the net is destroyed after the target escapes or dies.
