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
Sitting in a net!"

-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 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).

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

Net Escape Factors

Positive

  • Size (smaller is better)
  • High EV (player only)
  • High dexterity (player only)
  • Monsters nearby (player only)

Negative

Net Damage Factors

Positive

Negative

Any playable species smaller than medium (kobolds, halflings, and spriggans) will be unable to throw a throwing net properly, 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
Throwing net.png