It's one of the best level 2 spells. It doesn't incapacitate them like Hypnotic Pattern, but it restrains them, and it allows you to damage them without ending the crowd control effect. On the other hand, it allows them to try to escape every turn. Because it gives you advantage when attacking them, it will be very tempting for people to attack the webbed targets instead of attacking targets that aren't crowd controlled. A Rogue looking for Sneak Attack damage will be especially inclined to attack a webbed target instead of a target that is running free.
It's easy to know what strategy to use when you cast Hypnotic Pattern on the enemy - everyone in your party will know to ignore the targets that failed their Wisdom saving throw. But with web, it's not clear to your party if they should ignore webbed targets, or if they should take advantage of getting advantage when attacking a webbed target, since damaging the target won't end the effect. It's good to talk with your party members before combat starts to figure out how you want to use the web spell (because a good DM won't let you have a strategy discussion during combat). But no matter what the party agrees on, remember that the Rogue is probably just going to attack a webbed target to get sneak attack.
Web is great against melee opponents, and still pretty good against enemies doing ranged weapon attacks. But against an enemy spell caster, they're likely to just cast spells that make your party do saving throws, which will ignore their penalty of having disadvantage on attacks. And yes, they will probably include your wizard in the area of effect of the spell they're casting. So I wouldn't recommend using web against an enemy spell caster, even though they're the ones most likely to fail their Dex save and Strength checks. Enemy spell casters also normally don't have a high enough AC that you're needing advantage when attacking them.
If there's a Warlock casting Hex, this is one of those times when the secondary part of the spell is useful. Hex doesn't let you give them disadvantage on saving throws, but it does let you give them disadvantage on ability checks. A target has to succeed a Dexterity saving throw with web, but to escape from the web is a strength ability check, and the Warlock can choose to give his or her target disadvantage on strength ability checks. Hex + Web is a great way to keep that one most dangerous enemy restrained, although I prefer Hold Person if you're really just trying to bring down one dangerous target (if you have at least two melee damage dealers in your party).
Web is good at forcing enemies to vacate a specific position on the battlefield, whereas Hypnotic Pattern won't achieve that. That can be useful sometimes.
Agree with a lot of what gabrielrockman said. Another upside is that it creates terrain where the DM has to choose, deal with difficult terrain or risk getting restrained or be blocked off or take the long way around if there is one. Downside is that this can affect your fellow party the same way.
Web is flammable, sure its mentioned on the basic text but you always need to consider whether the additional damage or the area control is the more valuable aspect. Assuming you have a means to light the web.
Nothing like a little good ole Crowd Control to turn the tide of a battle! It's especially good to pick up as its a 2nd level spell that maintains its usefulness at higher levels.
Web won't always be a great option due to the battlefield or potentially sticking your allies with it, but at level 3 or level 16, it can still do some good work. Ex. There's a group of bandits! Web them up! Or the Lich's minions are rushing down the other hallway to cut us off! Web them up! It's always gonna be useful for slowing down and restraining groups of enemies. Of course something like an Ogre might be able to trudge through it, but that's why you have other spells!
Basically, Web is and always will be useful at slowing or removing enemies from combat. It's a great level 2 spell to pick up and maintains its usefulness. A little coordination may be needed to optimize it for your party. Other than that, there's no real downsides to picking it up!
I play a fourth level wizard and in our last adventure the party was floating down a river when a giant alligator attacked us and our raft. I got high initiative but waited until the croc closed it's mouth, then webbed it's mouth closed, like the crocodile hunter would have done. I think the next time I use Web my verbal component will be "Spiderman spiderman does what ever a spider can....". It can be a fun spell.
I play a fourth level wizard and in our last adventure the party was floating down a river when a giant alligator attacked us and our raft. I got high initiative but waited until the croc closed it's mouth, then webbed it's mouth closed, like the crocodile hunter would have done. I think the next time I use Web my verbal component will be "Spiderman spiderman does what ever a spider can....". It can be a fun spell.
Did your DM still give the Crocodile the initial dex save, and the ability to use an action each turn to do a strength check to escape the web? How many turns did it last?
I guess the croc got his dex save but failed, I didn't check the DM about that. The croc did climb onto the raft and attack me with it's claws. As far as the strength check goes I reasoned that a croc doesn't have as much strength to open it's mouth as it does to chomp, I talked about how the crocodile hunter is able to tape a crocs mouth closed with just a few raps of tape. The croc didn't last much longer after I webbed its mouth, but I prevented it from destroying the raft and from biting another player. The other's killed the croc and we tied it to the raft to tow to the next harbor. We are as of last session negotiating a price for the croc hide and meat as it is to big for the scales at the harbor.
With one exception where a bandit failed his strength check three times in a row, we've found that targets break out of Web pretty quickly. Melee opponents usually have very high strength or very high dexterity. That was a clever way to help negate the Crocodile's strength. Using web against caster opponents has been more effective for us, but it doesn't limit their threat much at all on the other hand.
i think that for that particular use most dms would be quite happy to give the croc disadvantage on the strength checks once it fails the save for making clever use of crocodile's biology. they do have exceedingly little strength for opening their jaws
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What are your thoughts on Web?
Seems like a good stand in for Hypnotic Pattern at a Level 2 spell, and it's effective against undead.
Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
It's one of the best level 2 spells. It doesn't incapacitate them like Hypnotic Pattern, but it restrains them, and it allows you to damage them without ending the crowd control effect. On the other hand, it allows them to try to escape every turn. Because it gives you advantage when attacking them, it will be very tempting for people to attack the webbed targets instead of attacking targets that aren't crowd controlled. A Rogue looking for Sneak Attack damage will be especially inclined to attack a webbed target instead of a target that is running free.
It's easy to know what strategy to use when you cast Hypnotic Pattern on the enemy - everyone in your party will know to ignore the targets that failed their Wisdom saving throw. But with web, it's not clear to your party if they should ignore webbed targets, or if they should take advantage of getting advantage when attacking a webbed target, since damaging the target won't end the effect. It's good to talk with your party members before combat starts to figure out how you want to use the web spell (because a good DM won't let you have a strategy discussion during combat). But no matter what the party agrees on, remember that the Rogue is probably just going to attack a webbed target to get sneak attack.
Web is great against melee opponents, and still pretty good against enemies doing ranged weapon attacks. But against an enemy spell caster, they're likely to just cast spells that make your party do saving throws, which will ignore their penalty of having disadvantage on attacks. And yes, they will probably include your wizard in the area of effect of the spell they're casting. So I wouldn't recommend using web against an enemy spell caster, even though they're the ones most likely to fail their Dex save and Strength checks. Enemy spell casters also normally don't have a high enough AC that you're needing advantage when attacking them.
If there's a Warlock casting Hex, this is one of those times when the secondary part of the spell is useful. Hex doesn't let you give them disadvantage on saving throws, but it does let you give them disadvantage on ability checks. A target has to succeed a Dexterity saving throw with web, but to escape from the web is a strength ability check, and the Warlock can choose to give his or her target disadvantage on strength ability checks. Hex + Web is a great way to keep that one most dangerous enemy restrained, although I prefer Hold Person if you're really just trying to bring down one dangerous target (if you have at least two melee damage dealers in your party).
Web is good at forcing enemies to vacate a specific position on the battlefield, whereas Hypnotic Pattern won't achieve that. That can be useful sometimes.
Agree with a lot of what gabrielrockman said. Another upside is that it creates terrain where the DM has to choose, deal with difficult terrain or risk getting restrained or be blocked off or take the long way around if there is one. Downside is that this can affect your fellow party the same way.
Web is flammable, sure its mentioned on the basic text but you always need to consider whether the additional damage or the area control is the more valuable aspect. Assuming you have a means to light the web.
It's a great spell that should have been in the druid list. It is also a contender for my any school arcane trickster spell.
It's great!
Nothing like a little good ole Crowd Control to turn the tide of a battle! It's especially good to pick up as its a 2nd level spell that maintains its usefulness at higher levels.
Web won't always be a great option due to the battlefield or potentially sticking your allies with it, but at level 3 or level 16, it can still do some good work. Ex. There's a group of bandits! Web them up! Or the Lich's minions are rushing down the other hallway to cut us off! Web them up! It's always gonna be useful for slowing down and restraining groups of enemies. Of course something like an Ogre might be able to trudge through it, but that's why you have other spells!
Basically, Web is and always will be useful at slowing or removing enemies from combat. It's a great level 2 spell to pick up and maintains its usefulness. A little coordination may be needed to optimize it for your party. Other than that, there's no real downsides to picking it up!
I play a fourth level wizard and in our last adventure the party was floating down a river when a giant alligator attacked us and our raft. I got high initiative but waited until the croc closed it's mouth, then webbed it's mouth closed, like the crocodile hunter would have done. I think the next time I use Web my verbal component will be "Spiderman spiderman does what ever a spider can....". It can be a fun spell.
Did your DM still give the Crocodile the initial dex save, and the ability to use an action each turn to do a strength check to escape the web? How many turns did it last?
I guess the croc got his dex save but failed, I didn't check the DM about that. The croc did climb onto the raft and attack me with it's claws. As far as the strength check goes I reasoned that a croc doesn't have as much strength to open it's mouth as it does to chomp, I talked about how the crocodile hunter is able to tape a crocs mouth closed with just a few raps of tape. The croc didn't last much longer after I webbed its mouth, but I prevented it from destroying the raft and from biting another player. The other's killed the croc and we tied it to the raft to tow to the next harbor. We are as of last session negotiating a price for the croc hide and meat as it is to big for the scales at the harbor.
With one exception where a bandit failed his strength check three times in a row, we've found that targets break out of Web pretty quickly. Melee opponents usually have very high strength or very high dexterity. That was a clever way to help negate the Crocodile's strength. Using web against caster opponents has been more effective for us, but it doesn't limit their threat much at all on the other hand.
i think that for that particular use most dms would be quite happy to give the croc disadvantage on the strength checks once it fails the save for making clever use of crocodile's biology. they do have exceedingly little strength for opening their jaws