THROWING NET, HOOKED: This, a favorite weapon of evil
characters everywhere, is ideal for capturing and tormenting
creatures instead of just killing them. A 10-foot-diameter net
with a weighted perimeter and numerous hooks woven into the
mesh, the hooked throwing net is an ideal weapon for taking a
powerful creature or character prisoner.

If the net scores a hit, it is considered to have trapped the
opponent within its barbed interior. Unless the victim saves vs.
breath weapon, he or she will become entangled and have a
50% chance of falling to the ground. If the victim remains
relatively motionless under the net, no additional damage will
be taken, but if the victim struggles or the thrower tugs on the
net, damage will be taken for each round that the victim remains
within the moving net.

Ensnared victims can free themselves from the net in one
round if they have a dagger or similar cutting tool, and such a
victim will take only 1-4 points of damage in the round of
escape, unless some individual is tugging on the net from the
outside during this time. Nets which are cut are rendered useless.
Anyone without a knife who wishes to get untangled from
a hooked net must spend 2-5 rounds in so doing, with full
normal damage being taken for the first 1-4 of those rounds. A
net can be cut away from the outside in one round, or otherwise
taken off from the outside in 2-5 rounds, with 1-4 points of
damage taken by the victim in each round, no matter what
method is used to free the net’s occupant.

A smaller, one-hand version of the hooked net is available at a
cost of 1 gp and is used as a secondary weapon which can be
wrapped around an opponent’s weapon to disarm him or her on
a “to hit” roll sufficient to hit AC 6 or better. This is the
only purpose for the smaller net, since the hooks within it are
made for catching objects and are not suitable for damaging
flesh. The smaller nets weigh about one pound each.

by Randy Bowman
 

New Weapons

Equipment

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Dragon #61

Dragon magazine