Web: Sticky White Mess

Usable By: Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard

Spell Level: 2

School: Conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Components: V, S, M (a bit of spiderweb)

You conjure a mass of thick, sticky webbing at a point of your choice within range. The webs fill a 20-foot cube from that point for the duration. The webs are difficult terrain and lightly obscure their area.

If the webs aren’t anchored between two solid masses (such as walls or trees) or layered across a floor, wall, or ceiling, the conjured web collapses on itself, and the spell ends at the start of your next turn. Webs layered over a flat surface have a depth of 5 feet.

Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them during its turn must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is restrained as long as it remains in the webs or until it breaks free. A creature restrained by the webs can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC. If it succeeds, it is no longer restrained.

The webs are flammable. Any 5-foot cube of webs exposed to fire burns away in 1 round, dealing 2d4 fire damage to any creature that starts its turn in the fire.

Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

Web is an iconic classic spell. This is something straight out of 2nd edition, a spell to gunk up a dungeon corridor to light on fire with your torch. Its 5th edition translation leaves it feeling almost like it's out of place; the rules around it are complex, requiring a very specific environment to work at all, but in exchange, gives you a fairly powerful effect to play around with.

The first major point we have to look at is this line of rules: “If the webs aren’t anchored between two solid masses (such as walls or trees) or layered across a floor, wall, or ceiling, the conjured web collapses on itself, and the spell ends at the start of your next turn”. This makes it so groundborn creatures in most environments can get restrained by the webbing, but airborne or climbing creatures can navigate around it without any real issues in the majority of locations. Tunnels and dungeon corridors can be webbed solidly through, but most other casts of this are going to be on the floor in a 20 ft. area, which is only four squares. That’s not a particularly robust area to cover.

However, despite its limitations based on area, what it comes with is restraining save or die creatures have to spend actions to attempt to break free from. Restrained creatures have 0 speed, attacks they make are at disadvantage, attacks against them are made with advantage, and they have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws. This is meaningfully powerful, specifically when dealing with melee combatants. It’ll force them to waste turns breaking free and trudging through it while giving your team free reign to wail on them from a safe 60 feet away. As long as you can get three or more creatures affected by Web, it seems quite good.

There is a nifty little final line of text where you can ignite the web, dealing 2d4 fire damage automatically to creatures starting their turn in it, no save. This destroys the webbing, so it's not often going to be the best course of action, as you probably will do more damage just smacking whatever is stuck in it with advantage, but adds a fun thematic element to the spell that brings it life in a way a lot of other spells lack. This spell, more than most, feels like you’re conjuring a spider's web and trapping enemies in it. It interacts with flames like you’d want it to.

Honestly, I don’t see players casting Web, myself included. It just never makes the cut for me, never excites me enough to put it on my sheet, but maybe it should. The words here are great, it delivers the drow Lolth spider villain fantasy quite well, and it’ll have clear moments where it’ll be great, and others where you’ll get only a little value out of it. Web seems to be an excellent 2nd level spell.

5e Spells

Web: Sticky White Mess