Item MVP of the Adventure: the Net

You see them show up in gladiator movies all the time, but the lowly net doesn't make it into fantasy adventures very often. Yet, I'm pretty sure just about every edition of D&D since AD&D has included it in one expansion or another - assuming it wasn't already in the main equipment list. So when one of my newbie players decided to buy three of them during character creation, I was just a little worried that he'd find them disappointing once we actually got down to play.

As it turns out, I was wrong. Really wrong.

You can find the description for the net at the bottom of page 148 in the PHB. It reads as follows.

Net. A Large or smaller creature hit by a net is restrained until freed. A net has no effect on creatures that are formless, or creatures that are Huge or larger. A creature can use its action to make a DC 10 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.When you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a net, you can only make one attack regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

That... just doesn't sound very powerful. With a range of 5/15, it's hard to attack someone with. And, since it only requires a DC 10 STR check or 5 points of slashing damage to escape from, it seems like most creatures can get out of it with no problem at all. Sounds like you're better off just making a normal attack.

And yeah, all of that is very true. The value of the net comes in with the knowledge that "restrained" isn't just a descriptor, it is a specific condition which may be found on page 292 of the PHB. In short, a restrained creature can't move, has disadvantage on its Dex saving throws, and all attack rolls against a restrained creature have advantage. Also, a restrained creature's attacks are made at disadvantage.

If you manage to get a net on a creature in the right place in initiative, some or all of your allies may gain advantage to attack it. That's a big deal for everyone, and doubly so for your Rogue players since Sneak Attack is triggered when the Rogue has advantage on their attack rolls.

And if your initiative order isn't so lucky? Your target will either lose its move that round and have a disadvantaged attack (if it doesn't try to escape), it will lose one of its Actions trying to escape, or both (if it attempts to escape and fails).

Every time my players get nervous about a creature, that net comes out. If the creature doesn't die while it's trapped, then it dies on the turn it escapes.

Not bad for 1 gp.