I saw this on the D&D facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/dungeonsanddragons/posts/10153491916951071):
A new adventure means new loot. Check out the Wand of Viscid Globs, crafted by the drow to keep their enemies contained. Adventurers and DMs can get their hands on this beauty and other goodies when Out of the Abyss hits shelves in September!
If nothing else, Out of the Abyss should be good for interesting gear (and hopefully spells).
It makes me think of a web slinger.
Wow, no check to break free of the globs, no size limit on the target, and the attack bonus scales? This'll shut down a lot of encounters.
With this, a warlock or wizard could solo an ancient red dragon: go invisible, glob it, use any number of tricks to survive a breath weapon, retreat 100 feet, and you have almost 600 rounds to eldritch blast/chill touch it to death.
Yeah, this is really overpowered. I can't think of any other restraining effect in the game that doesn't allow a Str check/save on later rounds to break free. This is an instant win against many monsters.
House ruling right off the bat that a DC 20 strength check can be used to get out of it.
I would bring it in line with other wands (such as wand of fear, fireball, lightening bolt, polymorph, or web) with a DC15 [Athletics (Str)] check.
I'm shocked that people think this wand is powerful... it's basically trumped simply by having booze on hand, which I've seen very few parties not have around.
Yeah in a world where this wand exists, dragons will have a pool full of alcohol in their lair just to be safe, haha.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
He could put it as reaction or have some lizards around.
Mechatarrasque wrote:
Weird, I had a comment along with the picture there…
The no-check part is pretty surprising, I’ll agree. But the item remains a bit of a glass cannon. Sunlight destroys the globs and the wand. I like the return of an old-school magic item, but it does seem like it could really turn an epic fight into a cakewalk by spamming all your enemies.
Well, since the adventure is not even out anywhere yet, none of us know at what level the characters will be when they run across one of these or how hard it will be to defeat the enemy or enemies that will have it. It is a rare wand, after all. Plus, surviving a fight where your strongest characters may get globbed before they can do anything will be tough. And what is the likelihood that any of the characters will even know what it is the first time they encounter it and know that alcohol dissolves it?
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Protip to the folks who don't like this item: don't give it to your players.
ModusPonens wrote:
FallingIcicle wrote:
ModusPonens wrote:
FallingIcicle wrote:
I didn't remember them being that good so I looked up the AD&D 2E ones.
1d20+80 charges but you got a save vs wands to avoid. You were stuck for 10 rounds as such but there was no restrained condition in 2E. Vs PCs it was less offensive than 2E hold person excpet you could hit Dragons and the like with it but tough enemies in 2E would make their saves around 75-90% of the time. AD&D 2E Dragons were very big though so a 5' radius globe of sticky will not defeat them and they would have a magic resistance roll and a save to boot. Somnething like a Mind flayer would be 90% immune to it and gets a save for the other 10%.
The effect is more or less the same the mechanics around the effectivness has changed obviously. Its a lot better now, its had the crap buffed out of it.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote: