New Rope Mechanics & Weapons

T
his document features a collection of content If you're able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action,
to help you better utilize rope and add more this attack replaces one of them.
rope-based weapon options into your games. If you are more than one size larger than the opposing
While rope may seem trivial, it is one of the creature, you automatically win this contest. If the results of
more common adventuring items players often both checks are higher than the rope's break DC, the rope
have with them, and there aren't many core 5e snaps.
rules that detail how to make use of them in If you win the contest and the rope doesn't snap, you can
combat situations. The following mechanics will give you pull the rope along with you as you move or pull it towards
consistent and concise guidelines for interactions with rope yourself while standing still. If the opposing creature doesn't
and can be used for any other materials with rope-like drop the rope or is tethered to it, it will be pulled along as
properties (such as chains or spider silk). though you are grappling it.
You can't engage in a tug-of-war contest using a hand that
New Rope Mechanics is holding other objects (including other ropes).

The following mechanics can be used whenever two New Condition: Tethered
creatures are holding/attached to a rope and pulling against If a creature is attached to a rope (such as via a lasso,
each other. This could involve a player lassoing a wild animal, harpoon, or a secure tie), it is tethered to that rope. Creatures
someone in chains trying to escape guardsmen who are immune to the grappled condition can't be tethered.
trying to yank them back by said chains, or a literal tug-of-war Any creature that succeeds in a tug-of-war contest against a
between two creatures, each holding a rope. tethered creature using the attached rope is considered to be
grappling it. The tethered creature can end the grapple by
Tug of War Contests untethering itself, breaking the rope, or winning another tug-
A tug-of-war contest is a special type of opposed Strength of-war contest against the grappling creature.
check between two creatures on either end of a rope.
While you're holding or tethered to a rope that is also held
by or tethered to another creature no more than one size New Rope Mechanics Art Credit
larger than you, you can use the Attack action to make an
Skulduggery - Deruchenko Alexander, Wizards of the
opposed Strength check against the other creature to try to
Coast
pull the rope towards yourself.

1
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 Harpoons
The following content can
be used to add harpoon
weaponry to your game world.
The Harpoon Master feat can
help players specialize in using
these weapons, and the statistics
for the Rope Qualities can be used
to upgrade the reliability of harpoon
tethers and net weapons.

Harpoon Weapons
Harpoon Gun
ranged weapon (martial, crossbow)
Damage: 1d6
Damage Type: Piercing Feat: Harpoon Master
Properties: Ammunition (range 30/120), harpoon, loading,
You've learned how to use harpoons to maximum effect in
special
combat. When you take this feat, you gain the following
Cost: 90 gp, ammo: 2gp (1gp for the bolt, 1gp for the rope)
benefits.
Weight: 4 lb
Your Strength or Dexterity score increases by 1, to a
Harpoon Spear maximum of 20.
melee weapon (martial, spear) Creatures you've hit with harpoons have their speed
Damage: 1d6 reduced by 15 feet until they've removed the harpoon.
Damage Type: Piercing If a creature is concentrating on a spell and ends its turn
Properties: harpoon, thrown (range 20/60), special, versatile while impaled by a harpoon you hit it with, it must
(1d8) succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to maintain
Cost: 2 gp (1gp for the spear, 1gp for the rope) concentration.
Weight: 4 lb
Rope Quality for Nets & Harpoons
Harpoons Players can gain access to higher-quality rope for nets and
All harpoon spears and ammunition are attached to a harpoon tethers by paying more gold. The following table
harpoon rope. By default, harpoon ropes have 10 AC, a Break describes the gp cost for each level of quality. Each table row
DC of 12, and can be cut with 5 damage. can be used to describe a net or the rope and supplies needed
Tethering The Target. When you hit a creature or object to attach a tether to a harpoon. In the case of nets, the gp cost
with a harpoon attack, it is tethered to the harpoon's rope. If describes the overall cost of the net. In the case of harpoon
you miss, the target isn't tethered, and you can use the rope to spears and gun bolts, the gp cost describes the added cost of
pull the harpoon back to yourself as an object interaction. upgrading the item's quality, which can also be done when
When you tether a creature this way, you may immediately replacing a snapped tether.
make a tug-of-war contest against it (no action required.)
Rope Qualities
Removing The Harpoon. Any creature that can reach the
harpoon can use an action to remove it, thus ending the Break DC Break DC Cumulative
tethered condition. Doing so deals an additional 1d6 weapon
Cost (Harpoon) (Net) Rope AC Damage to Cut
damage to the tethered creature. 1gp 12 10 10 5
Replacing Harpoon Ropes. If you recover a harpoon
spear or a harpoon gun bolt with a snapped rope, you can
50gp 15 13 13 10
replace the rope over 10 minutes, using 1gp worth of rope 200gp 18 16 16 15
and other supplies. This can be done over the course of a
short or long rest, replacing up to 10 harpoon ropes during a Tethering Nets. You can add a rope tether to a net, which
short rest and up to 20 during a long rest. doubles the cost of the net. When you hit a creature with a
tethered net, you may tether your target the same way you
Harpoons Art Credit tether with a harpoon. The tether has the same DC to snap,
Deadeye Brawler - Jesper Ejsing, Wizards of the Coast AC to hit, and damage needed to break as the net it's attached
to, and a creature that breaks free of the net is no longer
bound by the tether.

2
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are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Magic Nets & Harpoons
Magic Harpoon Spears
Battle Anchor
Harpoon spear, rare
Only the mightiest of nautical warriors can wield this
massive anchor. This weapon has the heavy and two handed
properties, its attacks deal 2d6 piercing damage, and
creatures wielding it must have a Strength of 14 or higher to
make attacks with it without disadvantage.
The distances for ranged attacks made with this weapon
When you strike a creature with the anchor, you can
increase to 60/200.
choose not to tether it and instead deal bludgeoning damage
Melee attacks made with this weapon deal bludgeoning
rather than piercing. If a creature dealt bludgeoning damage
damage rather than piercing and cannot tether targets.
this way is Huge or smaller, it is knocked back 10 feet.
Whenever a creature you can see makes a bite attack, you
Additionally, a Huge or smaller creature tethered by the
may use your reaction to make a ranged weapon attack
anchor moves at half its speed.
against it with this weapon. If this attack hits, the creature
has disadvantage on the bite attack. You cannot make this
Combat Angler's Fishing Rod attack if you already have a creature tethered with the
Harpoon spear, rare
pole.
This weapon takes the form of an enchanted fishing pole.
As an action, you can add rope to the pole, which then Electro-Harpoon
automatically creates a fishing hook at the end. Harpoon spear, very rare (requires attunement)
This weapon functions like a normal harpoon spear with This harpoon contains a magical apparatus capable of
the following exceptions: electrifying it and its tether. As an action, you can electrify the
Ranged attacks made with this weapon are made by tether between yourself and a harpooned target. Each
creature directly between you and the harpoon must succeed
throwing the fishing hook out at targets rather than
on a DC 17 Dexterity save or take 4d6 lightning damage. The
throwing the weapon itself, though it can still only tether
tethered target automatically fails this save.
one target at a time and can't be used to make attacks
while it is tethering a target.

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are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
 Threading Needle Underworld Skewers
Harpoon spear, rare Harpoon spear, rare (requires attunement)
This giant magical sewing needle is said to have been These ghastly harpoons are said to be forged in the
crafted by eccentric fey lords. When you tether a creature underworld and made for hunting wayward spirits. The
with this weapon, the needle pierces through the target, and harpoons come in a set of 10 that are all bound to a quiver. To
if you have a free hand, you may have it automatically fly back attune to them, you must be in possession of the quiver, and
to that hand while keeping a hold of the tethering thread. while attuned, you can use an action to cause all the
Holding the tether still occupies one of your hands. harpoons to reappear in their quiver.
However, you can tether additional creatures with this These harpoons can tether incorporeal creatures normally
needle, and each tether made with the needle can be immune to the grappled condition, and the tethers attached
maintained with the same hand. The needle deals an to these harpoons take on a ghostly quality and cannot be cut,
additional 1d6 piercing damage per creature it is tethering. though they can still be snapped through Strength checks.
Each tethered creature must still stay within 60 feet of you While one or more of these harpoons are impaled in any
to maintain the tether. If a tethered creature succeeds on a creatures within 60 feet of you, you may use an action to call
tug-of-war check to pull you by the tether, rather than pull you all the harpoons back, causing them to rip themselves free
or snap the tether, it magically moves through the thread and and deal their weapon damage to the creatures they were
frees itself. impaling before flying back to their quiver. The harpoons
If the tether is cut, each tethered creature is freed. You may phase through all obstacles to reach their quiver.
use an action to reapply a rope to the needle, which turns the
rope into more magical thread. Magic Harpoon Guns
Self-Reeling Harpoon Gun
Harpoon gun, uncommon (+1, +2, or +3 Str Mod), rare (+4 Str
Mod), or very rare (+5 Str Mod)
The harpoon gun contains a magical pully system that
reels in tethered targets at the wielder's command. When you
make a tug-of-war check against a creature tethered with this
weapon, you can apply the weapon's modifier rather than
your Strength modifier to the check. The value of the
weapon's modifier depends on its rarity.

Magic Harpoons Art Credit

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Magic Nets
Mega Net
Unless stated otherwise, a net loses its magical properties
Net, rare
once a creature it has entangled is freed from it.
When you throw this net, you target a point within its
range. As it lands, the net magically expands either 5 or 10
Anti-Magic Net
feet (your choice) outwards in all directions from that point.
Net, common (DC 13), uncommon (DC 15), rare (DC 17), very
Make an attack roll with the net against each creature
rare (DC 18), legendary (DC 19)
completely within that area. On a hit, that creature is
A creature hit by this net must succeed on a Constitution
restrained by the net.
saving throw or lose concentration on any ongoing spells and
Huge creatures can be restrained by the net, but
be unable to cast spells until the start of its next turn. At the
Gargantuan creatures are immune.
start of each turn that it is restrained by the net, the creature
If one of the creatures restrained by the net is moved, all
must succeed on the same saving throw or be subjected to
other creatures in the net are moved with it. However, no
the effects again until the start of its next turn. The DC of this
effect can move a creature within the net unless it can move
Concentration save is determined by the rarity of the net.
all the creatures in the net.
Electro-Net Each creature must cut or break its way free of the net
Net, common (1d6), uncommon (3d6), rare(5d6), very individually. The net doesn't lose its magical properties until
rare(8d6), legendary (12d6) each creature it has restrained is freed from it.
Creatures restrained by this net take lighting damage at the
start of each of their turns and can't take reactions. The
Toxic Net
Net, common (DC 13), uncommon (DC 15), rare (DC 17), very
amount of lighting damage they take is determined by the
rare (DC 18), or legendary (DC 19)
rarity of the net.
These nets are woven with vines that release poisonous
Ghost Net aerosols when destroyed. If the net is snapped or destroyed
Net, rare with slashing damage, each creature within 5 feet of it must
make a Consitution saving throw, with the DC determined by
This net can restrain incorporeal creatures normally
the net's rarity. On a failure, the creature is poisoned for 1
immune to the restrained condition. Creatures restrained by
the net cannot planeshift to the Ethereal Plane or benefit minute.
from invisibility. A creature poisoned this way can repeat the save at the end
of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Shadow Net The net doesn't lose its magical properties until it is
Net, rare destroyed this way.
Creatures restrained by this net are blinded unless they
have the ability to see through magical darkness as cloying
Magic Nets Art Credit
shadows cover their eyes. Spidersilk Net - Steve Argyle, Wizards of the Coast

5
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are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Change Log
1.1.0
Add rules for tethering nets

Revision Numbers
New Mechanics
Tug of War Contests 0.0.0
Tethered 0.0.0

Harpoons
Harpoon Weapons 2.0.0
Feat Harpoon Master 1.0.0
Rope Quality for Nets & Harpoons 1.1.0

Magic Items
Battle Anchor 1.0.0
Combat Angler's Fishing Rod 1.0.0
Electro-Harpoon 1.1.0
Threading Needle 1.0.0
Underworld Skewers 1.0.0
Self-Reeling Harpoon Gun 1.0.0
Anti-Magic Net 1.0.0
Electro-Net 1.0.0
Ghost Net 1.0.0
Shadow Net 1.0.0
Mega Net 2.1.0
Toxic Net 1.1.0

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.