Entangle vs hold person

[spartan_ah]

So I reached level3 as a moon druid. And I was thinking, why should I prepare hold person when i have entangle.
It's1st level spell with strength saving throw against 2nd level spell with con throw. While monsters who usually have one also have the second.
Paralyzed vs restrained and one humanoid vs AOE.
Your thoughts?

[MrStabby]

Well paralysed you can use differently.

Paralysed is a death sentence for most creatures - the automatic crit against it means that paladins can smite it, rogues can sneak attack it and so on. You nearly double the damage output of your party till it goes down.

Entangle is also good but is more about keeping enemies out of the fight whilst you focus on other things.

[hymer]

So I reached level3 as a moon druid. And I was thinking, why should I prepare hold person when i have entangle.
It's1st level spell with strength saving throw against 2nd level spell with con throw. While monsters who usually have one also have the second.
Paralyzed vs restrained and one humanoid vs AOE.
Your thoughts?

Just, you know; Hold Person is a Wis save.

Hold Person works better on enemies with a high strength. It can affect creatures that aren't standing on the ground. If the DM insists there must be plant life where you cast Entangle, Hold Person bypasses this, too.
The difference in status effect is also something: Paralyzed means completely out of the fight for the duration, while restrained gives a lot of disadvantage. Auto-crit for melee is also no small thing.

I'd say Hold Person has its place. But Entangle is definitely a very effective spell for a first level slot.

[Gwendol]

Different spells with different saves. Strength saves are few and far between, and not all monsters have high strength saves. Entangle affects an area while hold person affects one target, and it must be a humanoid.
Both spells offer repeated chance of breaking the effect though, which also needs to be taken into account.

[spartan_ah]

Just, you know; Hold Person is a Wis save.

Hold Person works better on enemies with a high strength. It can affect creatures that aren't standing on the ground. If the DM insists there must be plant life where you cast Entangle, Hold Person bypasses this, too.
The difference in status effect is also something: Paralyzed means completely out of the fight for the duration, while restrained gives a lot of disadvantage. Auto-crit for melee is also no small thing.

I'd say Hold Person has its place. But Entangle is definitely a very effective spell for a first level slot.

first of all kudos on your guide, I use it a lot.
well I haven't noticed the WIS save, so it does change it.
and indeed paralyzed is superior to restrained condition...
thx for the clearing

[Seruvius]

One notable downside to Hold person that should be mentioned is its limitation on what it can target, unlike entangle. Depending on your campaign, being able to only target humanoids may be a serious restriction, or a minor inconvenience. Still, it is an early save or suck spell which can completely turn a hard encounter into a guaranteed victory.

[Chronos]

When you use Entangle, if the enemy has any form of ranged attack (bow, spells, etc.), they can still use them. Meanwhile, if your party lacks ranged attack, then they'll get stuck themselves trying to get in range to use them.

Overall, you're probably right that Entangle is the better spell. But Hold Person does still have its benefits.

[hymer]

first of all kudos on your guide, I use it a lot.
well I haven't noticed the WIS save, so it does change it.
and indeed paralyzed is superior to restrained condition...
thx for the clearing

Thank you, I'm glad you find it useful! And you're welcome. :smallsmile: