PCs tie themselves together a lot...

[Gonturan]

For some reason, the PCs in two of my campaigns are obsessed with roping themselves together. Any time they are anywhere close to a drop, they stop and uncoil the 50' rope.

They're probably being smart, and I'm willing to give them bonuses against falling due to their precaution. But I also don't want this precaution to automatically negate any risk of falling.

Is there anything in the Pathfinder rules to help make adjustments for the "tied together" condition? I'm thinking of modified Acro/Climb checks, Reflex saves, or Strength checks to halt another PCs' fall.

If there's nothing in the RAW, does anyone have any homebrew solutions they can recommend? Thanks!

[thebwt]

This sounds like a fun thing to turn against them.

Animate Rope

[rando1000]

Not sure if there are any specific rules, but if one person falls, you might consider having the strongest remaining person make a Str check; have everyone else on the rope do Aid Another. If the check succeeds, they're able to pull the fallen one back up. If not, the rest of them fall prone and begin sliding toward whatever drop. At this point, give them a Climb check or Reflex Save to keep from all going over.

[Ragnarok Aeon]

I'd rule that if one person fails their climb check, the other has to make an immediate climb check + 10 or fall with the person, but if they make the check, the other person is saved and can resume climbing again. Something like that.

[mdt]

I don't think there's anything in RAW.

The way I handle it is this...

A + B + C are all tied together (A and C on the ends, B in the middle).

If A fails a climb check and falls, then B can make a Strength Check to stop A from falling. The DC is based on load capacity. So if A is a light load for B (taking into account B's current encumbrance), then the DC is 10. If he's a medium, then the DC is 15, and it's 20 for heavy. If the weight is more than the character's max lifting capacity, then the DC is 30. If B fails his check, he's pulled off, and C makes a check for both A & B combined.

If B falls, then both A and C make a check, but because they're sharing the load, the DC's are lower. DC 5/10/15/25. If at least one makes it, then B is stopped (Although if one fails, they have to make a normal climb check not to fall).

Climbing Kits give a +2 to the checks. A natural climb speed gives +8 to the check (it's easier to hold on if you have a climb speed).

[Mabven the OP healer]

Why do you want your pc's to fall? If they are taking appropriate role-play precautions to avoid falling, let them. There is really nothing fun about environmental hazards outwitting your reasonable preparations. If you want to add danger, have them fight enemies along cliffs, at least they get the fun of combat.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

You know what? I think this is a great question that I'm betting comes up in quite a few campaigns, especially at lower levels before potions of Fly are available and before the arcane casters have access to the Dimension Door spell. I know that my PCs are famous for tying themselves together before they cross rope bridges, shallow but fast moving rivers, along ledges, etc. etc. Come to think of it, it does irritate me slightly that the rules don't handle the case of tied together PCs trying to stop one another's unwilling (falling, being dragged, what have you...) movement.

I've handled it on a case-by-case basis up to this point. I'll get strength checks from the nearest characters to the one in motion; if they fail they begin the unwilling movement also. I usually apply an ad hoc penalty that gets larger the more people that are already in motion since its easier for 4 people to stop one person falling than it is for one person to stop 4 people who are falling. This can, in cases of particularly bad dice rolls for strength checks, lead to the entire party being drug somewhere it REALLY doesn't want to go.

Of course, once a party is pulled to its death because it was roped together the PCs may rethink that strategy in the future. The trick is to not outright penalize them for creative, tactical thinking but to instead introduce a level of risk for their plan that at the minimum causes them a moment's worth of thinking to consider possible outcomes.

But, I'd love to be able to point to rules from Paizo on this situation.

DJF

[peterrco]

It would make an interesting combat encounter with them all tied up.

Just a few ideas:

1. Strength checks to move, no charging allowed.
2. Any spell casting when attached to someone who is in melee combat.
3. -4 CMD to resist Trip
4. +4 CMD to resist Bull Rush
5. Entangling options and bonuses for Dirty Trick attempts.

..............

Or they could use up actions untying (AOO)/ cutting (no AOO) the rope.

If they spend a lot of time tied together they are bound to get attacked a some point, so make it a part of an entertaining combat.

Plus if someone should get knocked of the cliff, then use the ideas above for stopping falling, but anyone that moves gets an AOO....lol

[Hitdice]

There's a section in the Climb rules in CRB about catching a falling character while climbing (very similar to Mdt's solution); I'd use those but ignore the touch attack required to make the modified climb check if the characters are roped together. Also, anyone in combat while roped together should be considered entangled IMO.

[Gonturan]

Mabven the OP healer wrote:

Why do you want your pc's to fall? If they are taking appropriate role-play precautions to avoid falling, let them. There is really nothing fun about environmental hazards outwitting your reasonable preparations. If you want to add danger, have them fight enemies along cliffs, at least they get the fun of combat.

It's not that I want them to fall. I just don't want them to assume that roping themselves together (a precaution which takes hardly any time and uses up zero resources) will automatically protect them from falling. It leads to drama-deflating moments like this:

GM: As you proceed deeper into the gorge, you see the path ahead begins to narrow as it skirts a broad chasm. The cliff plunges almost a hundr--

PLAYERS: [in unison] We rope ourselves together.

GM: [sighing] Right. We'll just skip past the indignity of skill checks, then...

[Gonturan]

Lots of good suggestions here, thanks! I will probably adapt Mdt's rules for my purposes.

[Jen the GM]

If the character that is falling does not exceed the carrying capacity of those that they are tied to (heavy load), I would be inclined to rule in favor of the rope saving from the fall. Usually it's pretty clear if the guy is falling happens to be the mule with all the junk on him, or the little wizard.