I started my first Pathfinder campaign yesterday, and it looks like as part of the adventure, we are going to need to take some very strong (20 STR) humanoid PCs prisoner and bring them back to town.
But you can't exactly buy "handcuffs" from the general store. What's the exact best way to do this? Simply buy some silk rope and tie them up? What kind of STR checks would they make vs the rope? Is there any way to make it even more secure so I don't simply have to rely on my character's rope skills against their STR check (and this DM -will- let them escape if we don't cross every T and dot every i...).
Removal of limbs followed quickly by healing magic.
I'm helping!
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I think STR checks would just go against the rope's hardness or attributed strength without any regard for how well the PCs did at tying him up. I'd have to look up silk rope again to see just how dependable it would be for such a job.
Take it manacles are out of the question for you guys at this point, money-wise?
I was just thinking about manacles. Maybe them (20g) + a simple (15g) lock will do the trick. But that gets really expensive if doing it with more than 1 person.
But do manacles -require- a lock to work? I wonder if they work without one... any clue?
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Locking mechanism to keep them on the prisoner should be built into the cost, I believe. Keeping them attatched to a post or wagon or something else? That might just require a cost of installation, and the Core Rulebook doesn't go into that level of detail beyond hiring the services of a professional.
Cool Mikaze, thanks for the info.
Dudemeister, I don't really understand nonlethal damage or how it works. How can we knock someone out and make sure they stay knocked out? Can I use my mace or greatclub for nonlethal damage?
Sorry, one more "stupid" newb question. Assume a player is manacled, it says you need an escape artist DC check of "30" to free, and you can try again every 1 minute. Assuming you don't have 10 points in Escape Artist, is freeing yourself impossible? Or does a natural 20 always free you? If a natural 20 frees you, then ANY character can escape from manacles in an average of 20 minutes...?
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/escape-artist
If they take 20, they need at least a +10 in Escape Artist to break out. Unlikely at level 1 so you're clear. Nonlethal damage can be dealt with any weapon by taking a -4 to your attack roll. When they reach 0 they are unconscious.
Also, I'd look into mancatchers, bolas, and nets. You don't even need the proficiency in nets since it aims for touch attack.
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Yep, natural 1's and 20's don't count for skill checks(keep that in mind when putting ranks in skills!)
There are also more reliable ways of dealing non-lethal damage, such as using saps or weapons with the merciful quality(unlikely at this point, but saps are cheap), as well as numerous poisons and spells. The Merciful Spell feat can be handy for this as well.
Just be wary of creatures immune to subdual damage, and watch out when dealing a lot of non-lethal damage out ot an enemy! Too much actually starts to roll over into lethal damage, and an unlucky non-lethal crit can easily kill some low-level targets in one blow.
(that poor, poor goblin...)
Subdual = non lethal. It's a term from the old editions.
Tie him up. Tie him up well.
Helpless: A helpless character is paralyzed, held, bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise completely at an opponent's mercy. A helpless target is treated as having a Dexterity of 0 (–5 modifier). Melee attacks against a helpless target get a +4 bonus (equivalent to attacking a prone target). Ranged attacks get no special bonus against helpless targets. Rogues can sneak attack helpless targets.
As a full-round action, an enemy can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace to a helpless foe. An enemy can also use a bow or crossbow, provided he is adjacent to the target. The attacker automatically hits and scores a critical hit. (A rogue also gets his sneak attack damage bonus against a helpless foe when delivering a coup de grace.) If the defender survives, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die. Delivering a coup de grace provokes attacks of opportunity.
Creatures that are immune to critical hits do not take critical damage, nor do they need to make Fortitude saves to avoid being killed by a coup de grace.
So he is bound up using as much silk rope as needed to appease your GM.
Manacles on wrists and ankles as well if your GM wants Bound to mean more than the common parlance.
The good folks at Merriam-Webster tell me that bound means:
Bound = Past Participle of Bind
bind verb \ˈbīnd\
transitive verb
a : to make secure by tying
b : to confine, restrain, or restrict as if with bonds
Thus, someone tied up (well enough to suit your GM) is bound. Bound = Helpless.
Rope, Silk: This rope has 4 hit points and can be burst with a DC 24 Strength check. => Core Rule Book, Page 157.
There's always the charm person spell to provide a level of "voluntary" compliance as well.