I'm having my campaign start with the players as prisoners in a convey.
What inexpensive way would the regular authorities use to detain a known magic user?
Maybe manacles that damage the wearer slowly to distract from sellcasting?
Any ideas would be appreciated!
At that low of level I would just use something like a gag in the prisoner's mouth and possible some sort of bindings that keep them from using their spells. Very few spells would work without somatic and verbal components plus no access to their spell components would handle most spell casters at low levels
Manacles of Cooperation are only 2000 gp, which is about as cheap as a permanent magic item gets. But that may well be overkill, as Imperium Knight suggests.
I was sitting here thinking...perhaps a charm could be made, like a charm of distraction, that can be placed on an individual and until it is removed forces a concentration check to cast.
It's not that hard to make a concentration check. The charm would annoy the prisoner, but it would at best delay escape, not prevent it.
Are you specifically looking for something that works well enough that the authorities might reasonably use it but not well enough to keep the PCs prisoner? 'Cause that's a fine line to walk.
Bound, gagged, without a spell component pouch. Make sure the wagon is super wobbly. Anything that would cause pain to force more concentration checks. Also have a guard with a greatsword
The third party campaign, Zeitgeist, has you playing police officers in a Steampunk setting. One of the items is Magecuffs, which for a 1000gp completely blocks spellcasting.
Locked Gauntlets, 8 gp wrote: It provides a +10 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense to keep from being disarmed in combat. Removing a weapon from a locked gauntlet or attaching a weapon to a locked gauntlet is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
The price given is for a single locked gauntlet. The weight given applies only if you’re wearing a breastplate, light armor, or no armor. Otherwise, the locked gauntlet replaces a gauntlet you already have as part of the armor.
While the gauntlet is locked, you can’t use the hand wearing it for casting spells or employing skills. (You can still cast spells with somatic components, provided that your other hand is free.)
Like a normal gauntlet, a locked gauntlet lets you deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with an unarmed strike.
That and a gag should cover all low-level spellcasters.
Blindfold, restrain, and gag them is going to put major inhibitions on most spellcasters. Obviously remove any spell component pouches or religious symbols or foci.
Hit them with a Status spell and now the authorities will know the direction and distance plus condition of their prisoner as long as they remain on the same plane of existence deterring escape and making recapture easier. Status is a 2nd level spell and lasts hours/caster level
Depending on what and how much is known about the caster might be worth simply getting their word not try and escape if they're known to be honorable etc.
Hostages depending on how 'nice' the authorities are and what sort of societal conditions exist.
Lack of sleep or periods of rest to memorize or change out existing spells.
Drug them so they do nothing but sleep and are hard to arouse or can't focus (i.e. ruin their ability to concentrate).
Guards trained to recognize spells and spellcasting efforts. (Give them a circumstance bonus to Spellcraft and/or Knowledge Arcana checks to recognize spells/spellcasting).
cheapest way to detain and transport a spell caster.
things you will need
1. wad of cloth to stuff in the mouth of the spell caster.
2. something to wrap around the spell caster's mouth so it can not spit out the wad of cloth.
3. one blindfold. so they can't target anyone
4. a smelly sack to put over the spell caster's head.
5. one hammer to break all the spell caster's delicate finger. this does two things here. it prevents fancy finger waving and the pain ruins concentration.this is very important
6. rope for binding hands and feet and tying to a mount.
7. if it comes down to drugs. dose the prisoner's food/water. just keep them in a drugged stupor, while keeping all other steps in place.
8. keep them in minimal clothing preferably just their underwear to minimize hiding places.
all that should keep them well distracted while you transport them. then when you get to where you need to be you can heal their hands.
Gag, shackle, and then have a guy with a sap continually bash them over the head. Can't cast spells if you're unconscious!
Kill caster, transport corpse, resurrect.
Fuzzy-Wuzzy wrote: Kill caster, transport corpse, resurrect. You can't resurrect anyone against their will, they will know the name, patron deity, and alignment of the caster and can choose to stay dead until resurrection comes from someone known/trusted.
And then there's the LE way. Hold their family hostage against their good behaviour. If they don't have useful family, make sure the other prisoners know that escaping or misbehaving mages will lead to the remaining prisoners being punished.
I was assuming the person would rather be a live prisoner than a corpse. Pretty sure this is true in many situations, though certainly not all. "Where there's life there's hope."
Tarik Blackhands wrote: Gag, shackle, and then have a guy with a sap continually bash them over the head. Can't cast spells if you're unconscious! So long as they don't do it too much. Nonlethal damage can shift to lethal if done excessively. Then we're back to the transporting corpse issue.
be a winter witch that can use the hex ice tomb. then transport the winter witch and giant ice cube to desired location and then allow to defrost. problem solved.
transport said caster nude, gagged, chained, in a car, etc that silences, slows and weakens those within.
Feeblemind the caster, then remove the feeblemind at the destination.
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Flesh to stone, shrink item (optional), transport, stone to flesh.
Cheap version:
Hoodwink Cowl (75gp), blind & deaf
Straitjacket (5gp), grappled
Fetters (15gp), entangled & 1/2 speed
Manacles (15gp) restricted hands;
see Shackle for options how to use manacles
Manacle barbs (15gp each for manacles/fetters) Certain actions deal damage to the prisoner
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Alright; so for 140gp, we have a blind (no targeting) & deaf(20% failure for spells with verbal components, grappled(-4 dex, casting spells forces a DC 10+5+Spell level Concentration check), entangled(-4 dex, casting spells forces a DC 15+Spell level Concentration check) prisoner at 1/2 speed, who takes 1 damage if he
*uses more than 1 move action per turn
*attempts to move his legs
and take 1d4 dmg if he attempts to use a STR check to break his fetters/manacles.
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You can upgrade the manacles/fetters/straightjacket to masterwork if you want...
Using magical options, Bestow curse to reduce mental ability scores/inhibit actions with a 50% failure rate/inflict Spellblights and Insanity(Amnesia is best, because it locks away class abilities and most spellcasters gain their power from class levels)
Deal enough Int damage that they can no longer cast their spells.
If that doesn't give you enough time (they heal ability damage over time), you can use Bestow Curse twice:
Curse 1:
50% chance to do nothing on your turn.
Curse 2:
Spells take twice as long to cast. (not one of the recommended curses, but it's got about the same power as Curse 1)
Together, those two curses give you some reaction time to if they're going to cast a spell. They have a 50% chance to fail on turn 1, on turn 2 if they succeeded, they have another chance to fail again. That's a 75% chance to fail at casting a spell, with one turn to react, you can just beat the spellcaster in the face to make them fail for sure.
Stack nonlethal damage on top of them until they're unconscious and just hit them every so many hours to ensure they don't wake up.
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