Folks,
Let's say you are in combat versus a Demodand, which has this ability:
Adhesive (Ex)
A tarry demodand exudes a thick tar-like substance that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast any creatures or items touching it. A tarry demodand has a +4 racial bonus on grapple checks due to its tarry secretions in addition to that provided by its grab ability.
A weapon that strikes a tarry demodand is stuck fast unless the wielder succeeds on a DC 19 Reflex save. A successful DC 19 Strength check is needed to pry it off. The save DC and check DC are Constitution-based.
Strong alcohol dissolves the adhesive. A pint of wine or a similar liquid weakens it, but the tarry demodand can still grapple normally. A tarry demodand can dissolve its adhesive at will, and the substance breaks down 1 minute after the creature dies.
You Fail your Reflex save and your weapon gets STUCK!
This Character has a Ring of Blinking and decides to activate it on the next round to free his weapon (i.e. pull on it while in the Ethereal Plane)
While this is probably not covered in any ruling, HOW would you, as the Game Master, rule on this?
The description of Blink gives a 20% miss chance if the can't-see part of blinking is negated by the ability to see into the ethereal plane. Thus, I would allow the character to try to pull the weapon free as a move action or standard action and have a 205 success rate. This action does not provoke. In other words, the character repeatedly tries pulling on the weapon and if he is lucky and blinks out at the right moment, then it is freed.
Realistically, a steady pull should free the weapon once it blinks out of the adhesive, so 100% success in one full-round action, but such a steady pull would probably provoke an attack of opportunity. Using the probabilities from the Blink spell itself are less likely to create an argument than creative realism, so go with the 20%.
How would I rule it?:
I would consider the sword to be a contested item, as though attended by another creature (the demodand), and not in your control. Just like when you touch or grab someone else's item to cast a touch spell, it doesn't make it unattended (by them).You would blink, the sword wouldn't. Just like you couldn't grab hold of a creature's armor or backpack and blink it off of them just because you were holding onto it; it's still attended. If you were already blinking (with the sword) beforehand when it got stuck, the sword would be considered to be blinking (as part of your equipment) and would likely come free within the round.
In this case it is the demodand that is attempting to grab an item controlled by the player.
The demodand may temporarily bind the weapon, but if something were to target the weapon specifically, e.g. sunder, the roll would be against the players defenses, not the demodand’s.
Any attempt to shift planes, teleport, or sunder is going to be tested by the character’s saving throws or CMD.