Background: I've been GMing since the late 80s, mostly D&D, but I stepped away from RPGs once 4th edition came around. I've returned as a player in a PF2E game at the beginning of the year. My character is a city guard on "detached duty", and I recently realized using manacles in combat is basically impossible -- it's explicitly listed as an exploration activity that takes 10-30 seconds, depending on the size of the target and the number of manacles you apply. To rectify this, I created the following item. Let me know what you think! Does it feel weak, balanced or strong?
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Manacles of Detention____Item 3+
[Magical] [Transmutation]
Usage worn on wrists; Bulk 1
Commonly used by law enforcement to quickly apprehend recalcitrant suspects, these polished steel manacles usually feature the coat of arms of the local authority on the bands.
Once the manacles are in place, they tighten whenever the prisoner moves. A two-legged creature with its legs bound takes a –20-foot circumstance penalty to its Speeds, and a two-handed creature with its wrists bound has to succeed at a DC 15 flat check any time it uses a manipulate action or else that action fails.
Activate [1-action] Interact; Frequency once per day; Requirements Your target is grabbed, restrained or unconscious; Effect The manacles bind two of the limbs of the target.
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Manacles of Detention____Item 3
Cost 50 gp
The manacles are simple quality (it requires three successful DC 22 Thievery checks to free a creature bound by the manacles).
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Manacles of Detention (Greater)____Item 6
Cost 210 gp
The manacles are average quality (it requires four successful DC 27 Thievery checks to free a creature bound by the manacles).
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Manacles of Detention (Major)____Item 12
Cost 1,800 gp
The manacles are good quality (it requires five successful DC 32 Thievery checks to free a creature bound by the manacles).
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FYI - this forum is for Third Party products. I think you want the Homebrew forum ... Flagging to be moved.
Ah, thanks! I just saw the bold title of the forum and didn't notice it was for third-party products.
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So there's a lot of controversy over how you actually escape manacles that are applied in combat, because the Escape action doesn't make a lot of sense for them. In my opinion, manacles can only be out of by using Thievery checks as listed or breaking their through their hardness and HP with strikes. That makes them a really good debuff, and being able to apply them with a single action is way too strong.
Paizo has published a bunch of NPCs with this ability, though:
Efficient Capture (attack, manipulate); Requirements The thug has manacles in hand and is next to a creature. Effect The thug attempts to bind the creature’s wrists or ankles with the manacles. The thug must succeed at an attack roll with a +18 modifier against the target’s AC.
That's a 7th level creature with that. So I'd model ant homebrewing with that as a balance point.