Disarming a character from powers?

[That One Guy]

However, I like to think that D&D-world has found solutions to the fey step problem. Although normally an eladrin can fey step around, I bet bank vaults and jails have a way of making sure they don't skip out with all the money or spring all the prisoners. Maybe the walls have been blessed (using a Ritual!) by Clerics of Sul (God of "You ain't goin' nowhere, sucka!").

Anyone know if cold iron still has anti-fey associated powers in 4e? I was thinking manacles of some roughly forged iron could bind a creature (especially fey) to the material plane. At least, that's always been my house rule.

Heh, first step - get the fey out of the cold iron.
Second step - Eladrin fey steps out and ditches party. ...kidding. Depends on the character.

As far as I read Eladrin line of sight and Fey step... I'm gonna' go Nightcrawler rules and say that since he is stepping into another realm, waltzing through it (assuming he doesn't get ganked), and coming back a certain distance in... a line of sight is not 100% needed, but it will insure that one arrives 100% safely.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Another thing to think about: The fey step is explained as the eladrin stepping into the Feywild and then stepping out into the Real World. But if there is a structure in the Feywild on that exact spot, I can't see the guy just popping in and walking through a wall of a Feywild building.

Which would probably be a good idea to keep in mind when building a prison.

Simplest solution - underground cells. If the whole volume of space in the feywild is just solid rock, they ain't going nowhere (might even force them to take damage and shunt them back into normal space if you're feeling really mean).

Underground dungeons are traditional for many reasons, this just adds one more reason.

Cheers

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Simplest solution - underground cells. If the whole volume of space in the feywild is just solid rock, they ain't going nowhere (might even force them to take damage and shunt them back into normal space if you're feeling really mean).

Underground dungeons are traditional for many reasons, this just adds one more reason.

Cheers

Ow ow ow. That's just NASTY.

I think the point is mostly that the characters aren't going to be divorced from their powers - but they will be slightly weaker without their weapons and armour. It's to do with the goal of reducing the reliance on magic items, particularly for melee focussed characters.

Besides, if Conan broke out of a cell, you can bit he'd be doing fancy tricks with the first thing he picked up as a weapon...

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Thick walls and doors can help, too. Your Wizard can magic missile each round? Still doesn't get him through the door. And if it would, someone on the other size would just zap him again.

The problem is - if you're neutering anyone too much, how can the PCs escape at all?
If you pick a 3E Wizards spellbook and his component pouch away, he might seemed host if he didn't invest in Spell Mastery and Eschew material Components. But what if he did? If you bind his hands and restrict his speech, what can he do at all in the situation?

The best solution is not to restrict access to powers, but ensure that the guards have the means to survive your powers and to seriously hurt you. Hobgoblin Warriors and Warcasters might be a good approach here. If someone misbehaves, he can be taken out. The goal of an escape is to organize a riot, so that the guards can't handle the enemies. Unfortunately, such a riot is very dangerous for everyone involved - unlike the PCs, most guards might not survive a lightning lance from a Warcaster, and it doesn't matter if the prisoners will eventually bring down the Warcaster. Someone dies, and from the perspective of the prisoner, that could be himself. Doesn't look attractive.

 

[Pinotage]

I think a pit in the ground will do just fine for a prison. If it's deep enough the eladrin can't get out through the trap door at the top, and even the other powers might not be useful unless the PCs can find a way to get to the trapdoor 20+ ft. above the floor level. I think the best option is to use a different kind of prison that counters the powers, not restricts them.

Pinotage

 

[WhatGravitas]

I think a pit in the ground will do just fine for a prison. If it's deep enough the eladrin can't get out through the trap door at the top, and even the other powers might not be useful unless the PCs can find a way to get to the trapdoor 20+ ft. above the floor level. I think the best option is to use a different kind of prison that counters the powers, not restricts them.

Dude, around this concept, you can write a little campaign arc. A large underground prison, possible multi-level. The only connection to the outside a little trap door. And the guards are nothing more than glorified prisoners-in-charge, who get more food and attention from the outside.

A little world, isolated from everything else. With kids born down there, who spend their entire life in that underground prison.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Crosswind]

Two things that will probably happen in my game:

1.) V/S/M components. It's sort of funny that somebody above was like "How dare you nerf spellcasters! It's against the spirit of 4th edition to add those things!"...when it's not like any martial people can use their powers when tied up. It seems imbalancing to let spellcasters have a full range of options when tied up too.

2.) Cold Iron prevents people from going to the Feywild. As long as you're bound/touching cold iron, you're stuck where you are. Make flavor sense (Cold Iron has often inhibited fey abilities), and helps settings: People know to put elves in cold iron, if they don't want them blinking about.

-Cross

 

[Engilbrand]

Use Eberron for inspiration. They asked, "What would happen if magic were used instead of technology?" They got Eberron.
Ask yourself, "What would prisons here on Earth look like if people could turn into a puddle of water and move sideways?" Well, prison floors would be impermeable and they wouldn't use bars.
Now ask the question for your campaign world. There seems to be this tendency for people to automatically assume that things in the D&D world work like they do here. That's ludicrous. They're prisons aren't just built for humans. The metals would have to be stronger. Magic would be incorporated into the very structure of the prison. Shakles would be enchanted. There's no reason to believe that prisons would be uniform.
Special shackles for the Eladrin. Muzzles for the Dragonborn. Magically sealed cells for spellcasters. There would probably be specially trained spellcasters meant to handle other spellcasters.
Small towns are the only problem. They would probably have lower quality goods and enchantments on their stuff. That's the setting for a low level prison break.

 

[Guild Goodknife]

I wonder if you can use Feystep when you're chained to a spot. I could see this being a restriction as in "You can't Feystep when you're imobilized. Being tied down or chained to a spot imobilizes you".
I mean, you can't Feystep out of a grapple, can you? (I guess the answer is "we don't know )

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Two things that will probably happen in my game:

1.) V/S/M components. It's sort of funny that somebody above was like "How dare you nerf spellcasters! It's against the spirit of 4th edition to add those things!"...when it's not like any martial people can use their powers when tied up. It seems imbalancing to let spellcasters have a full range of options when tied up too.

Tying people up and running a succesful campaign (start) in a prison seem to be at odds on a general level.

You need to give people some degree of physical freedom - unless you want them to mimic them self out of the prison.