D&D 5E How do you restrain a captured spellcaster?

[KahlessNestor]

In Waterdeep, if the City Guard feel that a troublemaker is too dangerous to bring in alive, they opt to kill him or her and then use Speak with Dead spells to conduct the interrogation. If it transpires that they got the wrong person, and the now-deceased suspect was innocent all along, they will have resurrection cast at the city's expense.

Just another option, if you want to simultaneously go hardcore on the player and let them explore the afterlife a little. It does require the city to have access to powerful magics though, which might not suit your vision.

That gives new meaning to the term "enhanced Interrogation"...

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[WarpedAcorn]

This came up recently in my game when the PC's were jailed for their involvement in burning an old sage's home down.

Basically the jailers asked the PC's which ones were spellcasters. The PC's were complying so they requested that the ones with spellcasting abilities wear these "mitten-manacles". I envision them as mittens made of hardened leather that cover the hands and make somatic casting impossible. They are uncomfortable, but not tortuous.

If the PC's were resisting or causing problems, I would absolutely also have had them gagged with a locking face harness.


Simpler, but cheesier (IMO), options also include having Cells that are Anti-Magic Zones or some equippable device that suppresses magical ability. These get cheesy when every podunk village has access to it.

 

[Draegn]

A small insect placed inside the ear or nose that crawls around the caster's skull causing a total lack of concentration due to the discomfort. It can be removed with a cure spell or applying pheromones to draw it out.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

It's best to burn any suspected wizards, sorcerers, witches and warlocks right away, just to be safe.

 

[seebs]

not really related, but back in the day, when the 3E books were very new, we were playing a game, and some NPCs captured a wizard and beat him up because "you guys can't use your spells after you've been beaten unconscious, isn't that right?" and he responded "not since third edition came out".

We have always given wizards access to Knowledge (genre).

 

[Bacon Bits]

For short term, bind the hands with manacles or rope, use a blindfold or hood to cover the eyes, remove material pouch, and a gag to cover the mouth.

Long term is a bit more cumbersome. I absolutely hate arbitrary anti-magic zones. They're much to ham-handed, IMO, excepting for special prisons explicitly built on top of them. This "It's exactly big enough for the prison cell you're in within the castle dungeon," is pretty BS. I prefer something less obnoxious and more sustainable like stealing forkroot from the Wheel of Time. "Here, drink this herbal potion. You will be unable to cast spells for the next 30 hours." This also has the advantage that the prisoners have to do more than get out of their cells in order to do magic. They have to get out and get away for long enough for the potion's effects to expire.

 

[TwoSix]

First thing you do is ask for his safe word.

 

[Gwarok]

Well if you're dead set on using only mundane resources, you'll be hard pressed to keep even a medium level wizard contained. Hell, even real world magicians are pretty hard to keep confined and they don't even use real magic. Long story short, you'd basically be forced to keep them in inhumane conditions, hands bound, mouth gagged, and a bag over their head most likely. In such a world a true caster of 9th or above would be a source of fear to those without access to magic. Which is why a lot of societies burned witches, warlocks and sorcerers because people feared spells.

Of course, even a low magic setting the people can turn to the gods. Hallow prevents teleportation, I assume any prison expected to hold spellcasters would be blessed by the local clergy in such a world. There are always dimensional shackles as well.

 

[Springheel]

According to the RAW, there really isn't any way to restrain spellcasters. Even with a hood, gag, and manacles, there are still plenty of magical abilities that will function. A druid could wildshape into a snake and slither out of their bonds. A fey Warlock could charm any jailer within 10 feet and ask to be set free. A 2nd level conjurer can summon a saw or a knife or whatever other implements they need to cut their way out. A 6th level conjurer could just teleport away.

Unless the jailers know exactly what they're up against, the only low-magic way to restrain a spellcaster is to keep them unconscious or kill them.

 

[ccs]

not really related, but back in the day, when the 3E books were very new, we were playing a game, and some NPCs captured a wizard and beat him up because "you guys can't use your spells after you've been beaten unconscious, isn't that right?" and he responded "not since third edition came out".

We have always given wizards access to Knowledge (genre).

You can't in 1e either.