How can a Warlock be a prisoner?

[jbear]

If you want to avoid any houserules at all:

The guy is blindfolded (cannot teleport, -5 to attacks, yields combat advantage) and restrained (-2 to attacks, cannot move or be moved, yields combat advantage). And there are guards. -sure- he can try to escape and start blasting through the walls, but it would likely end up with him dead.

Or he's in a solid box, with airholes at the top but no LoS or LoE outwards. 4e doesn't give hard and fast rules for breaking stuff, so it's entirely reasonable to rule that he can't blast through the stone walls or door with Eldritch blast -- he's stuck until someone can get him out.

With houserules, it's even easier -- add a martial practice that takes 10 minutes and lets someone bind a helpless target such that they cannot use powers. He's tied up with someone with that practice. Done.

Or rule that while there are no somatic, etc components, that it's entirely possible to tie someone up such that they cannot cast spells, just as you can tie someone up such that they cannot effectively punch someone; it just requires a helpless target and some time--that's not a houserule, just a reasonable GM ruling.

Plus if he is blindfolded he is going to have a hard time actually picking the right square that he thinks the target is in before he even gets a chance at hitting anyone; perception vs stealth.

But I think it's far less complicated than that: 'You are tightly bound, you feel a cold that seeps from the shackles throughout your body draining your arcane reserves and leaving a buzzing in your head that makes concentration impossible. Until you escape from these bonds you are unable to cast any spells.' Set your conditions necessary for escape and be done with it. I don't think that is a house rule.

 

[Rechan]

Other ideas:

The warlock is petrified, frozen in a block of ice, his soul was stuck in a jar, or otherwise the NPC is rendered inert. Why should a prison be a cell with bars? Just put the individual in storage.

Someone sucked his power out. His power (Or rather, the link between he and his patron) has been torn out (the metaphysical equivalent of removing your heart) and that power is in a jar. So, not only does the PC have to break the Warlock out, but he has to help the powerless Warlock retrieve his power.

Imagine a guy who can naturally create fire as his source of attack. This guy is locked in a room full of flammable gas. It would be suicide to light that gas. Now, replace "gas" with "Magical ward/vapor/etc" and "fire" with "Arcane magic".

The guards are just immune to the damage he can do. If he's an Infernal warlock, for instance, he is doing fire damage, and they are just immune to fire.

 

[Ryujin]

Three words: Magic Circle ritual

 

[Felon]

Three words: Magic Circle ritual

Yup, possibly the most underrated ritual ever.

One time I used it, the party couldn't complete their mission or get their treasure until they could find a non-natural creature to break the circle.

 

[On Puget Sound]

Feeling a bit jittery? Nauseous? We left the purple lotus dust out of today's lunch, so you're feeling some withdrawal. It gets worse the longer you go without. I'm told withdrawal isn't always fatal; some people live through it, though their mind is never the same afterwards. Behave yourself and your meals will always be dusted.

 

[LostSoul]

The answer to this is the most basic one:

Violence.

If he tries to do something, hit him until he doesn't. If the jailers are worried about stray Eldritch flame blasting them, I'm sure there are enough rats around to eat him alive.

 

[Argyle King]

One thing I'd worry about with the magic shackles... if by some chance the player does figure out a way to escape, what stops them from stealing the shackles and then using them as an item for their benefit?

Magic Circle is a good idea. I also like the drugged food. You could treat it as something similar to how diseases work.

 

[Kingreaper]

One thing I'd worry about with the magic shackles... if by some chance the player does figure out a way to escape, what stops them from stealing the shackles and then using them as an item for their benefit?

Do you really want the PCs to be unable to take anyone with any magic prisoner? Ever?

All having magic shackles will do is allow them to occasionally take an arcane spellcaster prisoner, rather than having to kill them.


As for 4e lacking verbal and somatic components: It doesn't list what takes what type of action, but, to me at least, it seems probable that almost every non-psionic power, and the vast majority of psionic powers, take SOMETHING other than just thinking about it. Maybe it's chanting a quick spell, maybe a few quick motions to manipulate the magic, but not just "I think, therefore you're dead".

I know I generally describe my spellcasters as making motions in order to achieve their spell effects.

 

[Argyle King]

Do you really want the PCs to be unable to take anyone with any magic prisoner? Ever?

All having magic shackles will do is allow them to occasionally take an arcane spellcaster prisoner, rather than having to kill them.


As for 4e lacking verbal and somatic components: It doesn't list what takes what type of action, but, to me at least, it seems probable that almost every non-psionic power, and the vast majority of psionic powers, take SOMETHING other than just thinking about it. Maybe it's chanting a quick spell, maybe a few quick motions to manipulate the magic, but not just "I think, therefore you're dead".

I know I generally describe my spellcasters as making motions in order to achieve their spell effects.

After having a campaign experience a PC who spent the majority of his cash on Dimensional Shackles, I'm slightly wary of potential cheese which certain players I know might come up with.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

Thanks folks, more than enough answers.

I'll largely leave it to the player to decide the details, although page 54 (can't use powers tied up) is our starting point.