How do you tie someone up!?

[DracoSuave]

NPCs tying up players: Make it part of a skill challenge in order to break out of their imprisonment. Acrobatics or Athletics vs a number. Of course, this doesn't cover the cell door, sneaking past guards to get one's equipment, etc. That's why it's only -part.- Reward creativity.

Players tying up NPCs: If you don't care if they escape, ask for a roll of the dice, go 'mmhmmm' and them move on. If you -do- care, ask for a roll of the dice, go 'mmhmmm' and then carry on as planned.

 

[Mort_Q]

my take

You can tie up helpless/cooperating creatures, provided you have reasonable equipment to do so.

If creatures aren't helpless/cooperating, make them helpless/cooperate.

 

[Saeviomagy]

You say "we've defeated the foe, I'd like to tie him up now".

He stays tied up until he's freed, or frees himself with an acrobatics check.

While he's tied up, the players can probably cherry pick whatever conditions they'd like to apply: immobilized, restrained, blinded, deafened, slowed, dazed, stunned (with the special proviso that stunned doesn't prevent escape attempts) etc.

After all: any of those is significantly less effective than "dead" which was the other choice they had when they took him out.

My goal is to not punish characters who choose to capture instead of kill.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Knock 'em out. Tie 'em up.

 

[Mircoles]

Duct tape and lots of it. A bit ouchy when removed though.

 

[Garthanos]

You can tie up helpless/cooperating creatures, provided you have reasonable equipment to do so.

If creatures aren't helpless/cooperating, make them helpless/cooperate.

This works for me for most cases... fight them till they are bloodied or unconcious, after they hit bloodied do an intimidation to make them cooperate... add in a bit of custom DC calculating for difficulty to get out restrained like one of the other.

It seems like maybe you ought to be able to tie them up if the enemy is unable to perform actions (stunned, unconcious, petrified) and you can spend a standard action (taking longer tying to increase the DC)

I did find there are a few spells/powers which can result in temporarily restrained conditions -> can you tie somebody up who is "restrained?"
The restrained condition allows somebody to attack so mayhaps not.

 

[Lizard]

Tell the DM "I'm going to cut 10 or so feet off of the 50 I'm carrying, and tie that guy up".

And hope he's not an Eladrin.
Or pretty much any non martial class.
We've taken to blindfolding prisoners. This cuts down on teleportation, and prevents non-Martial types from getting LOS. (No good with close burst powers, some of which can arguably burn ropes. Can't remember if Blast powers need LOS or not...)

Short of a skill challenge (a bit of overkill), there's no real way to determine how WELL you tied someone up. You can, I suppose, say "If the person tying the ropes is Trained in Nature or Dungeoneering, it's a Hard DC to escape, otherwise, it's medium.", so there's some semblance of a rule.

The other way is to go with drama: If you knock someone to 0 hit points, he's "Defeated". You let him live, but you have made him a non-threat for the duration of the scene, including an interrogation SC, or what have you. While he may, by RAW, be able to keep fighting even in ropes, he won't, because you "beat" him and so are entitled, dramatically, to have him nullified as a threat until he's out of your sight.

 

[MarkB]

I'd make it a Thievery check to Restrain a helpless foe, which sets the DC for an opposed Acrobatics check to escape.

This check DC assumes that you're using improvised material such as strips of clothing to make the restraints. Using rope, chains or manacles provides a +5 bonus to the Thievery check.

 

[Garthanos]

The other way is to go with drama: If you knock someone to 0 hit points, he's "Defeated". You let him live, but you have made him a non-threat for the duration of the scene, including an interrogation SC, or what have you. While he may, by RAW, be able to keep fighting even in ropes, he won't, because you "beat" him and so are entitled, dramatically, to have him nullified as a threat until he's out of your sight.

Yes I have considered that zero hit points does mean exhausted and completely demoralized not to mention completely out of luck as much if not more than unconscious.. In some ways unconscious or dead are just conditions you can freely apply at this point, theoretically other conditions might apply... one might gain the "full effect" of whatever attack power drove the adversary to this state (while that is usually boring ole death)

 

[77IM]

I require a Dexterity check. The result +5, is the DC to escape. You can Take 10 and Aid Another on the check (up to 2 people or so can Aid).

-- 77IM