How do you tie someone up!?

[LostSoul]

The DM asks the player to describe the action the PC is taking.

Based on that description, the DM comes up with some way of resolving it.

Here are a bunch of ways:

"My PC is a woodsman, so he's used to making snares and crap like that to catch and restrain animals. So I hog-tie him."

A Nature check sets the DC to escape. (Simple opposed roll.)
A Nature check +5 sets the DC to escape. (It's harder to escape than it is to tie someone up.)
A Nature check +7 sets the DC to escape. (It's harder to escape than it is to tie someone up... and hog-tying him? That would be hard to get out of. Another +2.)
The player rolls Nature (+2/+5/+7) against a DC set by the DM (based on the NPC's level); failure means that the target can escape when it wants.
The NPC can't escape.
The PC just fails. (This is probably because he's a shape-shifter or something.)

"I tie him up. My PC is an academic so he doesn't know how. Um... but he once read a book on how to do it..."

A Dex check sets the DC to escape.
A Dex check +5 sets the DC.
As above, but use Int.

etc.

 

[MarkB]

I'd have thought that tying someone up would fall squarely under the umbrella of Thievery. If you make it a Thievery check, that makes it a straight Dex check for anyone untrained in the skill.

 

[Garthanos]

I'd have thought that tying someone up would fall squarely under the umbrella of Thievery. If you make it a Thievery check, that makes it a straight Dex check for anyone untrained in the skill.

I am quite certain more guards... tie people up than thieves. Not saying guards couldn't have thieving skills to help them stop thieves but... As far ti being in that skill set... Nature boy rangers... cubscouts ... animal handlers.... farmers and others very unlikely to have thieving and more likely to have Nature are the people who seem most likely to have tying.

So we atleast have Nature and Thieving as options it isnt at all obvious this comes in under any pervue. Do upright sailor types have any skill at all that will identify them.(Pirates can come under the pervue of thieving as well).

Using Dex is alright as long as one might be able to use something else and get better results.