Question: Grab and Escape

[klofft]

I've been looking around for it: does 4th have a rule for a character to pull another character free of a Grab?

The specific context was a dying character trapped in a gelatinous cube. I ruled it as an Athletics test with a DC 5 higher than normal, but thought for sure a game as tight as 4th would have a rule for something like this.

 

[OnlineDM]

Nope, nothing specific like that. There are the Aid Another rules, which can let you give someone else a bonus to their own Athletics or Acrobatics check to escape, but that wouldn't help someone who's unconscious.

If you have a power that would push/pull/slide either the monster or the PC, that could break the grab if the PC ends up outside of the monster's reach.

You could use the rules for moving a grabbed target, I suppose. Make a grab attack against your ally (and if they're unconscious or willing, I'd house rule that your grab automatically succeeds). With an unwilling target, you would then make a Strength versus Fortitude check to move at half speed with the grabbed target, but in this case I'd say you could make either an opposed Strength check against the cube or Strength versus the cube's Fortitude to wrest the dying ally free. If you're feeling generous, you can allow Athletics instead of pure Strength (which helps if the PC is trained or gets some other Athletics bonus).

Personally, I kind of like the opposed Strength checks idea - playing tug of war with the cube's toy. But that's my own house rule.

I think the way you handled it is totally reasonable, too.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Although not said in the rules (that part of your question being answered), I would require an initial grab by the character, followed by an attempt at moving a grabbed target. The initial grab would therefore be a strength vs reflex+5 (on the cube). I would add the +5 for superior cover (allowed per DM's guidelines). Unless that's a minor or move action for the character (not normal), then he could remove the victim on the following round with the Move a grabbed victim standard action. For this, I would allow a strength or athletics vs. fort+5.

NOTE: Don't try to make a generalized disarm rule. Make sure it's clear that this is just for the gelatinous cube, nothing else. Any other situation needs to be handled separately.