resolving a use rope attack

[Lord Pendragon]

Hmm, of course the same could be said of bolas, or a whip, or a net. None of which give easy Reflex saves. The whip and bolas allow ranged Trip attacks (touch attack followed by opposed STR check), but do not "entangle". The net automatically entangles with a touch attack (no save) but does not Trip and must be re-folded after each throw.

I don't think so. The whip and the bola only operate in one dimension. You can't overshoot your target. So long as you're in-line, the weapon will wrap around your target. A lasso, on the other hand, must be thrown exactly over the target. Too long or too short a throw, and you've got nothing.

This is one of those times where the player has come up with a really neat idea that, nevertheless, I don't think would ever work under normal circumstances. I might allow it as a ranged touch attack the first time it's tried, as a sort of crazy luck type of attack. But if a PC wanted to make this a standard tactic, I'd have to impose stiff penalties. Lassoing your enemies is just not as simple as using a net or bolas.