Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
On the subject of manacles, they’re kinda crap as-written. For those of us who take the “if you have no time pressure and no consequences, you succeed” method, they are trivial to escape, and even for those who use the “one approach, one check” method, it’s still a pretty low DC.
How I handle manacles (and similar stuff with fixed DCs): at my table, the listed DC assumes an approach to escaping the manacles that has a chance of success and chance of failure. And manacles are Built not to be broken or slipped out of. So, if your approach to escaping is “by slipping out” or “by breaking them with my bare hands,” that approach doesn’t have a reasonable chance of success and does not need a check to be resolved. If you come up with something that might improve your chances, like covering your hands in grease before trying to slip out, or bashing them against a rock to break them, then the listed DC is the one I will tell you to roll against, if I feel a roll is needed to resolve the action.
How I handle manacles (and similar stuff with fixed DCs): at my table, the listed DC assumes an approach to escaping the manacles that has a chance of success and chance of failure. And manacles are Built not to be broken or slipped out of. So, if your approach to escaping is “by slipping out” or “by breaking them with my bare hands,” that approach doesn’t have a reasonable chance of success and does not need a check to be resolved. If you come up with something that might improve your chances, like covering your hands in grease before trying to slip out, or bashing them against a rock to break them, then the listed DC is the one I will tell you to roll against, if I feel a roll is needed to resolve the action.
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