In a Cramped, Undisclosed Location...
[sblock=Drivan Only][sblock=Reklaw]Sorry. I must not have been clear, trying to pull apart the rope with Mage Hand or telekinetic type movement won't work. You'll have to try a different method.
This is what I was originally thinking, just not sure if it's possible. I can manifest these mage hands but are they essentially hands as far as size goes?
Yes. That's how I understand the rule.
Or can I force them inbetween the threads of the cord to seperate it into smaller strands?
I could be wrong, but I don't believe that's possible with Mage Hand. The cantrip only creates a single, ghostly hand that can lift 5 pounds and manipulate objects.
The unfortunate thing for you is that you're stuck with a DM that does a lot of knot and cord work, thanks to martial arts and growing up a cowboy.
You can't separate a rope into its constituent parts from the middle. You can only do that from the ends. Then, the rope separates into strands, which separate into threads. The thread are breakable with a little bit of force.
You can only separate or untwine a rope as far as a knot, because the knot will prevent the threads from unravelling. In your case, you've got a lot of knots! Even if you could find an end of the rope, you would only be able to pull it apart as far as the first knot. And the 'first' knots are at the very ends of the rope to keep them from fraying.
So, you're stuck with three options for getting out: snapping the rope by overcoming its breaking strength (Athletics -- a Mage Hand is not strong enough), wriggling out of the rope (Acrobatics), or cutting the rope.
Not sure what the limit is of prestidigitation, could be a little too powerful...
Here are the limitations of prestidigitation...
Nothing you create with this cantrip can deal damage,
serve as a weapon or a tool, or hinder another creature’s
actions. This cantrip cannot duplicate the effect of any
other power.
Things I've seen permitted with prestidigitation include creating flocks of doves, pulling rabbits out of hats, making little dancing men, and the like. It's pretty versatile and only limited by your imagination, as long as you stick within its limits.
And even with that, it may not be the way that you can get out of your situation.
If I can't do that can I tell where the cord ends and begin to unravel it from there?
There's no way for you to do so. Your hands are bound--not palm-to-palm, but back-to-back or knuckle-to-knuckle--so you can't touch anything. (To get the idea of this, place your hands behind your back and try to make the top parts of the hands touch one another.) You can't see because of the hood or mask or whatever occludes your vision.[/sblock]
"Haven't you heard of honor among adventurers? And do you really think that lens would help? Who did your research? Didn't you know that those undead creatures react differently to radiance than normal?"
"Please!" says Olivia in a sarcastic tone,
"Honor among people who murder and steal for a living? Are you serious? Next thing, you'll be talking about fraternity and duty to humanity!"
"Our wizard did the research," she says,
"Everyone knows that radiant energy wipes out undead. Who did your research?"
"Besides, it's not like we're doing you any real harm. All that will happen is that you miss out on some extra gold. Think of it as a learning experience."
Note: If you want your words to have an effect on her, you need to throw in relevant skill checks.[/sblock]