Chapter 1 - Non-weapon Proficiencies
Escape Non-weapon Proficiency
This non-weapon proficiency allows a character to slip out of ropes and other types of bindings. When a character is bound or tied, the DM assigns a penalty based on the type and circumstance of the binding. Table 15 shows standard penalties for a variety of situations. The character with Escape proficiency can try to use his skill in order to free himself. He rolls his proficiency and applies the appropriate penalties. If the roll is successful, he can untie himself.
Table 15: Escape Proficiency Penalties
Binding Type - Penalty (Cumulative) Standard rope - 0 Rawhide, dry - -2 Rawhide, soaked and shrunken - -4 Wire - -3 Fingers individually tied/taped - -4
Circumstance - Penalty (Cumulative) Binding character takes extra time/attention - -2 Binding character takes little time/attention +2 Binding character is a thief or ninja - -3 Binding character makes find/remove traps roll - -2* Character with this proficiency tries to untie another character - +4 Bound character with this proficiency tries to untie another character - -4
- The DM may assign a penalty equal to the number by which the binding character makes his find/remove traps roll divided by five. (For example, if the character has a 50% chance but rolls a 30, he has made the roll by 20. The penalty is a -4.) Example: Ichiro the ninja is bound back-to-back with his fighter friend Olaf. Ichiro has been bound with standard rope, but the character tying him spent extra time on the task and individually tied the ninja's fingers. Ichiro receives a penalty of -6 against his Dexterity -1 roll of 16. The ninja rolls an 11 and fails. Ichiro then tries to free Olaf. The penalty is the same, but he's trying to untie another person while he himself is bound, resulting in an additional -4 penalty for a total of -10. The ninja manages to roll a 6 and successfully frees his ally.
Escape proficiency does not allow the character to undo locks or escape other sorts of traps. Those tasks require the open locks and find/remove traps skills.
