Escape Artist

Description

Ability Score Used:	Dexterity
Armor Check Penalty Applies?	Yes

You have trained yourself to move in ways most people simply cannot, or would never imagine to even be possible. Dislocating your joints and twisting your body parts is normal for you, but stomach-churning to anyone watching you do this to yourself. Your training allows you to slip bonds and escape from grapples, wriggle through places that seem far, far too small to survive, and writhe away from or slip free from negative effects that others must simply endure.

As with all skills, the uses below are merely suggestions, and by no means the full gamut of possible ways a skill can be used. Players and GM's are encouraged to find additional ways to use each skill.

Escape Bindings

You can attempt an Escape Artist check to break free of bindings that have been used to restrain you. This can include anything from being tied up with rope to being secured in manacles, to being bound head-to-foot against a post about to be set on fire ("She's a witch!").
Action Required:	1 Minute
DC of Check:	If you have been tied up by someone, the DC to escape is usually opposed by the binder's maneuver offense check result, or their Survival check result (whichever they prefer to use). If you have been secured in manacles, or trapped in a cage, the DC to escape is based on the quality of the manacles or cage being used. Note that better or worse quality manacles or cages might also exist – these DC's are merely suggestions. Quality of Manacles / Cage DC to Escape Simple 20 Average 30 Good 40 Superior 50 Peerless 60 If you have been bound with a spell, snare, or some other form of restraint, the DC to escape it is usually described in the effect of the spell, snare, or device. If no escape DC is listed, use the binder's maneuver defense. If there is no creature involved, use a Challenging DC for the CR (challenge rating) of the effect.
Modifiers to Check	Hurry: If you wish to get out more quickly, you can take a -10 penalty on your roll to escape in a full round action, or a -20 penalty on your roll to escape in a move action. Bound Hand and Foot: If you are tied up with both hands and feet immobilized, you must succeed twice against the Binder to escape, and suffer -5 on your Escape Artist rolls until you get a hand free. Immobilized: If you are tied hand and foot plus bound to a solid object (the classic example is being tied to a chair), you must succeed three times against the Binder and suffer a -10 on your Escape Artist rolls until you get at least one hand free. Mummified: If you are tied hand and foot, bound to a solid object, and completely encased in bindings (straitjacket plus manacles and legirons while tied to a steel rack) you must succeed four times against your binder and have a -20 on your Escape Artist rolls until you get at least one hand free. Facemask: If your binder gags you or otherwise prevents you from using your mouth to escape, you must roll an additional time to escape. Hidden Tools: If you have a set of Thieves Tools or a weapon with the Concealable quality and manage to beat your Binder's Perception check with a Sleight of Hand roll, you gain a +10 bonus on your Escape Artist rolls. An improvised tool (the classic is a hairpin) grants a +8 instead. Deep Breath: If you make a Might check and beat your binder's Perception roll, you manage to flex your muscles and breath in while being bound in such a way as to give yourself a +10 bonus on Escape Artist checks against ropes and other soft bindings, or a +5 against manacles. Stealthy Liberation: If you wish to free yourself from bindings, but don't want anyone to know that you are freeing yourself, you take a -10 penalty on your escape artist check.
Take 10? / Take 20?	Yes
Allows Assists?	Yes (up to 5 allies).
Results of Success	You free yourself from the bindings.
Consequences of Failure	You are still restrained.
Retry Allowed?	Yes
Provokes AOO?	Yes, since you probably can't defend yourself properly.

Escape A Grapple

You can make an Escape Artist check in place of a Maneuver Offense roll to escape a grapple, or to downgrade a pinned condition to grappled.
Action Required:	Move action While you can also attempt to break a grapple with a Maneuver Offense roll, that requires a standard action. A character may attempt both an escape artist check and a Maneuver Offense roll to escape a grapple in the same round (either because the first check failed, or to use the first check to change a pin to a grapple and the second check to escape the grapple entirely).
DC of Check:	the grappler's maneuver defense
Modifiers to Check	-
Take 10? / Take 20?	No
Allows Assists?	No
Results of Success	You break free of the grapple, or you reduce a pinned condition to the grappled condition.
Consequences of Failure	You remained grappled or pinned.
Retry Allowed?	Yes, but no more than one escape artist check to escape a grapple can be attempted per round, even if you have more move actions available.
Provokes AOO?	No

Shrug Off A Condition

Each of the status conditions listed below can be mitigated or ended with an escape artist check. Refer to the individual status condition pages for more details about the condition, its effects, and how it can be ended. Asleep Asphyxiating Benumbed Blind Choking Cloistered Dazed Dazzled Disoriented Displaced Drowsy Exiled Flat-Footed Fogged Gagging Helpless Immobilized Impaired Jostled Paralyzed Petrified Prone Quelled Rattled Slowed Sluggish Splayed Stunned Torpid Unsteady Wobbly
Action Required:	Varies, based on the status condition in question. In general, using escape artist is more efficient than other methods of ending the condition. See the individual status condition entries for details.
DC of Check:	the Maneuver Defense of the creature which inflicted the status condition. If no creature was involved, the target is a Challenging DC based on the CR (challenge rating) of the effect.
Modifiers to Check	-
Take 10? / Take 20?	No
Allows Assists?	No
Results of Success	Varies, based on the status condition in question. In most cases, success means the condition is ended.
Consequences of Failure	Varies, based on the status condition in question. In most cases, failure means the condition persists and the action used to attempt the escape artist check is wasted.
Retry Allowed?	Varies, based on the status condition in question.
Provokes AOO?	No

Move Through A Tight Space

You can use escape artist to move through a space that would normally be too small for a creature your size, i.e., you can squeeze through an area that would be considered squeeze for a creature one size smaller than you. Any time you are moving through a space too small for you, even if you succeed on this check, you take the penalties for squeezing (-4 to attack rolls and AC).
Action Required:	Full round action, during which you can move one fourth your normal walk speed.
DC of Check:	30
Modifiers to Check	Squeeze Further: You can attempt to move faster or take less time when moving through a tight space. To move at half your normal walk speed (instead of one fourth), increase the target DC by +10. To move at your full walk speed, increase the target DC by +20. Squeeze Faster: To perform move through a tight space as a standard action (instead of a full round action), increase the DC by +10. To perform it as a move action, increase the DC by +20.
Take 10? / Take 20?	Yes
Allows Assists?	Yes (up to 1 ally), but only if they can reach you.
Results of Success	You are able to move up to 1/4 your walk speed through the constricted space.
Consequences of Failure	You are unable to move this round. In addition to the squeezing penalties, you are Flat-Footed until you leave the constricted space, or succeed on another move through a tight space check.
Retry Allowed?	Yes
Provokes AOO?	Yes, as with any voluntary movement.

Dislocated Squeeze (Epic)

You can squeeze through truly small spaces, and perhaps even through the spaces between space itself. This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted.
Action Required:	Full round action
DC of Check:	Dislocated: DC 45 - Squeeze through a space as though you were 2 size categories smaller than you really are. Boneless: DC 60 - Squeeze through a space as though you were 3 size categories smaller than you really are. Aphasic: DC 75 - Squeeze through solid objects or even a wall of force. You are basically so skilled you're squeezing bits of yourself out of phase with reality.
Modifiers to Check	Squeeze Further: You can attempt to move faster or take less time when moving through a tight space. To move at half your normal walk speed (instead of one fourth), increase the target DC by +10. To move at your full walk speed, increase the target DC by +20. Squeeze Faster: To perform move through a tight space as a standard action (instead of a full round action), increase the DC by +10. To perform it as a move action, increase the DC by +20.
Take 10? / Take 20?	Yes
Allows Assists?	Yes (up to 1 ally), but only if they can reach you. Any ally which assists you must also have at least 21 ranks in escape artist.
Results of Success	You are able to move up to 1/4 your walk speed through the constricted space.
Consequences of Failure	You are unable to move this round. In addition to the squeezing penalties, you are Flat-Footed until you leave the constricted space, or succeed on another move through a tight space check.
Retry Allowed?	Yes
Provokes AOO?	Yes, as with any voluntary movement.