Escape Artist

Description

Ability Score Used:	Dexterity
Usable Untrained?	Yes
Armor Check Penalty Applies?	Yes

Your training allows you to slip bonds and escape from grapples.

Common Uses

The table below gives common DCs to escape various forms of restraints.

Table: Escape Artist DCs, Time Required and Modifiers

Action	DC	Action/Time	Try Again?
Escape rope/bindings	Binder's Maneuver Offense +10	1 minute	Yes, unless DC is > 20 + your Escape Artist bonus
Escape a net, animate rope spell, command plants, control plants, or entangle	Attackers Maneuver Offense	1 full-round action	Yes
Escape a Snare_Spell	23	1 full-round action	Yes
Escape normal manacles	30	1 minute	Yes
Escape masterwork manacles	35	1 minute	Yes
Move through a tight space	30	at least 1 minute	Yes
Escape grapple or reduce pinned condition to grappled condition	Grappler's Maneuver Defense	move action	Yes

Escape Ropes

The DC of your Escape Artist check is equal to the binder's Maneuver Offense result +10.

Action: Making an Escape Artist check to escape from rope bindings, manacles, or other restraints (except a grappler) requires 1 minute of work.

Retry? Varies. If the DC to escape from rope or bindings is higher than 20 + your Escape Artist skill bonus, you cannot escape from the bonds using Escape Artist.

Escape Manacles

The DC to escape average manacles is 30. The DC to escape better quality manacles is described below.

Quality of Manacles	DC to Escape
Simple	20
Average	30
Good	40
Superior	50
Peerless	60

Action: Making an Escape Artist check to escape from rope bindings, manacles, or other restraints (except a grappler) requires 1 minute of work.

Retry? Varies. If the DC to escape from rope or bindings is higher than 20 + your Escape Artist skill bonus, you cannot escape from the bonds using Escape Artist.

Escape Net or Certain Spells

The DC to escape a net, an animated rope, commanded or controlled plants, or an entangle spell is Maneuver Defense of the creature or effect which laid the status. If there is no creature involved, the DC is the Maneuver Defense of a generic creature of the CR of the effect.

The DC to escape a snare spell is the Maneuver Defense as above +3.

Action: Escaping from a net, animated rope, commanded or controlled plants, or an entangle spell is a full-round action. If you beat the DC to escape by 5 or more, you can escape as a move action.

Retry? Varies. If the DC to escape from rope or bindings is higher than 20 + your Escape Artist skill bonus, you cannot escape from the bonds using Escape Artist.

Grapple

You can make an Escape Artist check in place of a Maneuver Offense roll to escape a grapple or to change from a pinned condition to merely grappled.

Action: Using escape artist in this fashion is a move action, where using a Maneuver Offense roll to escape a grapple is 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).

Retry? Yes, using a new move action.

Move Through Tight Space

The DC noted is for getting through a space where your head fits but your shoulders don't. If the space is long you may need to make multiple checks. You can't get through a space that your head does not fit through. Succeeding on this skill check allows you to move through the space, but while doing so, you are subject to Squeezing penalties.

Action Squeezing through a tight space takes at least 1 minute, maybe longer, depending on how long the space is.

Retry? Yes. You can make another check after a failed check if you're squeezing your way through a tight space, making multiple checks. If the situation permits, you can make additional checks, or even take 20, as long as you're not being actively opposed.

Modifiers

• Feats: If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a +2 feat bonus on Escape Artist skill checks. This bonus increases as you put more ranks into the skill.

• 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 four 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 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.

Most or all of these bonuses will stack and/or cancel each other out.

Epic Skill Uses

Note: All uses below require a minimum of 21 Ranks in the skill to use.

dislocated squeeze

(DC 40) - squeeze through a space as though you were 1 size category smaller than you really are.

elastic squeeze

(DC 80) - squeeze through a space as though you were 2 size categories smaller.

boneless squeeze

(DC 120) - squeeze through a space as though you were 3 size categories smaller.

aphasic squeeze

(DC 150) squeeze through solid objects or even a wall of force.