Escape Artist

Description

Ability Score Used:	Dexterity
Usable Untrained?	Yes
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.

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, trap or snare, the DC to escape it is usually described in the effect of the spell, trap or snare. 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 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, using a new move action.
Provokes AOO?	No

Shrug Off A Condition

Many Status Conditions can be mitigated or removed entirely with an Escape Artist roll. For details, see the Status Conditions page. Dazed Disoriented Unsteady Petrified Benumbed Torpid Paralyzed Immobilized Slowed Splayed Prone Quelled Stunned Rattled Jostled Hexed Jinxed Impaired Asphyxiating Choking Gagging Helpless Wobbly Flat-Footed Asleep Sluggish Drowsy Fogged Blind Dazzled Exiled Displaced Cloistered
Action Required:
DC of Check:
Modifiers to Check
Take 10? / Take 20?
Allows Assists?
Results of Success
Consequences of Failure
Retry Allowed?
Provokes AOO?

Move Through A Tight Space

The DC noted is for Squeezing 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 Required:	Squeezing through a tight space takes at least 1 minute. During that minute you can traverse a distance equal to one fourth your normal Walk speed (as if you were Climbing). You can attempt to move more quickly. Your Escape Artist check is made at -10 if you wish to move at half speed per minute, or at -20 if you wish to move at full speed per minute. If you fail a check, you get stuck and don't move that round. If you want to do something fun like squeeze down a four inch sewer pipe for a thousand feet to freedom, that will take a while. Hope you aren't claustrophobic.
DC of Check:
Modifiers to Check	If you are trying to squeeze through an opening less than five feet deep (like through a very small door), this still takes a minute. Taking -10 makes it a full round action, and taking -20 makes it a move action.
Take 10? / Take 20?
Allows Assists?
Results of Success
Consequences of Failure
Retry Allowed?	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.
Provokes AOO?

Dislocated Squeeze (Epic)

Dislocated (DC 40) - Squeeze through a space as though you were 1 size category smaller than you really are. Otherwise, this is treated in all ways as a normal squeeze, see above, with all modifiers as above. Elastic (DC 60) - Squeeze through a space as though you were 2 size categories smaller than you really are. Otherwise, this is treated in all ways as a normal squeeze, see above, with all modifiers as above. Boneless (DC 70) - Squeeze through a space as though you were 3 size categories smaller than you really are. Otherwise, this is treated in all ways as a normal squeeze, see above, with all modifiers as above. Aphasic (DC 80) - 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. Otherwise, this is treated in all ways as a normal squeeze, see above, with all modifiers as above.
Action Required:
DC of Check:
Modifiers to Check
Take 10? / Take 20?
Allows Assists?
Results of Success
Consequences of Failure
Retry Allowed?	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.
Provokes AOO?