Tome of Prowess (3.5e Sourcebook)/Escape Artistry

Escape Artistry

Key Attribute: Dexterity

Escape Artistry is an active skill that you can use to remove yourself from tight situations. With it you can escape bindings or grapples, slip through tight spaces, and even move without passing through the intermediate space.

Special

The notes in this section will reference sizes for a typical, humanoid medium creature. For larger creatures, simply double these numbers once for each size increase. For smaller creatures, simply halve for each size decrease. Unfortunately, your DM will have to guess at gaps for non-humanoid creatures if it ever comes up, there are just too many things to consider.

Untrained Uses

Escape Magic’s Embrace

The escape artistry skill may be used to fight off any lingering effects that would require a Reflex save. This will most often be applied against a binding effect that does not specifically allow for escape artistry checks to escape; if a spell or effect already includes references to escape artistry those references supersede this ability. Web, for example, is not affected by this ability because it already includes an escape artistry clause. This ability also works against persistent damage over time effects that do not allow additional saves, but it does not include instantaneous damage effects. If a spell contains both an instantaneous effect and a duration or permanent based effect, only the duration based or permanent effect may be fought with this ability. If you fail a save against such an effect you suffer the full effect immediately or the stunned condition (even if immune), your choice. The DC for this check is the save DC + the spell level, or 10 + CR + relevant stat mod. This check is a free action, made on your turn after suffering an eligible effect. The check results below indicate how you respond to the effect.

Base DC: save DC + the spell level, or 10 + CR + relevant stat mod
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: You shrug off the effect as if you had made your saving throw, suffering all effects normally associated with a successful saving throw. You no longer need to make these checks, as there is nothing left to fight against from this effect.
• DC+5 to DC+9: You are able to act normally this round, as you fight your debilitating condition back for now. You gain a +2 cumulative bonus to any future checks to resist the effect.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You are able to take a standard action normally this round, as you work to keep your debilitating condition in check. You gain a +1 cumulative bonus to any future checks to resist the effect.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You force yourself to get a swift action off normally this round, though you are gradually losing to your debilitating condition. You suffer a -1 cumulative penalty to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total penalty reaches -5 you immediately suffer the full effects of the spell or ability and may no longer make checks to resist it.
• DC-6 and below: You are unable to rally yourself to take any action free of the effect this round, instead suffering fully under your debilitating condition. You suffer a -2 cumulative penalty to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total penalty reaches -5 you immediately suffer the full effects of the spell or ability and may no longer make checks to resist it.

Slip Grapple

Instead of trying to overpower a grappler, you can just try to wriggle free. You also use this skill to escape entangling effects of all kinds. This use of escape artistry is a move action. The places where you can use this skill in place of a grapple check are covered in the Combat section. Spells or conditions that allow or require use of this skill will note it in their descriptions.

Base DC: Determined by grappler or spell
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: If you were pinned, you immediately escape both the pin and the grapple. Otherwise, you just escape the grapple, but may stand as a free action.
• DC+0 to DC+9: If you were pinned, you are merely grappled now. If you were grappled, you are now free.
• DC-1 and below: You fail to make any change in your circumstance, remaining as grappled as you previously were.

Rank 1 Uses

Pass Tight Space

Any space that you can fit both your head and shoulders into is a space that anyone can crawl or wiggle through. For medium creatures, these spaces are generally sized 2’ x 2’ down to 1’ x 1 ½’. They can generally fit their head and shoulders through this size gap, but can not walk or crawl through it. To move through such a space, you must make an escape artist check each round. The DC for this check is only 10, and your progress is determined by your check result as indicated in the table below. You may not run or charge while wriggling on your belly like a worm.

Base DC: 10
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: You may move up to your base speed as a move action, or twice your base speed as a full-round action.
• DC+5 to DC+9: You may move up to half your base speed as a move action, or your base speed as a full round action.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You may move one square as a move action, or two as a full round action.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You may move one square as a full round action. Progress is slow.
• DC-6 and below: You fail to make any progress this round.

Rank 4 Uses

Pass Compressed Space

While anyone can move through a space that you can fit both your head and shoulders into, you can actually move through spaces where your head fits and your shoulders don’t. For medium creatures, these spaces are generally sized 1’ x 1 ½’ down to 6” x 6”. They can generally fit their head through this size gap but not their shoulders. To move through such a space, you must make an escape artist check each round. The DC for this check is 20, and your progress is determined by your check result as indicated in the Pass Tight Space table.

Base DC: 20
Check Result: As Pass Tight Space ability

Slip Bindings

Ropes and manacles can’t keep you bound. With an Escape Artistry check you can escape manacles (DC 20), masterwork manacles (DC 25), being wrapped in chains (DC 30), being triple wrapped and extra locked in chains (DC 35), exotic knotted rope bindings (DC set by binder, see the Survival skill), or whatever else someone can think of to tie you up with. In each case, you ignore the lock or other binding knot and just shift enough that you are free of containment. The amount of time required depends on your check result, according to the check results below.

Once you have escaped a set of bindings, it is not actually apparent to a cursory examination unless you do something that makes it very obvious. You can drop your bindings as a free action at any time after you successfully escape. If you wish to hide that you have escaped your bonds from a more thorough examination, you will need to beat your examiner’s perception check with your own legerdemain or disguise check (these checks can be made untrained).

Base DC: Set by bindings
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: You escape the binding in just 1 round, which leaves you lots of time to get away or set up your revenge.
• DC+5 to DC+9: You escape the binding in 4 rounds.
• DC+0 to DC+4: It takes you 10 full rounds to finally get out of the bindings, but at least you got them off.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You spend 10 full rounds trying to get free, but fail to succeed.
• DC-6 and below: You struggle for 10 full rounds only to pull something, throw your shoulder out, or otherwise suffer a related injury. This deals 1d6 points of subdual damage as well as a -2 penalty to checks to escape these bindings within the next 24 hours. Every time you attempt to slip this set of binding again and get a result this poor the damage is doubled, so your second failure deals 2d6 subdual damage, your third failure deals 4d6, and so on. Your penalty does not increase from repeated failures.

Rank 8 Uses

Slip Magic’s Grasp

Magic walls aren’t as perfect as they appear, if you know how to time it you can slip right through them. With a swift action to get the timing right, you can temporarily reduce the effect any temporary wall generated by magic would have on you. This reduction is very temporary, lasting only for a single move action, and as such it is most often taken during a move action. The DC for this check is 15 + Caster Level, and the effect is reduced as indicated in the table below. You have no special ability to pass through normally permanent walls generated by magic (such as a wall of stone or iron), though a wall with a duration extended to permanent through the permanency spell (or similar trick) is perfectly fair game.

Base DC: 15 + Caster Level
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: You suffer neither damage nor effect from passing near or through the wall during this movement. It may as well not even be there for you.
• DC+5 to DC+9: You suffer no effect for passing near the wall, and only suffer the “passing near” effect when you move through it during this movement. You may pass through solid walls without effort.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You suffer full effects of passing near the wall, but still only suffer the passing near effect if you move through it during this movement. If a wall is solid, like a wall of force, it is treated as difficult terrain instead.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You gain no special benefit against the wall, and suffer full effects of passing near or through it during this movement. This also means you can not pass through solid walls on this move.
• DC-6 and below: You got your timing as far off as you possibly could. You suffer a maximized effect from passing near or through the wall. If the wall is solid, you also fall prone when you try to pass through it.

Rank 10 Uses

Pass Miniscule Opening

Some spaces, like prison bars, are designed to be open while stopping people from moving through them. Even these gaps, so small that your head shouldn’t even fit don’t stop you anymore. These openings can be very, very small (2” x 2” for a medium creature). To move through such a space, you must make an escape artist check each round. The DC for this check is 26, and your progress is determined by your check result as indicated in the table below.

Base DC: 26
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: You may move up to half your base speed as a move action, or your base speed as a full-round action. You may not run or charge while pouring yourself through a miniscule hole.
• DC+5 to DC+9: You may move up to a quarter your base speed as a move action, or your half base speed as a full round action.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You may move 2 1/2” as a move action, or one full square as a full round action.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You may move 1” as a full round action. Progress is very slow when you’re smooshing your head places it shouldn’t go.
• DC-6 and below: You fail to make any progress this round.

Rank 14 Uses

Slip Between Space

You can even slip between space itself now, travelling a fair distance in a single step and ignoring the interposing obstacles. As a move action, you may attempt to step from your space to a target space up to 4 times your base speed away. You do not need to see the space, you can simply give a direction and a distance. This requires an escape artistry check, but if it is successful you move directly to the target space. You must be able to move freely to use this ability, and can not use it while held, restrained, or even while attempting to pass a tight space.

Sometimes your timing will be off and you’ll just get near the space and you may wind up in an occupied or unyielding space. Landing in an occupied space provokes attacks of opportunity. Landing in a space mostly or completely filled with a substance that can not adjust for you (like rock) shunts you into the nearest open space, though you suffer 1d6 damage for every 5’ that you must move to reach it.

Base DC: 25 + 1 for each square of movement
Check Result:

• DC+5 and above: You reach your target space. If it happens to be occupied, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity. If it happens to be filled and unyielding, you are shunted up to 10’ before you begin to incur damage.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You reach your target space. I hope it is empty.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You get close to your target square, but don’t quite make it. Roll 1d8 to determine which direction from your target space you wind up in, with 1 being straight back at you and 2 through 8 counting clockwise around the space. You appear 1 space, plus 1 additional space for every 20’ away your target space was from your starting space, in the indicated direction.
• DC-6 and below: You don’t get anywhere near your target square. Roll 1d8 to determine which direction from your target space you wind up in, with 1 being straight back at you and 2 through 8 counting clockwise around the space. You appear 2 spaces, plus 1 additional space for every 10’ away your target space was from your starting space, in the indicated direction.