Not everyone does what he’s told. Sometimes, more forceful means are needed to gain compliance. In many societies, specialized enforcement equipment is controlled by and restricted to the legal authorities (LC2).

RESTRAINTS

Restraints are used to hold someone still or to prevent escape. They sometimes serve as a way to cause deliberate discomfort, too – whether alone or as part of more elaborate torture (see Torture, p. 131). Options range from a simple cord around the wrists to metal manacles and shackles.

Someone with his hands bound behind his back can’t perform tasks that require free use of the arms and has -1 to DX in general. He can attempt things that require only the hands, but at -4 to DX – and he must work blind if trying to manipulate something behind his back. A successful Acrobatics or Escape roll lets the prisoner bring his legs up and slip his arms around to the front.

Someone with his hands bound in front of his body suffers no general DX penalty and -1 on tasks that use only the hands. Activities that require free use of the arms (including most one-handed attacks) are still impossible, but two- handed attacks and weapons wielded with the hands close together – pistols, two-handed swords, etc. – incur no penalty. Other weapon use is at -1 to -4 to skill.

Someone who’s completely trussed up is immobile. Treat him as both grappled and pinned (see p. B370).

Bindings (TL0)

Rope or cord (see Rope, String, and Thread, pp. 23-24) is the most common way to bind a prisoner. Divide his BL by 50 to determine the needed weight of rope in pounds. Make a Knot-Tying roll to estimate this amount and tie him up. Failure means he’ll wiggle free as soon as nobody is looking. Critical failure lets him burst out immediately!

For a successfully bound prisoner to escape, he must untie the knot, loosen the bonds so that he can wriggle free, or break the cord. If his hands are bound, then the only way to untie the rope is using the teeth. Roll a Quick Contest of Knot-Tying between captive and captor. The prisoner is at -3, and must win to free himself. If he’s gagged or unable to touch hands to mouth, this option isn’t available to him.

Loosening the bonds requires the prisoner to win a Quick Contest between his Escape and his captor’s Knot- Tying. Wet leather strips (TL0) contract while drying, giving -1 to Escape. Metallic wire (TL2) gives -2.

Breaking the bonds requires the prisoner to win a Quick Contest between his ST and the rope’s effective ST; he may use extra effort (pp. B356-357). To calculate the rope’s ST, treat its dynamic load limit as its Extra-Heavy encumbrance level, take 1/10 of this as BL, and find ST from BL (see p. B17); in one step, ST is square root of (dynamic load limit/2). Each extra coil around the prisoner (about 2 yards of rope for a normal-sized man) gives +1 to the rope’s ST. Losing means remaining bound – and if the bindings are thin wire, they bite into the skin, causing 1 point of cutting damage. Critical failure on the ST roll means a temporarily crippled arm (pulled muscle). Each try takes a minute and costs 1 FP; repeated attempts have a cumulative -1.

Iron Shackles (TL2)

These work like bonds (above), with a few differences. First, shackles are metal, and cannot be broken with normal human strength – their load limit is 1,000 lbs. As well, they’re locked or riveted closed, so they can’t be untied. If they have a lock, this can be opened with the right key or by making a Lockpicking roll at the lock’s usual modifier, with an extra -3 if trying to open your own shackles. If they’re riveted shut, then only blacksmithing tools will release them. Finally, it’s possible to slip out of shackles with an unmodified Escape roll. DR 4, HP 10. $50, 2 lbs.

Stocks (TL2)

These are a pair of hinged wooden boards with either two holes for the ankles or three holes for the wrists and neck. The victim is thus restrained while undergoing what- ever punishment is meted out. If his ankles are restrained, he sits on the ground with the soles of his feet exposed for abuse. If his wrists and neck are restrained, he’s free to walk around while being abused. Treat stocks as shackles (above) when trying to break free.

Pillory (TL2)

This device involves stocks (above) attached to a pole or a wooden frame so that the victim’s hands and head are restrained, and he’s forced to stand, exposed to the elements (see Cold, p. B430 and Heat, p. B434) and unable to move. The prisoner is also exposed to projectiles and filth thrown by hostile crowds, and will eventually suffer from lack of food and sleep (see pp. B426-427) . . . with possibly fatal results. Thus, the pillory was reserved for serious crimes. It was also used as a whipping post, holding a criminal in place while punishment was administered (see Torture, p. 131).

Barrel Pillory (TL2)

This consists of a hinged wooden barrel with a hole for the neck. One type has a solid bottom so the prisoner is forced to crouch in his own filth. The other has an open bottom, enabling the victim to walk around to face ridicule and abuse. It was commonly used to punish drunkards.