Rope, Leather

Ultimate Equipment Guide II

Author Greg Lynch, J. C. Alvarez
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

Though historically less popular than rope made of hemp or silk, a rope made of braided leather remains an incredibly useful tool. Leather rope is at once sturdier and weaker than hempen or silken ropes, possessed of a lower tensile strength (it can be burst with a DC 22 Strength check), but much greater toughness (a leather rope has a hardness of 2 and four hit points).

Leather rope has one other trait not found in rope twisted of hemp or silk – it can shrink. If a leather rope becomes wet, it can stretch (increasing the difficulty of bursting it to a DC 23 Strength check). When the rope dries, it shrinks back to its original size. This trait is often used to tie down crates and cargo securely, but it can also be used to tie up a prisoner, making his bonds painfully tight and almost impossible to escape, though Madrion certainly does not endorse this use of his leather rope. Tying up a prisoner with wet leather rope, then allowing it to dry, increases the difficulty of slipping the bonds, increasing the prisoner’s Escape Artist skill check by five (binder’s Rope Use check + 15). If the ropes are still wet when the prisoner attempts escape, however, the difficulty level is decreases by five (binder’s Rope Use check plus five).

Rope, Leather (50 ft.): 10 gp; 10 lb.