Prison

Crime and Punishment

Author Keith Baker

Series Campaign Style

Publisher Atlas Games

Publish date 2003

Unless a community is especially wealthy, the town dungeon will be a single room with a wooden door (Hardness  5, 15 hit points, break DC 18, Open Lock DC 25). The wall chains are average manacles (Hardness 10, 10 hit points, break DC 26, Escape Artist DC 30, Open Lock DC 20). The walls themselves are thin stone (Hardness 8, 60 hit points,  break DC 30) or wood (Hardness 5, 40 hit points, break DC 25).

While wall manacles are  loose wrist restraints, they are set into the wall at a height designed hold  your arms pinned above your head. While you’re held in wall restraints you movement rate is  – surprise –  reduced to zero. You lose your Dexterity bonus to your AC and take an additional -8 penalty to your AC. You cannot  cast spells requiring somatic components or take any action that requires the  use of your arms. If you’re a monk and your legs are free, you can still kick anyone who gets close to you; otherwise  your options are limited to using skills that don’t require movement, spells  that only have verbal components, or making a Strength or Escape Artist check to burst or slip free of your chains. If your legs are also  restrained, your AC drops to zero and you’re considered to be a helpless  opponent.

In a castle dungeon, you  should expect to find a higher level of restraint. The doors will be stronger  (Hardness 5, 20 hit points, break DC 23, Open Lock DC 30) and you’ll be held in place with masterwork manacles (Hardness  10, 10 hit points, break DC 28, Escape Artist DC 35, Open Lock DC 20). The walls will be typically be thick stone (Hardness 8, 180 hit points, break DC 40).

The quality of guards will vary a great deal based on the size of the community. A prison in a rustic hamlet  might be maintained by a few Foot  Soldiers (Human Warrior 1),  while the local lord may have Turnkeys (Human Warrior 5) to watch his dungeon.