Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - [Basic] Skill of the week: Knot-Tying

johndallman · 01-01-2016, 04:52 AM

Knot-Tying is the DX/Easy skill of being good at trying knots. It defaults to DX-4, Climbing-4 or Seamanship-4; no skills default to Knot-Tying. It seems awfully specialised as a standalone skill, but I suspect the reason it exists is to give a skill for Escape to have a contest against when someone is tied up; in practice that's often going to be one of the defaults. Failing usually means that the prisoner will get free eventually. Modifiers include High Manual Dexterity and Ham-Fisted, and modifiers for extra time and quality of materials will often make sense. The skill appeared at GURPS 4e.

Knot-Tying appears on a fair number of templates as an option, but the nearest thing to it being a major skill is the "Hostile Extraction" (i.e., kidnapping) skill-set in Action 4: Specialists. That book also prescribes it for sailors, climbers, and mountaineers. DF Scouts with the Bounty Hunter background have good use for it, as have Artificers, and Priests and Holy Warriors of Love. DF2 has quick rules for tying up prisoners of any size, and DF15 uses it for traps and escaping them. Low-Tech has knots to replace locks, and more rules for escaping bonds. Martial Arts uses this skill for trying people up under combat conditions after entangling them, or with the Binding technique, while they're still resisting. Technical Grappling extends Knot-Typing and Binding to use the Control Points mechanic, and Yrth Fighting Styles has the Ars Clemens style, which would make good use of that. PU3 and PU7 have example Talents and Wildcard skills that include Knot-Tying. Powers applies the skill to Binding powers, Thaumatology has a style of Ritual Magic based on knots, and Ultra-Tech smart-rope gives a skill bonus.

What other professions and skills involve a lot of tying? Surgery, Gardening and Carpentry/TL0-3 seem like candidates.

01-01-2016, 04:52 AM	#1
johndallman Night Watchman Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cambridge, UK	[Basic] Skill of the week: Knot-Tying Knot-Tying is the DX/Easy skill of being good at trying knots. It defaults to DX-4, Climbing-4 or Seamanship-4; no skills default to Knot-Tying. It seems awfully specialised as a standalone skill, but I suspect the reason it exists is to give a skill for Escape to have a contest against when someone is tied up; in practice that's often going to be one of the defaults. Failing usually means that the prisoner will get free eventually. Modifiers include High Manual Dexterity and Ham-Fisted, and modifiers for extra time and quality of materials will often make sense. The skill appeared at GURPS 4e. Knot-Tying appears on a fair number of templates as an option, but the nearest thing to it being a major skill is the "Hostile Extraction" (i.e., kidnapping) skill-set in *Action 4: Specialists. That book also prescribes it for sailors, climbers, and mountaineers. DF Scouts with the Bounty Hunter background have good use for it, as have Artificers, and Priests and Holy Warriors of Love. DF2* has quick rules for tying up prisoners of any size, and *DF15* uses it for traps and escaping them. *Low-Tech* has knots to replace locks, and more rules for escaping bonds. *Martial Arts* uses this skill for trying people up under combat conditions after entangling them, or with the Binding technique, while they're still resisting. *Technical Grappling* extends Knot-Typing and Binding to use the Control Points mechanic, and *Yrth Fighting Styles* has the Ars Clemens style, which would make good use of that. *PU3* and *PU7* have example Talents and Wildcard skills that include Knot-Tying. *Powers* applies the skill to Binding powers, *Thaumatology* has a style of Ritual Magic based on knots, and *Ultra-Tech* smart-rope gives a skill bonus. What other professions and skills involve a lot of tying? Surgery, Gardening and Carpentry/TL0-3 seem like candidates.