Fancy Rope and Bow Tricks

[ZekeTheRogue]

So I want a character to be able to tie a rope to an arrow, shoot the arrow, and then be able to shimmy up the rope. How would that be adjudicated?

[Erik Vale]

By your dm, I would believe :smalltongue:

I don't think it'd fire properly. I'd probably apply a hit pen and range reduction, and allow you to use it should you do enough damage to lodge the arrow in the object, assuming the arrow was designed not to be easily removed, which it's entirely likely yours are.

[AWiz_Abroad]

Rod of Ropes 4000 gp from Complete Scoundrel might be an alternate option.

[WhiteLycan]

I don't think that'd be something you accomplish in reality without using a special arrow. Maybe create an arrow that has a glass reservoir at the tip with a glue that hardens on exposure to air. That way the arrow hits, globe shatters, arrow gets glued to the surface it hit. It'd probably quarter the ranged weapon's range increment too, or just change it to 30ft.

[Deophaun]

I don't think that'd be something you accomplish in reality without using a special arrow.
The arrow is the least of the problems with this in reality. The weight of the rope is a bigger issue. Anything heavier than twine is probably not going to go very far (and that's not even taking into account how this thick rope is attached to the arrow)

Rod of Ropes is a good thing to base this off of. If I was a DM and someone wanted to do this, I'd probably make it a ~2500 gp enhancement to a bow, and require something like adamantium arrows if you wanted it to stick into a flat wall, or some mundane grappling hook ammunition (same cost as a regular grappling hook).

[Averis Vol]

Song and silence has the grapnel crossbow, which is exactly what you think it is, but I honestly have no idea how the crap it works, as the rope would seriously mess up your flight. as for having an arrow stick into a wall then climbing up the rope......the arrow would have to be steel, and even then nothing would hold it in.

All in all, I like the rod of ropes better, but there is precedent for it in 3.0 sourcebooks.

[Bullet06320]

the 2nd edition complete thief's handbook had grapple arrows and stonebiter arrows, could easily be adapted or borrowed

[TuggyNE]

The arrow is the least of the problems with this in reality. The weight of the rope is a bigger issue. Anything heavier than twine is probably not going to go very far (and that's not even taking into account how this thick rope is attached to the arrow)

Yeah, a combination of techniques from bowfishing and line guns would be best here: fire an arrow with a very thin line attached in a loop, and when it (somehow?) sticks to the end, use the line to pull a heavier rope up there. Both of those do work separately, so while it might be a bit tricky to combine them it shouldn't be impossible with a good Craft check.

[Maginomicon]

What you're looking for is called "Holdfast". It's not an arrow, but a thrown object much like a tanglefoot bag.



Holdfast

50gp, 1 lb. not including the rope; Alchemy DC 25

Since the tanglefoot bag`s invention, scholars and adventurers alike have looked for more ways to use the powerful but short-lived adhesive. One of the most successful variations is holdfast, a small bundle of the same adhesive attached to the end of a rope. When the rope is thrown with enough force and accuracy, the bundle breaks, creating a temporary means of securing the rope to the surface it was thrown against. Quieter than a grappling hook and easy to transport, holdfast has become an item of choice for those who have to infiltrate a walled structure or cross a dangerous chasm.

To attach the rope to the desired target, the character must make a ranged attack. A holdfast container has a range increment of 10 feet. Armor Class modifiers for size apply. Thus a character trying to hit any point high on a 30-foot-tall wall must try to hit AC 0 (the desired area of the wall is Huge, but no Armor Class can fall below 0) with a -4 penalty to hit because of the range (three range increments). A character who wants to hit a spot within 1 foot beneath a 2-foot-wide window high on a 40-foot-tall wall would have to hit AC 2 (+2 size modifier to AC because the desired target area is Tiny) and the character would suffer a -6 penalty to hit because of the range. Any missed attack has a 50% chance of causing the holdfast bundle to break against another surface (use the rules for the deviation of grenadelike weapons to determine where the holdfast struck on such a failed throw). One bag of holdfast can support 200 pounds until the adhesive loses its effectiveness. Holdfast lasts 1d4+3 rounds before becoming too weak to hold the rope in place. Creatures struck by holdfast can pull off the sticky bag with a successful Strength check (DC 27) or cut the attached rope.

[forsaken1111]

This sounds like one of those 'rule of cool' situations. If I was the DM and the situation was dire and you came up with this on the fly, I'd probably let you get away with it but explain that "Your arrow hits and holds fast but the shot was one in a million and you doubt you could do it again if you tried."

If you were willing to spend the money and downtime to develop a workable solution that would be different but in the grand scheme an arrow + a rope does not = overcome every height based obstacle because that's just bad gameplay.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Is there any particular reason you're don't want to just fasten a grappling hook to your rope and throw it normally?

[Artillery]

I know that pathfinder has a grappling arrow. It has a 30ft range increment and gets used with silk rope.