====== Restraints and Riot Control Devices ======

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 twohanded
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 whatever
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.

=== Handcuffs (TL5) ===

Early handcuffs were shackles – a one-size-fits-all affair.
Ratcheting cuffs were invented in the 1860s. These made it
possible to adjust the fit, providing a tighter and more
secure hold on the wrists.

Someone with his hands cuffed 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 who has his hands cuffed in front of his body
suffers no general DX penalty and a mere -1 on tasks that
use only the hands. Activities that require free use of the
arms (including most one-handed strikes) are still impossible,
but two-handed strikes 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.

Shackles (TL5). Crudely fitted metal wrist restraints.
Make an unmodified Escape roll to get free. DR 4, HP 10.
$50, 2 lbs. LC4.

Handcuffs (TL6). Metal, key-locking cuffs give -5 to
Escape. DR 4, HP 6. $50, 0.5 lb. LC4.

Flex Cuffs (TL7). Flexible plastic loops give -1 to Escape.
DR 1, HP 2. Pack of 10: $5, 0.25 lb. LC4.

=== Leg Irons (TL5) ===

Law officers often put criminals in leg irons when transporting
them. Someone in leg irons suffers effects identical
to Crippled Legs (p. B141). Activities that require free use
of the legs (e.g., kicking) are impossible. Getting free
requires an Escape roll against non-ratcheting leg irons
(TL5), an Escape roll at -5 for ratcheting models (TL6-8).
Triple cost to add a 50-lb. iron ball on a 6’ chain; the prisoner
must carry the ball, which is a hefty bit of extra encumbrance!
DR 4, HP 10. $40, 2 lbs. LC4.

=== Straitjacket (TL5) ===

The straitjacket (or strait waistcoat) was first used in
England in the 1700s for restraining violent prisoners and
mental patients – known then as “lunatics.” By the 1950s,
most institutions had eliminated it. More recent models are
generally props or novelties.

A straitjacket is a heavy canvas or leather coat with long
sleeves that are wrapped around the body and buckled or
tied behind the back. Someone restrained this way is in the
same predicament as if he were handcuffed behind his
back (see Handcuffs, see left), with two additional restrictions.
First, he cannot use his hands; they’re encased in the
sleeves. Second, because the sleeves are buckled tightly
against the body, there’s no possibility of slipping the arms
around to the front.

Ease of escape from a straitjacket depends greatly on
the competence of those who strapped it on; magicians and
escape artists use an oversized model, applied by a novice.
On average, Escape rolls are at -10. $100, 3 lbs. LC4.


This equipment is used by security forces to restrain
individuals, or to control and disperse crowds of demonstrators or rioters. Other useful equipment includes:

Barricades: Construction foam, construction
swarms, slipspray, and wards 
allow quick erection of barricades to channel crowds and
block streets. Holoprojectors may create illusionary
barriers to divert an unwary mob.

Dispersion: Techniques useful for scattering crowds
without leaving a field of stunned, injured, or dead bodies are microwave pain beams (MAD) and sonic
nauseators. Launchers or sprays may deliver riot
gas, sonic nauseators, or warbler warheads. Shock clubs and neurolashes let
an officer defend himself, and can be a painful but nonlethal deterrent.

Shields: Riot shields, or force shields can be used not only as defenses, but also to push or
slam rioters.

===Cufftape (TL9)===
This looks like duct tape, but the sticky side is a memory polymer that tightens if the prisoner struggles. A two-foot-long strip has ST 20, and is sufficient to restrain arms
or legs. Each failure to escape does one point of damage to
the taped area. Cufftape has DR 1; six points of cutting, corrosion, or burning damage severs it. $10, 0.5 lb. per 100-
foot spool. LC3.

==Razortape (TL9)==
This cufftape has a thin strand of sharp wire embedded
in it. On a successful attempt to break free using brute force
(a Quick Contest of ST), the wire does thrust cutting damage using the escapee’s own ST. $40, 0.5 lb. per 100-foot
spool. LC2.

Monowire Razortape (TL9^): As razortape, but it costs
twice as much and does +1d damage. The damage has an
armor divisor of (10).

===Electronic Cuffs (TL9)===
This is a rigid pair of handcuffs or leg irons, padded to
avoid abrasions and used for restraining people or animals.
It is controlled by an embedded remote-controlled microcommunicator, and incorporates a homing beacon (p. 105)
for tracking the prisoner.

To break free of the restraints, win a Quick Contest of
ST or make an Escape roll at -6 (-8 if both arms and legs are
cuffed). The first try takes one second; further attempts
require 10 minutes of struggle. Also available with collar
and 10’ leash (same weight) for animals, slaves, etc. It may
incorporate neuronic restraints or a neural pacifier
(p. 108).

Electronic Cuffs (TL9): This has ST 20 and DR 10. $40,
0.25 lbs., A/1 wk. LC4.

Heavy-Duty Electronic Cuffs (TL9): ST 40 and DR 15.
Uncomfortable to wear. $100, 0.5 lbs., A/1 wk. LC3.

At higher TLs: Add +5 to DR and ST per TL over TL9.

===Explosive Collar (TL9)===
This locked, plastic-alloy collar attaches around a prisoner’s neck. It contains an inertial compass, secure radio,
and a tiny computer (p. 22) – none of them usable by the
wearer – along with explosives equivalent to a 15mm HE
warhead (p. 154). The radio and computer constantly
broadcast the prisoner’s exact coordinates.

A coded signal can detonate the explosive liner, decapitating the wearer. The collar can also be broken (it has DR
10 and 2 HP), but any attempt to damage it that fails to
immediately remove it results in detonation next to the subject’s neck. Disarming the explosives requires appropriate
tools and a Traps-4 roll; failure means the collar explodes.
$200, 0.25 lbs., B/100 hr. LC2.

===Power Damper (TL9^)===
A neural-feedback device that is designed to restrain
people with psionic powers, or possibly another type of biologically-based super power; each origin may require a different device. It prevents the subject consciously using an
advantage associated with that power origin.

The subject can attempt to overcome the device by
deliberately pushing himself: each time he tries to use an
advantage that would be impeded by the device, he must
win a Quick Contest of Will against the device’s Will. He
may add his relevant Talent, if any. If he succeeds, he overloads the device, which burns out. If he fails, he cannot try again for hours equal to the margin of failure.

A power damper may be combined with neuronic
restraints (below), triggering a “punishment circuit.” This
activates the neurolash after any attempt to overcome the
damper.

Power-Damper Band (TL9^): A small headband. The
damper can also be built into electronic cuffs, a collar, or a
sensory restraint. It has an effective Will 18. $2,000, 0.1 lb.,
B/100 hr. LC3.

Power-Damping Field (TL9^): This covers a 2-yard
radius; it is usually built into a cell, giant test tube, or similar small prison. Effective Will 20. $20,000, 70 lbs., E/100
hr. LC3.

Add +2 to the device’s effective Will for every TL after
TL9^.

===Sensory Control Restraints (TL9)===
A single-piece device containing a video visor 
and ear muffs designed to control the reality perceived by
the wearer. It can also see and hear what the prisoner
does (and if desired, record it). The visor can blank out the
prisoner’s vision or hearing, restore it, or let the controller
overlay false sounds and images. It can be controlled by
any external interface with the proper codes. It includes a
tiny computer, and at high TLs could even have its own
AI. It has DR 6.

Smart Blindfold (TL9): Locks onto the head, covering
eyes and ears. Gives a +1 (quality) bonus to Interrogation
skill against the wearer. $100, 1.5 lbs. C/100 hr. LC2.

Restraint Mask (TL9): A flexible helmet that covers the
entire head and locks into place; it takes six seconds to
attach or remove. It blocks the senses of smell and taste,
and also includes a removable gag/feeding tube and respirator tube. Gives a +2 (quality) bonus to Interrogation rolls
against the wearer. $500, 2 lbs. 2C/100 hr. LC2.

Sensory Deprivation Tank (TL9): Completely removes all
sensation except that permitted by the operator by suspending the subject in a sense-deadening liquid medium
(or a contragravity field, at TL10^). Treat as a restraint
mask, but the bonus to Interrogation rolls increases to +3
after the subject has been in the tank for an hour. Long
stays may require Fright Checks: use the Size and
Speed/Range Table, reading “yards” as “hours” and rolling
every time an interval passes at the listed penalty. The tank
includes a restraint mask, a respirator, and feeding tubes.
$10,000, 200 lbs., D/100 hr. LC3.

At higher TLs, a combination of neural interfaces 
and either sensie or total virtual reality
technology are used for sensory control.

===Neuronic Restraints (TL10)===
An add-on for electronic cuffs or collars, these use a tailored electrical impulse to deliver a neurolash effect if tampered with, or if triggered by communicator. They are available in all standard neurolash settings,
although the seizure, pain, paralysis, and ecstasy effects are the most common (the latter is sometimes also purchased for recreational purposes). The effect is identical to a neurolash strike (roll vs. HT-5 to resist). However, since the victim is restrained and the effect can be continued each turn,
neuronic restraints are very effective!

This option can also be built into sensory restraints
(above). A neurolash delivering pain or pleasure in a sensory deprivation tank is especially effective; add an extra -1 to
the roll to resist. $200, 0.25 lbs., B/100 sec. LC2. Tunable
versions are +50% per setting.

===Neural Pacifier (TL10)===
Used legally by police, prison guards and hospitals, this
restraint band projects a soothing hypnagogic field into the
wearer’s brain, keeping him sedated and compliant without
risking drugs or injury.

The neural pacifier has two settings: sleep and control.
On “sleep,” it places the wearer into a deep slumber. He
cannot be awakened until the device is removed or turned
off. On “control,” the headband projects frequencies that
allow the user to retain consciousness while suppressing
aggressive tendencies, making the subject easily led. It
effectively gives him the Slave Mentality disadvantage.

The device can be resisted. After it is activated, the wearer gets a roll against the higher of HT-3 or Will-3 each second to avoid succumbing to the effects. Once a roll is failed,
the effects persist for as long as the device remains on.
$500, 0.25 lbs., B/100 hr. LC3. This option can also be built
into sensory restraints.

===Stasis Chamber (TL12^)===
If correction is not important, stasis technology can provide the ultimate prison!