Rope
Rope
Basic Set Rope (TL0-1)
- Rope, 3/8" (TL0). Supports 300 lbs. Per 10 yards: $5, 1.5 lbs.
- Rope, 3/4" (TL1). Supports 1,100 lbs. Per 10 yards: $25, 5 lbs.
Rope (TL5-8)
The load limits given below are working loads, set at 10% of the rope's tensile strength. Any rope that's likely to be given a sudden jerk, or that’s under constant tension, abrasion, or similar stressful circumstances, shouldn't be loaded past this level. Exceeding this limit invites problems and shortens the rope's life.
- Cord (TL5). Hemp. Supports 50 lbs. Per 10 yards: $5, 1.5 lbs. LC4.
- Rope, 1/2" (TL5). Hemp. Supports 300 lbs. Per 10 yards: $30, 3.6 lbs. LC4.
- Rope, 2 1/2" (TL5). Hemp. Supports 1 ton. Per 10 yards: $450, 55 lbs. LC4.
- Rope, 1/2" (TL6). Manila. Supports 350 lbs. Per 10 yards: $10, 2.2 lbs. LC4.
- Rope, 1 1/2" (TL6). Manila. Supports 1 ton. Per 10 yards: $75, 18 lbs. LC4.
- Cord (TL7). Synthetic. Seven inner lines – useful for fishing, suturing, or sewing – with a nylon covering. Supports 55 lbs. Per 100 yards: $15, 1 lb. LC4.
- Rope, 1/4" (TL8). Synthetic. Supports 500 lbs. Per 10 yards: $30, 0.6 lb. LC4.
- Rope, 3/8" (TL8). Synthetic. Supports 650 lbs. Per 10 yards: $25, 1.6 lbs. LC4.
- Rope, 1/2" (TL8). Synthetic. Supports 2 tons. Per 10 yards: $90, 2 lbs. LC4.
Suction Cups (TL7)
In 1981, Dan Goodwin used three high-powered vacuum cups to climb the Sears Tower in six hours. High-strength suction cups can hold up 200 lbs. and cancel the -3 for climbing a modern building. Each: $80, 3 lbs. LC4.
Personal Lifting Device (TL8)
This is a portable, one-man climbing hoist. It clips onto a climber's harness. At the touch of a button, it can ascend or descend a rope at 3 yards per second. A fuel cartridge ($100, 2 lbs.) powers an ascent of 200 yards. Lifting capacity is 300 lbs. $8,000, 7 lbs. LC3.
Duct Tape (TL6)
This WWII-era tape consists of three layers: a plastic covering, a cloth mesh, and a thick rubber adhesive. Silvery tape is most familiar (a testament to its use in air-conditioning vent work), but it comes in every color and even in camouflage patterns. Clever characters may use duct tape as improvised equipment for many tasks – repairs, bandaging, splint wrapping, etc. An entire roll can be braided into a 20-yard rope capable of holding 200 lbs. Duct tape is also a handy makeshift restraint; a prisoner must make a ST-3 or Escape roll to break free. A 60-yard roll is $1, 2 lbs. LC4.
Rope (TL9-12)
These are synthetic lines and ropes made of polymer fibers or artificial spider silk (TL9), carbon nanotubes or biphase composites (TL10), or even more exotic materials.
- 1/8" (3 mm) diameter (TL9): Supports 400 lbs. 10 yards of line: $2, 0.1 lb.
- 3/16" (5 mm) diameter (TL9): Supports 1,000 pounds. 10 yards of rope: $5, 0.25 lbs.
- 3/8" (1 cm) diameter (TL9): Supports 4,000 pounds. 10 yards of rope: $20, 1 lb.
- 3/4" (2 cm) diameter (TL9): Supports 16,000 pounds. 10 yards of rope: $80, 4 lbs.
This is the safe working load; the theoretical breaking strain is five times as much. If exceeding the safe load, roll vs. the rope's HT 12 at -1 per multiple of working load whenever it is stressed to see if it snaps. Strength doubles each TL after introduction:
- 1/8" (3 mm) diameter (TL10): Supports 800 lbs. 10 yards of line: $2, 0.1 lb.
- 3/16" (5 mm) diameter (TL10): Supports 2,000 pounds. 10 yards of rope: $5, 0.25 lbs.
- 3/8" (1 cm) diameter (TL10): Supports 8,000 pounds. 10 yards of rope: $20, 1 lb.
- 3/4" (2 cm) diameter (TL10): Supports 32,000 pounds. 10 yards of rope: $80, 4 lbs.
Smart Rope (TL10)
This is a cable constructed of memory metal and plastic fibers, or non-metallic bioplastic; it also includes a radio microcommunicator. A smart rope has half the support strength of rope. It gives a +3 (quality) bonus to Knot-Tying skill, and can be ordered via radio signal to "flex" or go "rigid."
In flex mode, the rope behaves exactly like ordinary rope. In rigid mode, the rope locks into its current position as if it were a stiff metal wire. In this position, it cannot be untied. Removing a rigid rope without ordering it into flex mode requires cutting through it. If a smart rope is severed, the pieces lose their "smart" properties, but retain the flexible or rigid quality the rope had when cut. Smart rope may be purchased in a variety of standard lengths, starting at one-yard increments. Smart rope is twice as expensive as ordinary rope; other statistics are identical. LC4.
Rope, String, and Thread (TL0-4)
Many fibers can be turned into cord simply by rolling them between the hands or fingers. Early yarn spinning used a spindle: a rod that held a mass of fibers on one end and the developing strand wrapped around the other.
Early in TL3, the spinning wheel appeared, increasing the speed of yarn and thread production. The wheel was attached by a belt to a spindle, like one that would be used by hand. Instead of the spindle being turned slowly by hand, the wheel rotated it quickly, drawing a thread from a mass of fibers held in the spinner's hand. By TL4, the Chinese had developed wheels that could turn up to five spindles at once.
Rope production typically involved twisting long strands together, giving them a definite left- or right-turning tendency. Length was limited by the size of the laying yards that could be cleared for their manufacture. Historically, ropes longer than 200 yards were extremely rare. For greater lengths, multiple ropes were usually spliced together.
All the ropes described below are 1" thick. To get thicker or thinner ropes, multiply weight, cost, and strength by the square of the diameter in inches. The thickest ropes in antiquity – connected to harnesses or capstans rather than pulled by hand – topped out at around 2.5" in diameter.
- Example: 10 yards of 1" hemp rope can support 2,000 lbs., cost $30, and weigh 9 lbs. A 3/8" rope of the same material can support 9/64 × 2,000 = 281 lbs., costs $4.20, and weighs 9/64 × 9 = 1.26 lbs. Rounded up, these figures are similar to those described in Basic Set.
A 1" diameter rope is about the thickest that ordinary humans can grasp effectively. Larger individuals can grasp thicker ropes: Double diameter for every +2 SM; for odd SM, multiply by 1.5 for the extra +1. You can use a rope that's too thick for you, but you suffer -1 per excess inch of thickness to both effective ST and applicable skills (e.g., Traps skill to set snares).
The weights listed below assume stationary loads: hauling cargo, suspension bridges (see GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3), etc. For situations where the rope undergoes dynamic loads and sudden shock – e.g., towing and climbing – it can support only half as much. For instance, that rope with a maximum load of 281 lbs. will only support 140 lbs. if the user is climbing quickly...or if he falls and the rope must save him! If he climbs slowly (less than half normal climbing speed), the rope will support the full 281 lbs.
- Grass (TL0). A quick, temporary rope can be made by braiding the stems and leaves of grass or thin reeds together. A green grass rope has about 1/5 the strength of a rope made from tougher plant fibers. Supports 360 lbs. Per 10-yard length: $3, 9 lbs.
- Vines/Ivy (TL0). A thick, supple vine – or several thinner ones twisted together – can make a serviceable rope. Supports 900 lbs. Per 10-yard length: $10, 9 lbs.
- Plant Fibers (TL0). Standard rope is made from tough plant fibers like flax, papyrus, jute, and yucca. Supports 1,800 lbs. Per 10-yard length: $20, 9 lbs.
- Hemp and Manila (TL0). These plant fibers are stronger than most. Today, manila is preferred over hemp because it's more resistant to water and salt. Supports 2,000 lbs. Per 10-yard length: $30, 9 lbs.
- Animal Hair (TL0). It's difficult to collect enough hair to make a rope of significant length. The Romans seem to have preferred goat hair. Human hair is useful because it can be grown longer than the hair from many other mammals; cord made from women's hair was sometimes used in catapult springs (see Mechanical Artillery). Use the stats for rope made from plant fibers.