Ways to cut off limbs in combat?

[Sir_Chivalry]

Is there a way, either through magic or otherwise, to do so?

[Othesemo]

Some DMs may allow critical effects or called shots. To my knowledge, however, there is no RAW way to chop of a limb for which stats are not specifically given (such as a Hydra's head or a Giant Octopus' tentacle). There may be a spell in a book I haven't read, though.

[deuxhero]

Vorpal weapons can also remove a head.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Specifically looking to remove the hand or arm in the middle of combat.

[Doughnut Master]

Google Fu! Hiya!
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158843


Basically, it's modified sunder rules. Nice to give that tactic some additional use. Been wanting to try this myself, so if you adopt it, report back and let us know how it goes.

[Khedrac]

The main answer to this is "play a different game system" - sorry but the basic underlying design of D&D specifically prevents this from working - this is the "hit points by level" nature of the system.

Yes, some people use called-shot systems. These turn True Strike into a killer spell and a sorceror 1 with a light crossbow goes round killing most things on round 2. Basically called-shot systems don't work in D&D without major revision.

Vorpal weapons exist - but it's probably because they were too well established from previous versions of the game to leave out.

Going back to basics - what are hit points? If you look at the rules fluff in the PHB (I think - tbh I can't remember where exactly - I may be going back a version or 3) loss of hit points is mainly wearing a character down until they are tired enough to actually wound.
A high-level character is not much more physically durable than a 1st level person. What they have is luck/skill/whatever that means they dodge incoming blows or otherwise don't get physically wounded. However they cannot manage this all day and slowly they get worn down by combat until they are no longer capable of getting out of the way and actually get hit and start bleeding etc. This is somewhere under 10hp.

When one considers combat as above then bleeding rules (such as the horrors in the old Wilderness Survival Guide) don't make sense - and similarly for limb removal in combat.
You can house-rule stuff in - but carefully, and don't use called-shots (see above). I was once DMing 1st-Ed Oriental Adventures and ruled that the Sword of Sharpness cut a small toe off the 80'-tall humanoid being fought (Sword of Sharpness was the lesser Vorpal - it removed limbs).

If you really want to combine locational damage with a "hit point by level"-based system then look at RoleMaster/MERP. This system was notoriously slow and complex to run (unless you had a good GM which I did at school) having both hit points and critical tables that varied by weapon. Taking out all the weapon variations should speed it up a lot (see MERP) but most combats ended on criticals/fumbles and hit points were barely relevant. I do not recall any called-shot rules but the criticals could remove limbs. RoleMaster (and variants) is also regarded as a very lethal system - characters can die by accident (i.e. a critical or a fumble) in the most trivial of encounters - especially at level 1.

If you are happy to move away from "hit point by level" based systems then my favourite is Avalon Hill's RuneQuest. This was a variant of Chaosium's Basic RolePlaying System where you get a lot better at skills (like attacking and defending yourself) but your essential toughness does not change short of magic (or similar) or months down the gym (yes you cold raise your health slightly by training - and it took months). The main difference with RuneQuest is that it has locational hit points - so yes you can get limbs chopped off in combat (it happens a lot) and you can do called shots without breaking the system (slows your attack down and halves your skill).
One of the drawbacks of RQ was it's even more lethal than RoleMaster. One time at University playing twice a week I was creating a new character every week for a month or so - they kept getting unlucky and dying (was great fun though).

In summary I'm not saying you can't do this in D&D, but think it through carefully before you try and be prepared for it to go horribly wrong.

Good Luck!

[Straybow]

You could introduce a crit table instead of just x2 damage

[Vizzerdrix]

I know of a few 3rd party books that do this. Make sure you also look into prosthetics as well :smallwink:

[Knaight]

To some extent, refluffing kill shots covers this. Getting limbs completely lopped off (as opposed to just cut into) is really not good for survivability.

[GoatBoy]

Pathfinder's called shot system does just this, but actual mutilation only takes place if damage is beyond a certain threshold and is on a confirmed crit.

[2xMachina]

I know of a few 3rd party books that do this. Make sure you also look into prosthetics as well :smallwink:

Good magical prosthetic. The PCs will need them.

[Duncan_Ruadrik]

I think I recall a 2e weapon that did this: it basically operated as a Vorpal weapon with a random table for which limb you cut off. Thats as close as I can get. It would be easy to convert.

[Vizzerdrix]

Good magical prosthetic. The PCs will need them.

Grafts will be most common, but Defenders of the Faith had the Arm or Nyr. Not a bad little magical item.

[joe]

I don't have my books on hand at the moment, but I'm fairly certain there is a spell in the Book of Vile Darkness that causes a person's arm to fall off and attack them to try to choke them or something to that effect. It is naturally an evil spell, but if you're looking to remove one's limb anyhow, I'm guessing this isn't too much on an issue.

That aside, as the above posters have noted, D&D 3.5 doesn't do the whole limb loss thing really.

[Sir_Chivalry]

I don't have my books on hand at the moment, but I'm fairly certain there is a spell in the Book of Vile Darkness that causes a person's arm to fall off and attack them to try to choke them or something to that effect. It is naturally an evil spell, but if you're looking to remove one's limb anyhow, I'm guessing this isn't too much on an issue.

That aside, as the above posters have noted, D&D 3.5 doesn't do the whole limb loss thing really.

Grim Revenge works for my purposes. I am apprehensive to include a called shots system, only wanted the hand, just the hand, one time.

This will work quite well.

[Vizzerdrix]

If yer already taking someones hand, why not make a pet out of it as well? Monsters of faerun has a spell that'll turn a severed hand into a crawling claw (CR1/3 construct).

[Spiryt]

To some extent, refluffing kill shots covers this. Getting limbs completely lopped off (as opposed to just cut into) is really not good for survivability.

It's pretty much like this in 3.5 - HP are abstract things, and in case of most creatures, completely cutting off/crushing etc. limb is covered by dropping creature below 0/-10/lower, if applicable.

With certain creatures immune to precision damage etc. due to different, or no anatomy at all, some parts falling off can be arranged in the description, I guess.

[Ashtagon]

I have a houserule whereby the following changes are made:

* Instead of -10 hp limit, you have -(Con score + class levels) hp as the limit.
* You do not automatically lose consciousness when you enter negative hp (unless you are an NPC mook).
* Any time you take damage and your hp falls below zero, you roll on a critical hit table, which make be as mild as a fear or stun effect, all the way up to losing a limb.
* At your negative hp limit, you're still dead.

This allows for critical hits, and also forces players into a more interesting tactical choice when hp are deadly low -- play dead, retreat behind friends, or fight on.

[Water_Bear]

The problem with Critical Hit tables where you can lose limbs is that it's an incredibly unforgiving kind of play. One unlucky roll of the dice and your entire character concept changes, and often not for the better.

That's not to say its always a bad thing; the WH40K RPG has some of the funniest critical hit/miss tables I've ever seen and in-universe you're lucky if you only lose and arm if your weapon overheats.

But D&D 3.5 is the kind of game where players get attached to their characters because they take so much effort to make. Don't be afraid to kill them or hurt them if that's how the dice fall, but don't mutilate or humiliate them unless it helps further the story.

[nedz]

1E and 2E has the sword of sharpness, which is basically a vorpel sword which chops off a random extremity {Arm, Leg, Head, etc.}.

AFAIK it never made it to 3E.

[grarrrg]

I'm just now realizing that there are a variety of ways to reattach lost limbs, but virtually no way to lose limbs in the first place!

The FIRST effect of the Regenerate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/regenerate.htm) spell:

The subject’s severed body members ... grow back. After the spell is cast, the physical regeneration is complete in 1 round if the severed members are present and touching the creature. It takes 2d10 rounds otherwise.

Regeneration (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm) Special Ability:

Creatures with this extraordinary ability recover from wounds quickly and can even regrow or reattach severed body parts.

Creatures with regeneration can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts. Severed parts die if they are not reattached.


Flavorful? Quite.
Useful? Apparently not.

[nedz]

Flesh to Stone
Shatter a limb
...
Stone to Flesh
Regenerate

[Marnath]

Page 27 of the DMG has rules for what penalties you take when you lose body parts, but no rules on how to get that way.

[DarkestKnight]

losing limbs seems to me as a narrative damage instead of combat damage, where something happens outside of a combat situation that results in loss of limbs, such as being found guilty of theft and having a hand cut off, or having your foot cut off so you can't run away. as to removing limbs, there is a spell that makes a creatures arm pop off then turn into a wight, though i'm not sure there are ones for other limbs.

[Person_Man]

Have George Lucas as your DM. A limb will be cut off once per encounter.

[nedz]

Yeah - just hand out Lightsabres.
Include fumble rules for the full hilarity.