Limbs, Limbs, Limbs!

[Frostthehero]

As you can probably tell from the title, this thread is about body parts. Specifically, those that are not part of the core of the body.

I have several questions about how you would handle limbs in your games.

1) What are the rules for having limbs cut off or broken in combat, or as a result of falling, etc.

2) How would you handle using limbs as weapons (i.e. using an arm as a club)

3) This one is less about limbs and more about flesh in general. What are the starvation rules, and how does cannabalism feed you?

4) Assuming a limb is missing or broken, what kind of penalties does a character take?

5) Do you bleed if you lose a limb?

I would really appreciate the help. I plan to maim my players horribly.

[Extra Anchovies]

As you can probably tell from the title, this thread is about body parts. Specifically, those that are not part of the core of the body.

I have several questions about how you would handle limbs in your games.

1) What are the rules for having limbs cut off or broken in combat, or as a result of falling, etc.

2) How would you handle using limbs as weapons (i.e. using an arm as a club)

3) This one is less about limbs and more about flesh in general. What are the starvation rules, and how does cannabalism feed you?

4) Assuming a limb is missing or broken, what kind of penalties does a character take?

5) Do you bleed if you lose a limb?

I would really appreciate the help. I plan to maim my players horribly.

1) None. There aren't actually general rules for losing limbs unless you're using the Damage to Specific Areas variant (DMG p. 27). There may also be some special monster attacks that remove limbs, but the rules for those may vary.

2) They're squishy enough that I'd rule that using them dealt nonlethal damage unless you could reliably strike with the bone (since bone weapons exist, described on DMG p. 144).

3) Starvation rules are here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm#starvationAndThirst), and on DMG p. 304. There are no cannibalism rules, so as long as the meat has been prepared in a way that makes it safe for your species to consume, it's no different from other food.

4) See 1).

5) No. There are no rules for bleeding from normal injuries; only some attacks cause damage after the round in which they occur.

[Venger]

1) None. There aren't actually general rules for losing limbs unless you're using the Damage to Specific Areas variant (DMG p. 27). There may also be some special monster attacks that remove limbs, but the rules for those may vary.

2) They're squishy enough that I'd rule that using them dealt nonlethal damage unless you could reliably strike with the bone (since bone weapons exist, described on DMG p. 144).

3) Starvation rules are here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm#starvationAndThirst), and on DMG p. 304. There are no cannibalism rules, so as long as the meat has been prepared in a way that makes it safe for your species to consume, it's no different from other food.

4) See 1).

5) No. There are no rules for bleeding from normal injuries; only some attacks cause damage after the round in which they occur.

all your answers are accurate with the exception of 3.

depending on where you commit cannibalism, you might turn into a wendigo.

[AmberVael]

Oddly enough, while there are basically no rules on losing limbs, there ARE rules on putting limbs back on. Regeneration, the Regenerate spell, (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/regenerate.htm) even replacing limbs with Grafts- you can do that. But there's nothing about having a limb lost in the first place.

The Vorpal enchantment is pretty much as close as you get.

[Shalist]

I would really appreciate the help. I plan to maim my players horribly.

While it won't be of any use to your players, if their characters happen to be maimed, they could make use of a Dukar hand coral (CoV pg 64, 2600 gp), which is a slotless item that's implanted in the hand. It's a cheap and reliable source of out-of-combat regeneration (1d2 days for a lost eye, 2d8 days for a missing limb, adds their HD to natural/rest healing rate), and can be passed around as needed.

[Bronk]

Here's a list of all the rules I've been able to find about losing body parts in 3.5:

-body parts missing via spell:
eyes missing from seething eyebane
brain stem via decerebrate (XPH)
guts via Gutwrench (BoVD p97)
heart via Heartclutch (BoVD p98) - restore heart or die in 1d3 rounds
heart via Clutch of Orcus (BoVD p88)
hand via grim revenge vile spell (turns hand into a wight that attacks you)
fingers via Lahm’s Finger Darts (BoVD p98) - (fingers don’t regrow)
arm via grim revenge (BoVD p97)
any body part via flesh to stone (or other petrification) and subsequent breakage
every body part but the head, separately, via Vile Rebellion (Dr 300)

-body parts missing via monster:
eyes stolen by Gadacro (MMV)
eyes stolen by Ocularon (turns them into gas bombs)
eyes pecked out by a swarm of ravens
any body part ‘sampled’ by cadaver golem from HoH (intelligent flesh golem)

-monsters: rules to cut off hydra’s heads and giant squid’s tentacles
-replace body parts missing after a graft, or a failed ‘X’ of vecna trick
-Removing a tooth is a full round action, and regenerate can replace the tooth after (ToM)

-Snatch Trophy feat from Champions of Ruin: a character with the feat and a slashing or piercing weapon can take off bits of a body in negative hit points weighing up to two pounds (fingers, ears, etc.)

Additional info:
Vile Rebellion (Dragon #300, pg. 57) - arms, legs, and torso fall away and turn into zombies. Head is alive, but constant Wis drain eventually drive it insane. To restore affected character, put all parts back together, cast Dispel Evil, then Regenerate.
Decerebrate (XPH)Without extreme measures, such as greater restoration or some other suitable effect of 7th level or higher, the creature perishes in 1d4 days.
AD&D: vorpal blade (took off limbs, head on 20) or Sword of Sharpness (only limbs)