One armed wizard?

[HandofBlades]

So planning on making a wizard to swap out with my bard in my current game. Just have the cool image of a one armed middle aged human slinging spells and I haven't really found any rules as to what one arm does/doesn't do. So any suggestions or comments? Not sure how my dm is gonna rule it so I wanted to throw some options at him just in case.

[Lombra]

Nothing weird happens, there may be issues with wielding a focus and casting somatic-only spells, but you'll do fine with a component pouch.

[Unoriginal]

So planning on making a wizard to swap out with my bard in my current game. Just have the cool image of a one armed middle aged human slinging spells and I haven't really found any rules as to what one arm does/doesn't do. So any suggestions or comments? Not sure how my dm is gonna rule it so I wanted to throw some options at him just in case.

Well, sorry if I'm going captain obvious her, but it means you need your one hand to be free when you're doing something that requires a free hand, and if something requires the use of one hand but would normally let the other free to do other stuff, you can't do the other stuff. You also can't use a weapon two-handed, or use a shield.

Other than that, I could see a DM ruling things like "if you need to do a STR (Athletism) check to climb, you get a disadvantage", and other things like that (notably STR and DEX checks or sometime saves where you would use both hands for balance, applying force, or the like, usually).

Lacking one arm is not a minor wound, after all.

[krugaan]

Lacking one arm is not a minor wound, after all.

What?

'Tis but a scratch!

[HandofBlades]

Yeah mostly what I figured. I just wanted some general feed back before I came to the dm about it. Mainly was worried about got get disadvantage on all blank checks and this and this and this and this kind of thing. Sides mage hand plus familiar not like I need two hands. lol I am a wizard climbing is for martial people. I can teleport. Hahah

[JackPhoenix]

Lingering Injuries, DMG page 272: "Lose an Arm or a Hand. You can no longer hold anything with two hands, and you can hold only a single object at a time. Magic such as the Regenerate spell can restore the lost appendage."

Other possible penalties should be applied according to common sense.

One of the characters in my game lost her arm. It was much harsher on her than on a wizard: sword (flail) & board paladin with only one hand is much more problematic. She just bashed enemies with her shield for a time, while she and the party tried to get enough money and find someone to craft her a new arm. She even got a discount and and promised an upgrade if they got something from the Mournland for the magewright who made her prosthetic.

[Iden Elric]

It would be interesting to think of how this Wizard would use this "disability" as a chance to grow, maybe he has somehow learned to innately channel mage hand to literally be his missing hand, or maybe he's just is like Master Hamir from Doctor Strange, and he has found that the mental action of a spell is more important than the physical reality of him having a hand.

Great idea for a character BTW, :smallsmile:

[Requilac]

Even if your character was lacking an arm, they could always get some kind of prosthetic limb to partially make up for it. You could always give yourself a wooden claw-like structure or a hook. This would not cover the full range of movements of course, but I would imagine that it would be enough to do some basic actions, such as holding your spellcasting focus. By RAW it does not seem like missing a limb is that bad. I play an AL character who lost his leg (during the course of the campaign, not in his backstory) and has a peg-leg, and it seems like the only downgrade is that his speed is halved and that he has disadvantage eon dexterity checks made to balance. And considering how my character does not regularly tigh rope walk or do a 50-yard dash, it has not effected the game all that much. Having a prosthetic arm may cover up most of your character’s issues very well while still having the role play element of a missing arm.

[Nifft]

Is there a mechanic that allows you to substitute for arcane gestures using pelvic thrusts?

There ought to be.

[Potato_Priest]

Is there a mechanic that allows you to substitute for arcane gestures using pelvic thrusts?

There ought to be.

With the war caster feat you can perform somatic components of spells with a weapon and shield in both hands, which could be flavored as replacing the somatic component with pelvic thrusts.

[Cespenar]

Or beard-casting for dwarves, maybe?

[Leon]

Magic version of a one armed bandit..

[nickl_2000]

Is there a mechanic that allows you to substitute for arcane gestures using pelvic thrusts?

There ought to be.

Yes, but it's only available to Bards

[Throne12]

I know this thread isn't about this but why do people want to play characters that are bind, missing some limb, can't hear, can't smell, can't talk. I'm sorry but why? What's so fun about giving you a disability like that. We as players would think it fun to play a character like that. But if the character was real they would look for ways to fix there disability. No one would live with or even want to live with disabilities.

[Rixitichil]

Some people in Real Life live with disability. Sometimes it is nice to play a character also suffering a real life disability, as a chance to think through the consequences of living with such or to consider how their life would be different in a fantasy world.
On the whole "they could just get it fixed with magic" maybe they cannot for whatever reason. A cursed wound, healing magic only restoring what a person was born with in this setting etc etc. Learning to live with a character's disability seems like a cool roleplay hook.

[nickl_2000]

I know this thread isn't about this but why do people want to play characters that are bind, missing some limb, can't hear, can't smell, can't talk. I'm sorry but why? What's so fun about giving you a disability like that. We as players would think it fun to play a character like that. But if the character was real they would look for ways to fix there disability. No one would live with or even want to live with disabilities.

There is a certain thematic trope to overcoming challenges in a characters life, whether is this being orphaned, having a hard upbringing, ticking off the gods, or have some sort of physical challenge. You are overcoming something that would stop someone else dead in their tracks to become one of the most powerful beings in the world.

I personally don't play someone that has the physical challenges, but I see no reason to force others to play their characters differently.

[Unoriginal]

As long as it has actual effects and don't get to be ignored at no cost.

If your character is blind, they're blind. You want to have something to compensate? Fine, as long as the cost is clear.

[Throne12]

There is a certain thematic trope to overcoming challenges in a characters life, whether is this being orphaned, having a hard upbringing, ticking off the gods, or have some sort of physical challenge. You are overcoming something that would stop someone else dead in their tracks to become one of the most powerful beings in the world.

I personally don't play someone that has the physical challenges, but I see no reason to force others to play their characters differently.

I'm not telling people to not pla y characters with disabilities. I have a player in my game that's playing a blind arcane archer.

[nickl_2000]

I'm not telling people to not pla y characters with disabilities. I have a player in my game that's playing a blind arcane archer.

If they were born that way, I will agree with you that this one is a bit of a stretch

[croftstr]

Have you considered what familiar, if any, you could use to make up the loss?

I love the idea, especially if they specialize in using things like mage hand.

Did they lose their limb early or later in life? It could be what's driving their studies.

[Nifft]

With the war caster feat you can perform somatic components of spells with a weapon and shield in both hands, which could be flavored as replacing the somatic component with pelvic thrusts. Perfect.


Yes, but it's only available to Bards Bards with blue suede shoes?

[HandofBlades]

Wow. Thanks for the replies folks but to go through a couple of the simple answers.

The why? I honestly like the mental image of a 40ish year old guy with one arm looking almost helpless but then commanding powerful magic. There is a fantasy series where there is such a character like it and I always found him pretty cool.

The how due to the world the character lives in he was placed in a prison camp and eventually escaped after learning to use magic from another imprisoned wizard. However due to the spell plague when the escape happened he lost his arm due to the wild nature of the spell plague.

For the familiar I was planning on an owl who flies to grab stuff for me and mage hand to manipulate stuff as needed. Eventually will pick up telekinesis for real fun times.

The characters overall goal is to take back his homeland (under his control of course) and to eliminate or tame the spell plague. Due to seeing how powerful it was and what it cost him specifically.

Again thanks for all the responses. I wasn't looking for hey can I get x since I have y disadvantage. Was mostly looking for hey what might I deal with if I make this choice.