[3.5] Losing a Limb

[Thurbane]

So, looking at the Arm of Nyr recently, got me wondering.

What listed effects are there in 3.5 that can cause a character to lose a limb?

I'm assuming special attacks from some monsters would be the main cause, but which monsters, and what else?

Vorpal can cause loss of head, of course, but what can cause loss of arms and/or legs?

Cheers - T

[Drakevarg]

I've wondered this myself for a long time. The DMG has rules for penalties you take from lost or crippled limbs, not to mention things like a troll's ability to regrow them, but I've never actually read any rules that define how that would actually happen aside from "the DM said so."

[tstewt1921]

I had a gnome that was in a party that was trapped in room where the wall was spinning fast and we couldn't just walk through the door, after about 15 minutes of trying to figure out how I said f-it and timed it and tried to jump it, I just barely failed the reflex save by one, so instead of killing me due to the speed when I jumped my arm got caught in it due to me "stumbling" and I lost my limb. As far as negative effects it wasn't much due to me being a caster, I died shortly after due to just getting beaten on and making some bad decisions.

[flappeercraft]

Well there is the Wither Limb spell from SpC. It was also printed in BoVD and Book of Bad Latin.

Lahms Finger Darts from BoVD costs you your fingers as a corruption cost albeit temporarily.

The Vile Rebellion Spell from Dragon Mag 300 loses you all of your limbs among other things.

The feat Hand of Tyr while it doesn't lose you your hand it basically makes you make an oath to not use your right hand.

[Thurbane]

I had a gnome that was in a party that was trapped in room where the wall was spinning fast and we couldn't just walk through the door, after about 15 minutes of trying to figure out how I said f-it and timed it and tried to jump it, I just barely failed the reflex save by one, so instead of killing me due to the speed when I jumped my arm got caught in it due to me "stumbling" and I lost my limb. As far as negative effects it wasn't much due to me being a caster, I died shortly after due to just getting beaten on and making some bad decisions.

Interesting, but I'm looking for listed causes, not DM fiat for story purposes...which does seem to be the most common cause of lost limbs that I read about.

[ben-zayb]

The Detach feat from Savage Species lets you tear off your limb and fling it.

[ViperMagnum357]

I've wondered this myself for a long time. The DMG has rules for penalties you take from lost or crippled limbs, not to mention things like a troll's ability to regrow them, but I've never actually read any rules that define how that would actually happen aside from "the DM said so."

Actually came across a first party one during my research for the crit fisher handbook: the Targeted Attack feat from Kingdoms of Kalamar, which allows the wielder to forgo bonus damage on a critical hit in favor of injuring a specific body part using the chart on DMG page 27, even if those variant critical rules are not in use.

If you want to go 3rd party, there is the (infamous) Master of Pain PRC from Quintessential Fighter II, by Mongoose publishing. At level 8 it gets the Maim ability, allowing the wielder to take a set attack penalty in order to target a specific body part. If the attack is successful, the target takes a variety of penalties like reduced speed, initiative penalty, dropping held items, or be Dazed. At level 10, the PRC gains Vorpal Strike: on any critical threat, the wielder can take the same penalty on the confirmation roll to target a body part, and sever it on a confirmed critical, including the head. You have to take the penalty instead of just confirming like the Vorpal weapon quality, but you can target any appendage to gets some use against Constructs/Undead, and any threat is viable instead of a natural 20. If you sever a non-vital appendage, in addition to the obvious loss of the appendage the target takes 2d4 Constitution damage, which can be combined with the other ability damage the class can inflict with Vicious Strike.

[Goaty14]

A focusing lens from the "Road to Oblivion" adventure path allows a beholder to use it's disentigrate eye ray as a "precision cutting tool", implying it could cut a limb off of a helpless character.

[Zancloufer]

It might be (somewhat) of a hold-over to older versions of D&D. While I don't recall seeing it in any 3.x book there was an enchantment in 1st ed D&D that was similar to Vorpal but it targeted limbs instead of the head.

They also might have been considering fleshing out rules for inflicting damage on specific limbs but never got around to it.

[Thurbane]

It might be (somewhat) of a hold-over to older versions of D&D. While I don't recall seeing it in any 3.x book there was an enchantment in 1st ed D&D that was similar to Vorpal but it targeted limbs instead of the head.

They also might have been considering fleshing out rules for inflicting damage on specific limbs but never got around to it.

Yeah, 1E Sword of Sharpness removed limbs.

1E Staff of Withering also withered individual limbs.

Quite a few creatures, including the Torrasque from memory, had attacks that could sever limbs in earlier editions...

[unseenmage]

Isn't there a BoVD spell that tears off someone's hand and makes it a wraith?

Half Golem template requires replacing a limb.

The Crawling Claw is composed of severed left hands. The 3.0 spell that makes them requires a pile of severed left hands to animate.

Aren't there some traps that sever hands that get stuck into the wrong place? Though that might again be a BoVD thing.

Cursed weapons will effectively cost you the hand that grips them if the curse says the weapon cannot be put down or stowed.



PF has the pirate hook hand thing that's seemingly made for Wizards to better deliver touch spells.

PF also has rules for missing limbs in its Skull and Shackles AP (or the Player's Guide for said AP, cant remember which.)

PF also has cybernetic limbs in its Technology Guide.


There's a 3.x compatible gameworld where if you sever a troll limb the limb grows a mini mutant troll. Cannot for the life of me remember its name.
That system might have rules for attacking limbs.

[Quarian Rex]

I'm working on a house rule where a target can be maimed with a killing blow instead of killed.

When dealing enough damage with a weapon to kill a creature [reducing it to -10 or below (-Con score or below for Pathfinder)] the character can make a Reflex or Will save vs DC (TBD) to leave the creature at -1 hp, or one point lower than they were if already at negative hp [to a min. of -9 (or -Con score +1 in Pathfinder)] to remove a limb or other such major maiming.

I got the idea from one of the versions of the Star Wars game where Jedi were provided an option to not be rampaging murderers. I'm not a fan of called shots (they are a lot like save-or-die's in most respects) but if the players have defeated an opponent I think that they should have the opportunity for some options. I'm thinking of making the DC 10+ 1/2 HD + Cha mod of the attacker. I kind of like the idea of someone having to be physically fast/mentally strong enough to react before/overcome their own ego to not go through with the kill-stroke.

Thoughts?

[Thurbane]

Snatch Trophy (CoR) feat looks like a contender, too. Although it does specify "small body part such as a finger or ear", so a whole arm or leg would be a stretch...

"The snatched item can weigh no more than 2 pounds."

So, no dice, except on very small creatures.

[ShurikVch]

Petrified creatures may be targeted freely, because doesn't resist

Rotripper from Dragon Annual 5: this Undead can rip the enemy's arms off, and graft them to itself

[The Viscount]

Petrification effects followed by damage to break off limbs will result in missing limbs after being returned to fleshy state.


A focusing lens from the "Road to Oblivion" adventure path allows a beholder to use it's disentigrate eye ray as a "precision cutting tool", implying it could cut a limb off of a helpless character.

Similarly the feat Disintegration Finesse can let a Beholder shoot specific parts.

Isn't there a BoVD spell that tears off someone's hand and makes it a wraith?


There is. The spell is Grim Revenge, and it will leave you down a hand.

[Bronk]

Here's a list I've been keeping of official uses for the regeneration spell... You need to lose a body part in order to regrow it! I love threads like this, so I can keep finding new things...

Uses for regenerate spell 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)
any body part, typically end of little finger, Hide Life (Tome and Blood)
hands taken for use in create crawling claw spell (doesn’t specify death of donor)

-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)
most of brain, after humanoid turned into ‘voidmind’ by mindflayers

-monsters:
rules to cut off hydra’s heads and giant squid’s tentacles
replacing golem limbs from someone with a half golem template
Orcus skinning you: Pig Bond Flaw, Dragon 330

Items:
-replace body parts missing after a failed ‘X’ of vecna trick
-replace body parts missing after a graft removal
Teeth of Dalver-Nar http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060302b&page=1
-Removing a tooth is a full round action, and regenerate can replace the tooth after (ToM)
Arm of Nyr (Defenders of the Faith)
Fiendish Hands of Eli Tomorast (Dungeon #112)

Severe Corruption effect: Lich Eyes (Heroes of Horror) - "Your eyes rot away", but you still keep you vision, and get Darkvision 60' (or +30' to existing). Lack of physical eyes makes you immune to certain eye-destroying attacks. Downside - Light Blindness
Smoking Eye Creature template (The Shackled City Adventure Path): one of your eyes (you're required to have at least one!) is replaced with little smoky magical flame. RAW doesn't says this flame can be extinguished, and I really doubt the Murder of Crows will be able to peck it out. (Also, handy source of fire) It isn't so much "to lose an eye" as "to have an eye", but kinda a bit of both
The Ruby Incisor (Dragon #359)

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)

Feats:
Hand of Tyr (don’t need to cut the hand off to get weak bonuses, but you can)
Detach (tear off a non-bite natural attack piece of your body and use it at range - doesn’t grow back by itself, deals ¼ you total hit points in subdual damage)
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.)

Prestige Classes (body parts lost, to be regained later if retrained or only an entry requirement):
Eye of Gruumsh (eye)
Blessed of Gruumsh (eye)
Eunuch Warlock (testicles)
Pale Master (arm)
Fleshwarper (various)
Renegade Mastermaker (various)
Acolyte of the Skin (skin)
Beholder Mage (central eye)

[Thurbane]

Here's a list I've been keeping of official uses for the regeneration spell... You need to lose a body part in order to regrow it! I love threads like this, so I can keep finding new things...

Uses for regenerate spell 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)
any body part, typically end of little finger, Hide Life (Tome and Blood)
hands taken for use in create crawling claw spell (doesn’t specify death of donor)

-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)
most of brain, after humanoid turned into ‘voidmind’ by mindflayers

-monsters:
rules to cut off hydra’s heads and giant squid’s tentacles
replacing golem limbs from someone with a half golem template
Orcus skinning you: Pig Bond Flaw, Dragon 330

Items:
-replace body parts missing after a failed ‘X’ of vecna trick
-replace body parts missing after a graft removal
Teeth of Dalver-Nar http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060302b&page=1
-Removing a tooth is a full round action, and regenerate can replace the tooth after (ToM)
Arm of Nyr (Defenders of the Faith)
Fiendish Hands of Eli Tomorast (Dungeon #112)

Severe Corruption effect: Lich Eyes (Heroes of Horror) - "Your eyes rot away", but you still keep you vision, and get Darkvision 60' (or +30' to existing). Lack of physical eyes makes you immune to certain eye-destroying attacks. Downside - Light Blindness
Smoking Eye Creature template (The Shackled City Adventure Path): one of your eyes (you're required to have at least one!) is replaced with little smoky magical flame. RAW doesn't says this flame can be extinguished, and I really doubt the Murder of Crows will be able to peck it out. (Also, handy source of fire) It isn't so much "to lose an eye" as "to have an eye", but kinda a bit of both
The Ruby Incisor (Dragon #359)

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)

Feats:
Hand of Tyr (don’t need to cut the hand off to get weak bonuses, but you can)
Detach (tear off a non-bite natural attack piece of your body and use it at range - doesn’t grow back by itself, deals ¼ you total hit points in subdual damage)
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.)

Prestige Classes (body parts lost, to be regained later if retrained or only an entry requirement):
Eye of Gruumsh (eye)
Blessed of Gruumsh (eye)
Eunuch Warlock (testicles)
Pale Master (arm)
Fleshwarper (various)
Renegade Mastermaker (various)
Acolyte of the Skin (skin)
Beholder Mage (central eye)


That's a very useful list, thank you.

[martixy]

I'd normally shill for PF's Called Shots (which I expanded on recently for my game, see sig).

But if we're keeping this 3.5 specific... something which that list, and everyone else missed:

BoVD's Warp Touch disease has many effects that result in the actual or effective loss of body parts. Gain too. Heck, it can make you lose your skin... which is technically a body part.

And, vorpal...?

Also, I find it odd that Detach, a feat which appeared in the same book that has the Multiheaded template, specifically excludes bite attacks.

[DwarvenWarCorgi]

I'm working on a house rule where a target can be maimed with a killing blow instead of killed.................
Thoughts?

Seems interesting for a less-than-lethal campaign. My group is full on murder-hobo at this point, we're enjoying "Torn Asunder" for pathfinder. 3rd party splatbook that gives tables and rules for critical hits as maimings instead of just increased damage.

Edit: yeah, not technically 3.5

[ShurikVch]

Rift Portal Malfunction Table (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pg/20030917a):

31-50
The portal teleports 1d4 of the user's limbs to random dwarven cities in the north. Enough of the user is retained to keep him or her alive, but that is all. No wounds are left behind, so bleeding does not occur. The user can reattach any lost limb by touching it to the stump where it belongs, but the regrafting is extremely painful (Fort save DC 20 or suffer 1d8 points of damage per round for 1 minute).

[Bronk]

That's a very useful list, thank you.

You're welcome! It's fun when a list has a new use!


Rift Portal Malfunction Table (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pg/20030917a):

Nice... That's very horrifying, especially since the person losing the limbs wouldn't even know where they went!



But if we're keeping this 3.5 specific... something which that list, and everyone else missed:

BoVD's Warp Touch disease has many effects that result in the actual or effective loss of body parts. Gain too. Heck, it can make you lose your skin... which is technically a body part.


Nice addition! Mostly for the eyeball when it comes to my regeneration list though... Based on the Wither Limb spell, it seems that the withered part is still present and attached.

[darkdragoon]

Pillar of Geryon (FCII) basically tears off your hand and puts a new evil one in its place. It isn't so generous if you put your head there.

[Mordaedil]

I seem to recall reading in some book that it was implied you could lose a limb from someone attempting to sunder your arms or legs.