Skill check penalties for hook prosthetic hand?

[smetzger]

PCs recently acquired a hook artifact. In order to use the hook properly one will need to replace a hand with the hook.

What would be some reasonable penalties for skill checks?

[Crake]

I'd say it'd depend entirely on the circumstance. Climbing an ice cliff where you can use the hook as a piton might actually result in a bonus rather than a penalty, while climbing a smoother rock surface might incur a -2 or -5 penalty. Other checks might simply be entirely impossible with only one hand, no penalty, you just can't do it.

Point is, there's no blanket "this is the penalty to use" for a situation like this.

[mabriss lethe]

I'd say it'd depend entirely on the circumstance. Climbing an ice cliff where you can use the hook as a piton might actually result in a bonus rather than a penalty, while climbing a smoother rock surface might incur a -2 or -5 penalty. Other checks might simply be entirely impossible with only one hand, no penalty, you just can't do it.

Point is, there's no blanket "this is the penalty to use" for a situation like this.

As a counterpoint, you can also go with "It's magic" to plaster over a lot of fiddly rules if you don't to have to come up with situational modifiers every time the player tries to do something. Unable to use two handed weapons would be a good non numeric penalty and maybe a -5 to any dex based skill rolls that require hands. "It's not as good as the real thing, but it's magic so you manage somehow..."

[Venger]

I'd say it'd depend entirely on the circumstance. Climbing an ice cliff where you can use the hook as a piton might actually result in a bonus rather than a penalty, while climbing a smoother rock surface might incur a -2 or -5 penalty. Other checks might simply be entirely impossible with only one hand, no penalty, you just can't do it.

Point is, there's no blanket "this is the penalty to use" for a situation like this.

Yeah this is true. Plus it's not 100% that all checks for a given skill can only be done two-handed, or that there will necessarily be a penalty for doing them one-handed.

For this reason, why not just say the hook will aid you sometimes and hinder you others, it evens out, QED no penalty? There isn't a penalty for womens' strength scores in the game anymore, so if there isn't one for having one hand, you don't need to add one in.