3.5 - Ways to dismember by RAW

[Jon_Dahl]

I'm looking for ways to dismember PC's, preferably something for 4th-level party.

Mawler from Tome of Horrors is excellent!

Any ideas are welcomed.

[Mushroom Ninja]

I'm looking for ways to dismember PC's, preferably something for 4th-level party.

Mawler from Tome of Horrors is excellent!

Any ideas are welcomed.

Please elaborate. What exactly do you mean by "dismember".

[Private-Prinny]

Please elaborate. What exactly do you mean by "dismember".

Cutting off someone's limbs or other body parts. A vorpal blade has decapitation, if you like that sort of thing.

[Jon_Dahl]

Please elaborate. What exactly do you mean by "dismember".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismemberment

In other words lose parts of your body. Small as fingers are ok, but a whole leg would be better.

Cutting off someone's limbs or other body parts. A vorpal blade has decapitation, if you like that sort of thing.

Hmm, that is little too insta-death for my taste here but thanks!

[Darrin]

Head of Vecna FTW.

[Vizzerdrix]

Torn Asunder :Critical Hits is a 3rd party 3.0 book, but if I remember, it has everything you want.

[Ormagoden]

Hold person + Axe

/thread

[Jon_Dahl]

Hold person + Axe

/thread

Your RAW is strong :)

[gallagher]

I would say sunder the body part. Give it size bonuses so arms are tiny and fingers are fine or something

[Maeglin_Dubh]

I would say sunder the body part. Give it size bonuses so arms are tiny and fingers are fine or something

We sometimes allow called shots to certain parts with an appropriate penalty based on size, as you say here. Success in destroying the target occurred if the strike dealt over 25% of their maximum health.

My duskblade was murder. Quick-cast true strike, take a -8 to target the head, channel shocking grasp, head asplode.

[Optimystik]

IIRC, Wu Jen have a couple of these, like Decapitating Scarf.

You could also allow called shots with weaponlikes, e.g. Disintegrate or Whirling Blade.

[Ernir]

Pretty difficult to do by RAW. Houseruling in called shots is easy to do, hard to balance. =/

That being said, Seething Eyebane (Book of Vile Darkness), a first level spell, lets you explode your opponent's eyes.

Aside from that... uh, polymorph your foes into hydras and sunder their heads?

[wormwood]

the Book of Vile Darkness has a spell that rips off your target's hand and turns it into an undead that immediately beats the snot out of the poor fool who just lost it... with whatever weapon it had.

This is one reason no campaign I ever run will allow the Book of Vile Darkness again.

[Human Paragon 3]

Tome of Battle has a lot of manuevers that can simulate this, either through stat penalties, ability damage, movement reduction, etc.

They get better after a little while, but it's pretty close. There are feats that allow sneak attack to deal bleeding damage, injure legs, etc. too in complete adventurer/scoundrel. You could homebrew an NPC/Monster only ability that makes these effects permenant.

[Ormagoden]

the Book of Vile Darkness has a spell that rips off your target's hand and turns it into an undead that immediately beats the snot out of the poor fool who just lost it... with whatever weapon it had.

This is one reason no campaign I ever run will allow the Book of Vile Darkness again.

You have helped me in ways you cannot understand!

:runs off laughing manically:

[Claudius Maximus]

There's a feat in the Beholder chapter of Lords of Madness that lets you use Disintegrate to disintegrate specific body parts of your target.

[KillianHawkeye]

There's a feat in the Beholder chapter of Lords of Madness that lets you use Disintegrate to disintegrate specific body parts of your target.

I love that feat!

[randomhero00]

A simple way to houserule it is to make a quick table by level for the amount of damage you need to do to sever something. So like lvl 1 might be 7 damage minimum. If you do 7 or more damage the player (or DM NPC) can choose a body part to sever. I'd make it pretty high though or you'll lose a lot of parts quickly :P An even simpler way is to simply roll a nat20 (and confirm) to sever body parts.

[Flickerdart]

Aside from that... uh, polymorph your foes into hydras and sunder their heads?

"I polymorph it into an Orge!"
"An Ogre, why? Those things are dangerous!"
"Four words: Sword of Ogre Decapitation!"

[Forever Curious]

"I polymorph it into an Orge!"
"An Ogre, why? Those things are dangerous!"
"Four words: Sword of Ogre Decapitation!"

Thread won!

[ghashxx]

The Book of Vile Darkness has some ridiculously awesome things as mentioned above. The kind of spells that truly inspire maniacal laughter even from the most kind hearted of pixies. Also happens to have some of my favorite spells ever

[Teron]

Hmm, that is little too insta-death for my taste here but thanks!

Losing a limb would cripple a low level PC so badly he'd be better off dead so his player can replace him sooner. Unless you intend to provide free regenerate spells or to run an exceptionally brutal campaign where players aren't meant to get attached to their characters, I advise against the idea.

[9mm]

Champions of Ruin have a couple feats like Flay foe and Snatch trophy...

[JeminiZero]

Half Illithid template has the ability to entirely eat an enemies brain at once on successful grapple (as opposed to gradual Int damage that True Illithids do).

[deuxhero]

Warlocks have a few, but they are all self inflicted.

[Bibliomancer]

Half Illithid template has the ability to entirely eat an enemies brain at once on successful grapple (as opposed to gradual Int damage that True Illithids do).

I believe you have that backwards. If a True Illithid grapples a person AND attaches all four tentacles, they can make a successful grapple check to extract the brain, killing the (single-headed) creature instantly. Intelligence damage is not involved.

Alternative methods of brain extraction include taking the aberration-related tentacle feat 4 times so you can get this ability (possible for a first level human with 2 flaws) or using the Flaying Tendrils spell (Sor/Wiz 5, personal, rounds/level, Complete Mage or Arcane) to get a set of tentacles.

[JeminiZero]

I believe you have that backwards. If a True Illithid grapples a person AND attaches all four tentacles, they can make a successful grapple check to extract the brain, killing the (single-headed) creature instantly. Intelligence damage is not involved.

Alternative methods of brain extraction include taking the aberration-related tentacle feat 4 times so you can get this ability (possible for a first level human with 2 flaws) or using the Flaying Tendrils spell (Sor/Wiz 5, personal, rounds/level, Complete Mage or Arcane) to get a set of tentacles.

Dang. It appears we are both confused. Its the Illithid Tentacle feats that do Int Damage. Both Half Illithids and Full Illithids can perform insta-brain axtraction.

[Jon_Dahl]

Losing a limb would cripple a low level PC so badly he'd be better off dead so his player can replace him sooner. Unless you intend to provide free regenerate spells or to run an exceptionally brutal campaign where players aren't meant to get attached to their characters, I advise against the idea.

So you think these are unplayable and "good as dead"?:

Too big picture to insert here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...teShip50sC.jpg



Come again?
If player would refuse to play a character with a hook hand or a wooden leg, I would be more than happy to let him or her find a new game somewhere else.

[Shalist]

If player would refuse to play a character with a hook hand or a wooden leg, I would be more than happy to let him or her find a new game somewhere else.

Yeah, what's wrong with a few missing limbs, or eyes, or whatever else? If they complain, just give them a consolatory parrot animal companion that spends all day pooping on their shoulder, and call it good :P

[Jon_Dahl]

Well I'd say that after two hacked off limbs it would be fair to say that the character can be discarded but not before that. After all getting a limb hacked off is a rare event and after a certain point PC's are able to cast or buy regeneration or use ring of renegeration (which is really friggin' boring if you ask me).