(Item) Helpful Hand

[Machete]

Helpful Hand

The Helpful Hand is a recent innovation from the observation of the use of Mage Hand by the weakest of wizards who consider its mighty lifting power useful. It is a dimembered hand, often of a dire raccoon, with a wart on its palm. When the wart is pressed for a full round the hand opens up and can be placed against something which it will grab onto when the wart is released (full round action). It will then lift against gravity with the force of 5 lb. If the Helpful Hand ever gets loose, it will rise 25 feet and then drop. In environments with subjective gravity, the Helpful Hand doesn't function. Its most helpful use is being clipped to a haversack to reduce its "weight" by 5 pounds.

Faint transmutation; CL 1st; Craft Wondrous Item, mage hand; Price 100 gp; Weight -

[Alex12]

Get enough of them, and you can be effectively almost weightless.

[DanielLC]

Do you have any idea how slow you walk when you're almost weightless? Take a look at the moon landing. You don't want to be like that when you're running for your life.

[Alex12]

Do you have any idea how slow you walk when you're almost weightless? Take a look at the moon landing. You don't want to be like that when you're running for your life.

That doesn't matter in D&D. Base land speed. Doesn't say anything about things like weight having any effect on walking or falling speed, other than that you move slower the more encumbered you are.

[DracoDei]

There is an optimal balance somewhere in there... also a space suit is very difficult to move in regardless of gravity.

[Machete]

It seems like carrying capacity always was limited to either:

Play big strength score pack mule characters

Bringing a mule or donkey which would likely starve on long journeys.

Bring a wagon with a team of four mules to carry all your stuff and be stuck to road travel.

right to

Light as a feather because I have a Handy Haversack/Bag of Holding and now have 120 lb. of carrying capacity plus whatever I can carry in bags strapped to it.


I took the price of the Handy Haversack and divided carrying capacity into it to get the price per pound of carrying (20 gp). I know the Helpful Hand will have other uses but it will never allow you to take an item out of your pack quicker.

[Jaerc]

If the wart is on it's palm and pressing the wart makes it open it's hand...

[Machete]

It means you have to force a finger down to the wart via the open space to it where no fingers are: the wrist.

I could have said command word, but that is not nearly as flavorful in my opinion as having to touch a wart.


A cursed version could be made from a dire rat hand that exposes you to filth fever every time you use it.