Sundering a limb?

[KrazyHades]

Ok, my batch of players has gotten used to the system, and they are well aware that things are now going to get much more deadly. Last Saturday two characters nearly died and were only saved by awesome rolls, for example. The players are ready for this, and I wanted to know how to hit them where it counts. I've been sundering weapons, tripping so that standing provokes tons of AoOs, grappling while flying (or, now, falling), disarming and wielding an opponent's weapon, etc. But there's one thing that I don't know how to do.

I want to know how I could use monsters to attempt to sunder a limb in combat.

 

[Meeki]

The core rules do not provide any information about this, unless its buried in the DMG somewhere. I would just come up with some rules for sundering a limb.

AC = 10 + size modified + dex + deflection + misc

Of course this would be ignoring the functionality of armor but you can add in hardness they have to go through before they damage the limb. Sunder attempts can't technically be against armor but the DM can easily allow this. It functions essentially as sunder a worn object, the way I have it at least.

There has to be some sort of penalty for sundering a limb. Maybe if the limb takes a percentage of damage based off of the total health of the creature then it takes a penalty. Like if a single sunder attack deals 1/5 of the creature's hp then the limb is useless and if it deals damage but less than a fifth it takes a -4 penalty to all attacks, skills, etc when using that limb for a number of rounds equal to damage done?

Something like that. Just invent something for your game!

 

[javcs]

As per RAW, there are no rules for targeting and damaging limbs.

There may be optional rules for this somewhere, I think either the DMG or Unearthed Arcana are the best shot at finding something.

The Vorpal quality is the only real 'limb' damaging system.

 

[Tonguez]

IMC I require a 'double critical' (ie two 20s rolled in a row) before allowing a called shot which then requires a third to hit roll at BAb - 4

 

[Thurbane]

Allowing targeting of specific body parts is generally viewed as a very, very bad idea. UA definitely has some rules on specific hit locations, however.

Of course, the hydra complicates matters by allowing you to sunder it's heads...

 

[Lord Zardoz]

This is one of those things that sounds better on paper than it actually is in practice.

If you want rules for attacking specific limbs, use the Hydra as a baseline and adjust until it feels about right.

If you want rules for results of limb specific hits, you can take a look at the tables in the 2nd Edition Combat and Tactics, though I suggest not using the top end of the table, since it has a few 'instant death 'results.

Ultimately, for the amount of extra effort it requires, it just wont give you that much back.

You are probably better off coming up with some system allowing a successful attack to inflict a status condition (Dazed, Stunned, Nauseated, Blinded, etc) or specific outcome (Movement penalty, attack penalty, damage penalty, temp Str or Dex damage). If you start allowing specific limb damage, your going to have players going for specific targets to gain unwarranted combat advantages, as well as the complications for limb damage to non humanoid creatures. Your better off abstracting it out.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[WhatGravitas]

RAW, it's not possible. The best solution I've found: Take a one-headed hydra: Total hit points divided by 1 - your hp total.

What does that mean? People in combat try to decapitate their opponent all the time, not that unrealistic, because it's simply trying to kill your opponent.

So: In my game, if you "kill" somebody, you can choose loss of a limb, instead of death (if you have a suitable weapon). The pain would make the person comatose, anyway, so no game-difference.

Cheers, LT.

 

[shilsen]

As people have noted, letting people do it in combat - however high the penalty - is a lousy idea. In a fight, people are already trying to chop off limbs, decapitate enemies, etc. In D&D, we deal with that via hit pts.

The simplest way to allow it is to let someone who drops an enemy below -10 hp decide what happens to the enemy. Decapitate them? Sure. Cut off a hand? Sure. Kneecap them and not kill them? Sure.

 

[Infiniti2000]

The simplest way to allow it is to let someone who drops an enemy below -10 hp decide what happens to the enemy. Decapitate them? Sure. Cut off a hand? Sure. Kneecap them and not kill them? Sure.

Keep in mind such things have an in-game consequence because decapitation suddenly makes raise dead impossible. Sure, you could always do so after the combat, but who raises bad guys anyway? Such a rule is a PC-killer.

 

[Tiberius]

Sure, you could always do so after the combat, but who raises bad guys anyway?

Their allies.