In game effect of mechanical hand

[Doctor DM]

My character in a Wild West Steampunk game has a mechanical hand. Right now it's purely for flavor, but I was wondering if anyone had any cool ideas for an actual in game effect the hand could have?

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Some pretty mundane ideas:
- Give it an effective Strength increase for very specific tasks (like breaking/crushing small items that can be held in one hand).
- Make it "lockable" so it's harder to disarm, lose grip, or the like.

If it's a little more unusual:
- make it detachable, so it can (ranged punch? fetch? grappling hook? reconnoiter? or..?)
- give it a retractable blade, single shot pistol-finger or other last-ditch defense.
- embed a limited toolset of specific type (lockpicks; dentists' tools; lenses; makeup kit; or whatever's appropriate (or not!) to the character)
- take one gewgaw from Batman's toolbelt (except possibly shark repellant) and work it into the hand mechanism.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well,

1. there's the chief of police in Young Frankenstein who unnervingly stabs his darts into his artificial limb while playing.
2. Electricity will want to be more freindly with you than with your buddies
3. keep your gloves on when its wet.
4. superstitious folks might view you with an even more jaundiced eye than other miscreants.
5. you can have more fun with magnets than anyone else.
6. good for bar tricks and intimidation checks involving breaking bottles by squeezing them or by punching through bars
7. speaking of punching through wood, you may be able to attack through the flimsy walls of the brothels ("oh, the places you will go!")

BTW, his name wouldn't be Sy Borgia, would it?

 

[Doctor DM]

BTW, his name wouldn't be Sy Borgia, would it?

No, it's Jake Cauldron, from Jake Chambers of The Dark Tower series, and Cauldron for The Black Cauldron. He's based off of Mugen from Samurai Champloo, but with two pistols instead of a sword.

Awesome ideas. I was already thinking about the breaking stuff bonus, but I like the others a lot too.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Playing off other's ideas, I like the idea of making the hand semi-detachable: if it remains attached via a cable, you can do things like the MK ranged grab- "Get over here!"- Indiana Jones or Inspector Gadget whip/reach tricks, Batman climbing cables- "How much did you say you wegh?". It would give you an advantage leaping from horse to train, horse to stagecoach, horse to horse, or whores to horse from second floors.

If it is easily repairable in game, you could even try something heroically cool like sticking a metal finger into the barrel of the revolver someone is pointing at you.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

He should wear velvet gloves...at least one on his prosthetic.