Flame my Template: Multilimbed

Okay, so I'm probably nuts, but I wanted a way to create monsters with more than one pair of arms... I've got all these GW Chaos mutants and three-armed ogres, and want to do somethign with them. Plus, I'm a huge 80's X-Men fan, and thought a Spiral rip-off femme fatale would be a cool antagonist that my players wouldn't recognize as a rip-off.

Please, post your comments, flames and critiques... Oh, and if anyone can think of a Level Adjustment/ECL I'd welcome thoughts on that front too... Tossing this template on a human or other base-race could make a interesting new (N)PC race.

(But go easy on the Goro references...)


CREATING A MULTILIMBED CREATURE

"Multilimbed" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature that has a humanoid anatomy with arms (hereafter refered to as the base creature). A multilimbed creature has all the base creature's characteristics except as noted here. A multilimbed creature speaks any languages the base creature does.

Size and Type: Animals that have this template become magical beasts, but otherwise type is unchanged. All additional arms are like that of the base creaure.

Limit on additional arms: The number of arms possible for a multilimbed creature is based on the base creature's size.

Base Creature Size Max. Additional Arms
Up to Medium-size 2
Large 4
Huge 12
Gargantuan 20
Colossal 30

Hit Dice: Each additional arm adds 1HD to the base creatures total.

Attacks: A base creature with a claw or touch attack gains one additional attack for each additonal limb. This additional attack has the same attack bonus has the same attack bonus as its counterpart in the base creature. The base attack bonus increases for additional Hit Dice as appropriate for the creature's type.

Damage: The damage bonus for an extra natural attack gained by the addition of a limb is is the Strength modifer for a primary attack, or 1/2 the Str modoifer for a secondary attack.

Special Attacks: Base creatures who use weapons gain Two-Weapon Fighting and Ambidexterity. These feats allows them to use two weapons without a great penalty to attack or damage, effectivly a multilimbed creature has multiple "primary" and "off-hands". Base creatures with touch attacks, or the like, gain the ability to use that power with each hand. Special attacks (improved grab, poison, energy attacks) related to a creature's hands can be used with all limbs at once.

Special Qualities: Multilimbed creatures have darkvision to 90 ft.

Saves: Same as base creature.

Abilities: Base creature's Constitution is increased by +2 for every two additional limbs.

Skills: Same as base creature.


Feats: See Special Attacks, above. Also the creature gains any additional feat slots to which its additional Hit Dice would entitle it, according to its type.

Climate/Terrain: Same as base creature

Organization: Solitary

Challenge Rating:

1-2 additional limbs, +1
3-4 additional limbs, +2
5-12 additional limbs, +3
13-20 additional limbs, +4
21-30 additional limbs, +5

+1 additional per limb-based special attack of base creature

Treasure: As base creature

Alignment: Always chaotic

Advancement: Same as base creature

Why the darkvision? I am wondering how being multi-limbed affects your vision? Also, the CRs for the massive number of extra limbs (5-30) seem a little low to me.

Oh, yes the darkvison... IRCC according to the MM all magic beasts have Darkvision 60' and/or low-light vision. Now, I can't think of anyway to discribe a multilimbed animal as anything but a magical beast.

As for the CRs, any toughts as how to better spread out the number of limbs? Perhaps +1 CR every two limbs?

Challenge Rating:

1-2 additional limbs, +1
3-4 additional limbs, +2
5-6 additional limbs, +3
7-8 additional limbs, +4
9-10 additional limbs, +5
11-12 additional limbs, +6
etc... etc...
29-30 additional limbs, +15

+1 additional per limb-based special attack of base creature

I really don't see this template as being much more powerful than Multiheaded (SS). Having more arms lets you hold more weapons or have more claws, but it really doesn;t let you weild them with that much more accuracy. Whereas with Multiheaded you gain superior two-weapon fighting, as each head can control a limb.

(And yes, I realize that stacking this template with Multiheaded would result in a disgustingly over-powered creature; so would a half-black dragon leanern pryrohydra... stackng templates can get sick sometimes.)

Forgot about the magical beast thing, so that makes sense.

I like the new CR. I was worried because of the pure number of attacks per round and the damage that such a creature could deal. If you put in Multi-dexterity then you nix a lot of the negatives and you could have Tarrasque with thirty-four limbs, which would be a character killer. Even an ogre with a bunch of extra arms and a few select feats and you have a creature with an effective CR much higher than the actual.

Just imagine the mad mages "experiments" running wild and how nasty it would be for the PCs. Just my two bits.

I'm not aware of any animals, beasts, or magical beasts that have a humanoid frame. Can you give an example?

Also, I would expect to be able to apply this to humanoids (and/or monstruous humanoids) as well. How does the type change?

And why only corporeal?

I wouldn't suggest changing the creature's type... that could lead to some weirdness.... is a 10 legged spider no longer a vermin? Nah.

My other comment has to do with extra arms based on creature size... the arms are proportional to the size of the creature, right? So a hill giant with 4 arms has 4 giant arms, and not 2 giant arms and 2 human arms, right? Why not just have a set bonus of 2 arms, no matter the creature's size?

I also don't really think the alignment requirement fits, but hey, that's just me =)

I've actually wanted to make a race of 4 armed somethings (inspired by Goro) for quite some time... never got around to it though. Maybe your template will inspire me!

Here's a 4-armed kittyfolk, from the computer game Shadowcaster.

I wouldn't suggest changing the creature's type... that could lead to some weirdness.... is a 10 legged spider no longer a vermin? Nah.

Click to expand...

Actually, only base creatures of the Animal type change (becoming Magical Beats). My thinking was behind this was that 'Animal' as a type is usual used to refer to animals that have existed in our real world. An Ape or Wolf with 6 legs is clearly not something from the real world, and Magical Beast seems to be the type that always gets assigned to creatures that aren't too fantastic, but aren't real either... Giant Eagle, Giant Owl, even Blink Dog and Displacer Beast.

My other comment has to do with extra arms based on creature size... the arms are proportional to the size of the creature, right? So a hill giant with 4 arms has 4 giant arms, and not 2 giant arms and 2 human arms, right? Why not just have a set bonus of 2 arms, no matter the creature's size?

Click to expand...

By applying this template, you don't have to apply the full number of arms you could. A 3- or 4-armed giant is certainly possibly, but I wanted the potential for both the "chaotic mass of misshappen arms" nasty monster, or the "lithe and graceful" race of multilimbed elves...

My thinking has always been a template should give you the game mechanics and rules... the DM shoudl get to apply the "fluff" of discription and history.

I also don't really think the alignment requirement fits, but hey, that's just me =)

Click to expand...

Eh, I'm pretty neutral on this. Somehow chaotic just struck me as appropriate. Either way, the rest fo the template has very little to do with this.

I'm not aware of any animals, beasts, or magical beasts that have a humanoid frame. Can you give an example?

Click to expand...

Huh, your right... brain frat on my part when I wrote the first paragraph. Edit that to read:

"Multilimbed" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature with descernable limbs (hereafter refered to as the base creature). A multilimbed creature has all the base creature's characteristics except as noted here. A multilimbed creature speaks any languages the base creature does.

Also, I would expect to be able to apply this to humanoids (and/or monstruous humanoids) as well. How does the type change?

Click to expand...

You can apply this to humanoids and monstrous humanoids with equal abbandon! Type does not change, as I can think of little fundanmental difference between a fatansy Elf and a fatansy Elf with a thrid arm! DnD makes the distiction between real world animals and fantasy animals, but not so much with humanoids.

And why only corporeal?

Click to expand...

Uh, why not? Actually, because I couldn't think of any ethereal or incorporeal creatures with limbs that wouldn't be a template already... Ghost or Shade, springs to mind, and you can still stack the templates if you wish. Take your base creautre, add multilimbed, and then add Ghost or what have you... bake on high at 450°... Serve chilled.

Edit: Fixed some quote formating.

Oh, what about level adjustment/ECL?


My best guess... including the added HD:

1-2 additional limbs, +2
3-4 additional limbs, +4
5-6 additional limbs, +6
7-8 additional limbs, +8
9-10 additional limbs, +10
11-12 additional limbs, +12
etc... etc...
29-30 additional limbs, +30

+1 additional per limb-based special attack of base creature, if DM deems such an attack is worth a level adjustment.

I like...