Battlefist: Too Many Rules Limitations

[ourchair]

In our current campaign, the Eladrin Swordmage's arm is infected by some magical zombie voodoo. In effect, it's a zombie arm that acts on its own will. Devon Sawa in Idle Hands jokes abound.

Anyway, it seems that optimization-wise, the Swordmage doesn't suffer from having only one arm to count on. However, the DM and I were thinking that if push comes to shove, her arm may need to be amputated.

To reduce the trauma, we're thinking of giving her a battlefist. What annoys me though is that the character builder doesn't allow for one to install a battlefist unless one is a Level 11 Artificer, Paragon-ed into Self-Forged.

That's an awfully specific set of criteria to allow a piece of equipment. One wonders why it's even the equipment list in the first place instead of being a path-specific at-will power -- alongside the encounter power known to me only as ROCKET PUNCH!.

I mean seriously, you have to be a a specific class to take an exact paragon path just so you can attach a weapon from the shop tab? Why bother listing it in the first place?

Anyway, do you think it would be fair to houserule that battlefist in? It would give her a 1d8 mace-type weapon that can be used with a +3 proficiency attack bonus.

 

[Aulirophile]

So long as you let her use it as an Implement, it'll be functionally identical to a longsword... so sure.

 

[ourchair]

So long as you let her use it as an Implement, it'll be functionally identical to a longsword... so sure.

So she'll become a Fistmage?

 

[Aulirophile]

So she'll become a Fistmage?

I will never put those two words together.

 

[ourchair]

I will never put those two words together.

Oh shoot.

That wasn't meant to be a sly attempt at being crude.

Honest.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

My take on it is that the artificer prestige class is one where you have a "bionic" implant and you spend considerable attention to augmenting it.

As for your campaign, you can make the replacement whatever you want it to be. Indeed, that's exactly what I suggest. Whether you make it a pure plot point, or a gold-sink, or actually make it an augment (I would suggest making it basically a refluffed version of a non-shield arm slot) is all up to you.

 

[Bold or Stupid]

A swordmage NPC in one of my games lost her hand (it was that or her head), her PC other half a wizard built her a magical replacement, I seem to remember it had some sort of goves type enchantment.

All in all just ignore the battle fist gicve her a fluffed set of gloves of storing or some such, coz storing your sword in your arm is cool.

 

[ourchair]

My take on it is that the artificer prestige class is one where you have a "bionic" implant and you spend considerable attention to augmenting it.

As for your campaign, you can make the replacement whatever you want it to be. Indeed, that's exactly what I suggest. Whether you make it a pure plot point, or a gold-sink, or actually make it an augment (I would suggest making it basically a refluffed version of a non-shield arm slot) is all up to you.

It seems that they don't really do much with the Self-Forged Battlefist except give you a few Paragon powers with it. Granted, they are powerful powers, but no more than any other Paragon power. There's no reason it can't be re-crunched by WotC as a more mundane piece of equipment.

That said, I really want it to work as if her character hasn't really lost or gained anything mechanically, other than perhaps being able to smack someone with her fist for 1d8 damage. As for the Arms Slot, I think we can just rule that YES, you can wear bracers or gauntlets over it.

A swordmage NPC in one of my games lost her hand (it was that or her head), her PC other half a wizard built her a magical replacement, I seem to remember it had some sort of goves type enchantment.

All in all just ignore the battle fist gicve her a fluffed set of gloves of storing or some such, coz storing your sword in your arm is cool.

So basically... she'll just be an eladrin with a warforged arm and wields a warsoul weapon?

 

[Bold or Stupid]

So basically... she'll just be an eladrin with a warforged arm and wields a warsoul weapon?

Basically yes. I the case in my game, she's "just" an Eladrin with a fully functional filigree silverhand, it adds a quite nod to celtic myth, looks cool/weird and functions as a glove of storing. I wouldn't worry overly much about there being no game effect from the bionic replacement, just having two hands should be reward enough .