Born with no arms?

[Lonely Tylenol]

Might work as a psion?

Wouldn't allow one of my players to develop such a character concept. PCs need to pull their own weight. Reliance on other PCs would be too annoying. Wouldn't want a psion to waste PSPs on basic tasks, like wiping his own ass. Its not like the other PCs will be interested in babysitting the cripple so he can save his power for killing people and taking their stuff.

When was the last time one of your characters went to the bathroom at all?

Anyway, despite the apparent political incorrectness of saying so, a person with no arms is not suited for many kinds of tasks, including hand-to-hand combat. *cough* I can see this character as a monk or psion, maybe a bard. But there's a lot of skills that are just out of bounds.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

double post

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Wow. There are some really close-minded opinions on this topic; I'm glad I'm not playing in their groups. It's the same mentality as, "oh my stats don't add up to X, well then this is a useless character." What a crock of bs. As for changing the subject, when someone makes derogatory insinuations, I'm going to call them on it. Period.

Ogrork, one can be respectful of the physically challenged without willfully ignoring the realities of their unique situations. Adventuring is an incredibly dangerous and physically arduous task. It is unsuited to many full-bodied individuals and extremely unsuited to the severely challenged.

We aren't talking about about a man who's lost an ear, or a finger. We're talking about a person with no arms. Saying that such a person would in all likelihood fail as an adventurer is not a closed-minded opinion. It's a recognition of the reality of the situation.

Now, this doesn't mean that an armless man can't be an adventurer. But it would require extreme lengths to justify such a situation. As others have mentioned, choosing a class that doesn't use weapons or somatic components seems key. An armless druid might work if he could wildshape into a full-bodied form. A psion could work. Possibly a monk (though I personally find this one dubious.)

And even if the DM allows for such a situation, another PC is fully justified in not wanting to adventure with an armless PC. It's an unnecessary complication in a profession that can regularly get you killed. They don't allow pilots with less than 20/20 vision in the Air Force for the same reason. Glasses or contacts at 30,000 ft. is a needless and possibly disastrous complication. Same with an armless man in the adventuring party.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I have to agree that this is all but unplayable. Nothing's technically unplayable, but I see this as a frustrating and self-defeating attempt at building a weakness into a character for roleplaying purposes that will severely hinder effectiveness from a rules perspective. You have to be ready for other PCs to shine more than you and for NPCs to not take you seriously. When the King talks to the adventuring party and tells their "Jester" to scoot away so they can talk real business, don't be too surprised...

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Actually, I think you'd be surprised. Especially when said "jester" crushes the king's skull like an eggshell. The fact that you see this as a self-defeating attempt to role-play speaks volumes about your gaming style. There are those do, and those who don't. You don't. And that's a pity.

Honestly, I know it's a workable concept - I've seen the finished character. If you think he's disabled, you'd be one of the first to die. He's anything but.

My thanks for all the constructive feedback. It was appreciated. I'd post details, but he's a surprise...

To all the naysayers, I encourage you to expand your horizons beyond what's technically/statistically favourable. There's a whole world of creativity lying just beyond the next hill...

 

[ThirdWizard]

Especially when said "jester" crushes the king's skull like an eggshell.

Ummm okay... See, I know you're only exemplefying his statistical power as a character, but this opens a can of worms. Do expect the character to be treated as an invalid. Seriously. Sure, he knows he can do things, maybe even his party members know he can do things. But when he walks by the group of children and they start laughing at him, just learn to live and let live. Even if they start throwing stones at him.

 

[Fundin Strongarm]

I'd have to agree with most of the others. The character would likely never make it to the high levels required to permanently fly, cast mage hand and have lots of feats and skills. Either that or he'd be very very old by the time he had that much experience.

Anyways, as a finished character with the abilities you mentioned, I guess he could be workable. There'd be a heck of a lot more than -4 for grappling though.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Hey, bring it on baby. Laugh away. That's what fuels the rage within him that has slowly turned him into a psychopath. When he murders all the children, that's what makes legends. Pretty soon, people aren't laughing anymore. Actually, pretty soon no one breathes his name. Of course, he's also somewhat uncomfortable with his condition so he lives the life of a recluse and hides his loss beneath his robes. The isolation has deepened his mental instability, leading to paranoia (trust me, you REALLY don't want to piss this guy off!).

I agree that grappling would put him at a SEVERE disadvantage. But it's doubtful anyone would ever get that close to him. He knows his limitations (to a point), and he compensates for them. When he drops a 300 pound rock on you from a thousand feet away, you'll regret your laughter. If you're still alive, that is...

 

[ThirdWizard]

What level is your game starting at?

And, just so you know, low level Chaotic Evil characters are harder to play (and keep survive) in my games much moreso than any cripple could be.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

It's not starting. It's ongoing, 10+. And he's not a player, he's an NPC. He's not in your campaign, so that's not an issue either.