Rules-wise, is there ANY way to lose a limb or become crippled?
- Thread starter Green Knight
- Start date
My group has done maiming in the past in a couple ways:
1) As a DM, I actually went and used the combat and tactics guide crit chart, with significant modifications. It allows for all sorts of nasty injuries that last a while. Saves can be made to avoid the effects of the crit (severed limbs, penalties to actions, movement penalties, etc.) by making a Fort or Ref save. It seems obvious to me that the strongest (high fort) characters can withstand a blow that might otherwise take a limb and that the nimblest (high ref) characters can avoid the worst of the damage. Non combatants have bad saves in both these areas and have extra incentive to avoid attacks. DC is set by the base max damage of the crit. If you are a dwarf with 20 strength and a War Axe +3 that you are specialized in, then your save DC's vs. crits will be 10+3+5+2=19. That is the base max damage before the crit multiplier. Thus a War axe is less likely to create limb loss than a Two Handed sword, but does extra damage when it a successful crit is recieved. In all cases damage is calculated as normal, it is merely the threat of the extra crit effects that is different from the base rules.
2) Vorpal weapons go from instant death, to potential to cause limb severing, randomly determined, with head being a possiblility only 10% of the time. Saves are 10+ base max damage for a weapon (that same dwarf with a vorpal War Axe is 10+10+3+5+2=29 DC vs. outright severing). Thus, Vorpal weapons are still very dangerous, but not instantly lethal.
The chart that we have used is (d10)
1-2: Right leg
3-4: Left Leg
5-6: Off hand Arm
7-9: Weapon Arm
10: Head
1) As a DM, I actually went and used the combat and tactics guide crit chart, with significant modifications. It allows for all sorts of nasty injuries that last a while. Saves can be made to avoid the effects of the crit (severed limbs, penalties to actions, movement penalties, etc.) by making a Fort or Ref save. It seems obvious to me that the strongest (high fort) characters can withstand a blow that might otherwise take a limb and that the nimblest (high ref) characters can avoid the worst of the damage. Non combatants have bad saves in both these areas and have extra incentive to avoid attacks. DC is set by the base max damage of the crit. If you are a dwarf with 20 strength and a War Axe +3 that you are specialized in, then your save DC's vs. crits will be 10+3+5+2=19. That is the base max damage before the crit multiplier. Thus a War axe is less likely to create limb loss than a Two Handed sword, but does extra damage when it a successful crit is recieved. In all cases damage is calculated as normal, it is merely the threat of the extra crit effects that is different from the base rules.
2) Vorpal weapons go from instant death, to potential to cause limb severing, randomly determined, with head being a possiblility only 10% of the time. Saves are 10+ base max damage for a weapon (that same dwarf with a vorpal War Axe is 10+10+3+5+2=29 DC vs. outright severing). Thus, Vorpal weapons are still very dangerous, but not instantly lethal.
The chart that we have used is (d10)
1-2: Right leg
3-4: Left Leg
5-6: Off hand Arm
7-9: Weapon Arm
10: Head
Also, damage from a severed limb would fall under the severe bleeding rules from the Combat and Tactics guide. 10-60% of total hit points are lost per round, with the exception of the head being severed which is instant death 
Using spellcraft rolls to cause crits on damage dealing spells has also been kicked around, with all damage spells carrying a spellcraft roll where a nat 20 is considered a spell crit, just to make it fair to spellcasters as well as combatants. In the case of the spell crit, the DC of the spell in the first place is the DC to avoid the extra crit effects and the spellcraft crit threat roll is only to check for the possibility of extra effects, and doesn't effect damage. On a per spell basis, what category of damage to use is chosen intuitively based on the spell.
We haven't implemented this version of the rule, but use spellcraft in combat other ways, like casting fireballs into combat to see if you can affect an enemy without hitting an ally five feet away. Especially important with sculpt spell and other spells with changeable areas of effect, but I guess that is a different thread.
Using spellcraft rolls to cause crits on damage dealing spells has also been kicked around, with all damage spells carrying a spellcraft roll where a nat 20 is considered a spell crit, just to make it fair to spellcasters as well as combatants. In the case of the spell crit, the DC of the spell in the first place is the DC to avoid the extra crit effects and the spellcraft crit threat roll is only to check for the possibility of extra effects, and doesn't effect damage. On a per spell basis, what category of damage to use is chosen intuitively based on the spell.
We haven't implemented this version of the rule, but use spellcraft in combat other ways, like casting fireballs into combat to see if you can affect an enemy without hitting an ally five feet away. Especially important with sculpt spell and other spells with changeable areas of effect, but I guess that is a different thread.
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