Why was the Sword of Sharpenss removed in the 3.x rule set?

[Celebrim]

On the subject of called shots themselves, I use to believe that they were good for the game. As I've gotten older and hopefully wiser, I've come to recognize that they desire for called shots comes from my simulationist fetish and that it is actually bad for the game.

You very quickly reach a point where its always worth taking a called shot. IMO, the whole D&D combat system would have to be thrown out the window to allow for called shots in a way that didn't detract from gameplay, and even then it would slow the game down and increase the already heavy load on players and DM's to keep track of lots of numbers and modifiers.

That lingering simulationist in me is begging me to bring back mutilations (or the chance of them) at least in the cases where a character is reduced to 0 h.p. or less, but so far I'm resisting.

 

[Mistwell]

I would just have it sever a limb on a confirmed critical hit instead of doing normal damage, and use the link I linked to above to determine what the effects of a severed limb, and a ramdom chart to determine which limb (though obviously the wings/fin stuff would need to be removed from the chart). As for what the + equivelent might be, that one is tough.

 

[Henry]

Why are we worrying about bloodloss when high level characters can fall 200 feet, swim in lava, and never suffer from a large number of other real life effects: Altitude sickness, deep vein thrombosis, nitrogen narcosis, or cancer.

...not to mention animals that we can cut our way out of the bellies of, and "the hole closes due to muscular action"...

That's it! If a sword of sharpness cuts off a limb, "muscular action closes the hole!"

Dammit, Blargney beat me to it...

 

[DungeonMaester]

I don't know of any good reason why it was removed. I believe there are called shot rules in Unearthed Arcana, and I think those could be adapted to the sword.

There is better ones in the Dungeon Master's Guide, in my opinion.

Plus, its reinstatement to the ruleset would give the Regenerate spell something to do.

Truth.

I don't think there isn't a reasonable weapon to graft using the 3.5 rule set. Try something like this.

Sharpness.

Sharpness is a magical effect that can be applied to any weapon that does slashing damage. When you roll with in the crit range of a weapon with this effect, you can choose to forgo dealing damage to sever a minor limb or other appendage from a creature you strike. Instead of dealing normal damage, it does 2 points per HD. In addition the target bleeds out 1 hp per hd every round. A heal check of 20 stops this effect.

As a secondary effect, a creature who lost a leg can only make tumble checks to move five feet. A Failed check leaves the target prone. A taget whom lost a arm suffers a -4 penitly to grapple checks, and forgos the feat improved grapple. A Creature with multiply arms is not effected in till they lose half the numbers. Likewise, a creature with multiple legs who loses a leg has there speed cut in half and when is considered immobile (Not nessesarly helpless) after losing half their legs.

Sorry that its not worded very well, but I wrote it off the fly. Its a start though.

 

[monboesen]

I would just have it sever a limb on a confirmed critical hit instead of doing normal damage, and use the link I linked to above to determine what the effects of a severed limb.

That table is crazy. If someone gets their arm or leg hacked of they are dead in seconds without serious medical attention.


Even if they should somehow survive the terrible wound they sure as hell wont be able to fight on.


There is good reason the Sword of Sharpness has been left out, it utterly conflicts with the abstractness of the HP system.

 

[Mistwell]

That table is crazy. If someone gets their arm or leg hacked of they are dead in seconds without serious medical attention. There is good reason the Sword of Sharpness has been left out, it utterly conflicts with the abstractness of the HP system

I think you are looking for a level of realism that is not present in this particular game. As mentioned above, and mentioned elsewhere, there is very little realism as far as wounds go with this game. People fall thousands of feat and walk away fine. They get blown up by fireball spells and dodge out of the way without a single burn. They get frozen, chopped, drowned, and all sorts of stuff that is fatal in the real world and which is barely a scratch in this game. People get chopped with a sword twenty times and walk away fine in a rountine battle. There is no such realism for other wounds in this game, and I don't see why it would need to be there for this rule. It worked fine in 1e, so it's not like we don't have an example of the use of this type of rule in this type of game without disaster.

I get that you don't want this kind of weapon in your kind of game. Fair enough. But the OP does, and frankly I think it's a nice idea and so do some others. So why not help out with how this weapon should be added to the game as consistently as possible with the current set of rules, rather than bash the idea entirely?

 

[green slime]

That table is crazy. If someone gets their arm or leg hacked of they are dead in seconds without serious medical attention.


Even if they should somehow survive the terrible wound they sure as hell wont be able to fight on.


There is good reason the Sword of Sharpness has been left out, it utterly conflicts with the abstractness of the HP system.

And this is worse than a Vorpal weapon in what way?

 

[DungeonMaester]

Try something like this.

Sharpness.

Sharpness is a magical effect that can be applied to any weapon that does slashing damage. When you roll with in the crit range of a weapon with this effect, you can choose to forgo dealing damage to sever a minor limb or other appendage from a creature you strike. Instead of dealing normal damage, it does 2 points per HD. In addition the target bleeds out 1 hp per hd every round. A heal check of 20 stops this effect.

As a secondary effect, a creature who lost a leg can only make tumble checks to move five feet. A Failed check leaves the target prone. A taget whom lost a arm suffers a -4 penitly to grapple checks, and forgos the feat improved grapple. A Creature with multiply arms is not effected in till they lose half the numbers. Likewise, a creature with multiple legs who loses a leg has there speed cut in half and when is considered immobile (Not nessesarly helpless) after losing half their legs.

Sorry that its not worded very well, but I wrote it off the fly. Its a start though.

Still think this is a good fix. -Shameless plus- Hurts so good.

---Rusty

 

[Aaron L]

I really think they should add it back in, with a small table for what limb is randomly severed, along with a corresponding amount of Dexterity damage to go long with it, depending on which limb it is. (and/or loss of speed for legs)


I had something like this worked out:

After a nautural attack roll of a 20, followed by a successful roll to confirm a critical hit (the same as Vorpal Swords)

1-4: left leg (1d4 Dexterity drain, movement halved)
5-8: right leg (1d4 Dexterity drain, movement halved)
9-14: left arm (1d6 Dexterity drain, -2 circumstance penalty on any rolls involving hand use)
15-20: right arm (1d6 Dexterity drain, -2 circumstance penalty on any rolls involving hand use)

All damage can only be repaired with a Regenerate spell followed by a Restoration spell to fix severed nerve endings and the like.

Make it something like a +4 bonus.



Or I was thinking they could make the Sharpness ability for 3E increase the Crit Multiplier by 1 and do 1-4 Dexterity drain as it slices off fingers, then chunks of hand, and then arms and the like.

Healing the same as above.

Have it cost a +3 bonus or something.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Why are we worrying about bloodloss when high level characters can fall 200 feet, swim in lava, and never suffer from a large number of other real life effects: Altitude sickness, deep vein thrombosis, nitrogen narcosis, or cancer.

Don't forget RLS... Restless Leg Syndrome!