mistformsquirrl
2009-06-27, 07:15 AM
Hello all <. .> First, apologies for the thread title; it's the best name I could come up with even though I know it sounds a bit ridiculous ><
So I'm planning on running a campaign sometime later this year; and one thing I want to do is to make the combat a little grittier and nastier. I want to get away from the "You're fine until your at 0 HP or below" situation you commonly see in D&D; but likewise, I don't want to switch systems because most systems that have rules for say... limb loss - also tend to be much much more lethal than I want.
So, being bored tonight, I sat down and wrote this up, this is just the first draft - I'd like to refine it so that it's at least somewhat easy to use (though I know full well it's going to slow combat down - I'm willing to live with it though, I just want to make sure it's polished as well as it can be.)
(Also - sorry for not using Tables; I'm rolling 1s tonight my my search checks >.<)
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These rules are designed to give D&D 3.5e combat a more brutal and grittier feel, where a solid strike can cleave limbs (including the player's!) or cause other effects.
As a note: Players should understand that these rules are not designed for realism per-se; they attempt to replicate 'movie realism' - the effects should make some sense, but likewise aren't always as debilitating as a real life injury of that kind would be. For example: Having your throat cut is most often quite lethal in reality. In these rules, such an injury is debilitating, but only fatal if left untreated.
It is advised that a DM using these rules inform their players, and that players not neglect the Heal skill, as it becomes invaluable using this system.
This system also can lengthen a combat round quite a bit if things are not handled efficiently (even then, it does create some extra time constraints)
To speed things along: Roll the Hit Location d100 along with your attack roll rather than waiting for your DM to tell you if you hit (make sure to get permission first of course). If you hit, then follow the roll to it's conclusion; if not, no worries, simply discard the roll. If your DM allows, you might also wish to roll your damage dice at this time, adding dice for critical hits after the fact.
On to the rules!
Special effects on weapons:
These apply each time you strike with these weapons, no matter what location you strike.
Bludgeoning weapons have a 10% (Roll d100, 91-100 is what you're after) chance of causing 2 Strength damage per strike. This can apply to coporeal undead and most constructs (though incoporeal creatures are immune, as are oozes).
Note that bludgeoning damage cause damage to the physical structure of the creature - deep tissue bruises, bones, even stone can crack and shatter. A result on the chart below of "Severed" when rolled with a blunt weapon usually means the limb is horribly broken and mangled beyond use. It is likely still attached, but it is completely useless, and well beyond the recovery of a standard Cure spell.
This is left somewhat to DM interpretation however, as the size of the weapon and strength of the wielder may very well rip the limb away.
Piercing and slashing weapons cause 1 hp/round bleeding for each strike they make. Creatures that are immune to critical hits are immune to this damage.
Note that Piercing weapons do not typically "sever" a limb (though certain broad-headed spears might) - generally a result of "Severed" on a given limb means that the nerves have been cut, and the limb is completely useless, though still attached. This is left somewhat to DM interpretation however, as the size of the weapon and strength of the wielder may very well rip the limb away.
Weaponlike spells instead cause:
Cold - Location is numbed. If an arm, -1 to attack for 1 round. If a leg, -5ft to base speed. If head, the spell's usual save DC or be stunned for 1 round. Otherwise normal.
Fire - Location has severe burns. Arm -1 to attack for 1 round. Leg, -5ft to speed. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be blinded for 1 round.
Electricity - Location suffers convulsions. Arm - Make a disarm attempt, using the spell's level +10 as your strength score. (Consider the attack roll successful). If you fail they cannot attempt to disarm you. Leg - Make a trip attempt using the spell's level +10 as your strength score (consider the attack roll already made). You cannot be tripped if you fail. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be dazed for 1 round.
Sonic - Location is hammered by a wave Head - Head, the spell's usual save DC or be deafened for 1 round. Torso - Make a Bull Rush attempt against the target, with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. Legs - Make a trip attempt with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. You cannot be tripped if you fail.
Force - Location is hammered by a wave Head - Head, the spell's usual save DC or be stunned for 1 round. Torso - Make a Bull Rush attempt against the target, with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. Legs - Make a trip attempt with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. You cannot be tripped if you fail.
Acid - Location suffers severe burn. Location has severe burns. Arm -1 to attack for 1 round. Leg, -5ft to speed. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be nauseated for 1 round.
Holy/Unholy/Negative/Positive - Location suffers convulsions as raw power roils through it.. Arm - Make a disarm attempt, using the spell's level +10 as your strength score. (Consider the attack roll successful). If you fail they cannot attempt to disarm you. Leg - Make a trip attempt using the spell's level +10 as your strength score (consider the attack roll already made). You cannot be tripped if you fail. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be dazed for 1 round.
Note that only spells that require an attack roll cause these effects - other sources of these damage types, be they spells or weapon effects do not apply.
Grenadelike weapons may apply at the DM's option.
Locational Damage:
After you roll a hit, roll a d100, different locations have different effects
Head - 95-100
Neck - 94-92
Torso - 91-50
Right Arm - 49-40
Left Arm - 39-30
Right Leg - 29-15
Left Leg - 14-1
Head:
On a normal hit, you score an automatic critical threat (you still must roll to confirm). If you scored a confirmed critical hit before rolling Head as a damage location, increase the critical damage modifier x1.
Example: A longsword strikes an orc in the head with a confirmed critical - the longsword acts as if it had a critical modifier of x3 rather than x2.
Example 2: A longsword strikes an orc in the head with a normal hit roll - roll to confirm critical; if successful, a normal critical hit at the longsword's x2 modifier applies.
Roll another d100 after striking the head; the below rules are in addition to the above.
Right Eye 96-100
Left Eye 95-92
Both Eyes 91-90
Face 89-20
Right Ear 19-10
Left Ear 9-1
Eye: You lose the eye in question, causing the associated loss of depth perception (manifesting as a -2 penalty on ranged attacks and a -2 on spot and search checks)
An injury to Both eyes, either caused individually or by a Both Eyes roll causes Blindness.
Face: Nothing beyond the normal Head rules; though you are likely left with a scar. How this impacts the character is up to the player and DM.
Ear: The loss of an ear causes partial deafness, resulting in a -2 to Listen checks, and a 10% Spell Failure chance to any spell with a verbal component. The loss of both ears causes complete deafness, all listen checks are automatically failed, and spells with Verbal components have a 20% chance to fail.
Neck:
Neck injuries vary by damage type. A piercing or slashing weapon causes a bleeding wound (4 HP per round until a healing spell is applied or a DC 15 heal check is made- this stacks with any other sources of bleeding). A bludgeoning weapon on the other hand inflicts a -2 penalty to Constitution and Strength until a healing spell is applied or a DC 15 heal check is made.
Regardless of damage type, the character also has a 50% chance of being unable to speak until a healing spell is applied or a DC 15 heal check is made.
A critical hit against the neck guarantees the creature is incapable of speech until recieving a DC20 heal check or magical healing; and also doubles the bleeding or ability penalties until recieving a DC20 heal check or magical healing.
Torso:
Normal damage rules are followed for non-critical hits. A critical hit on this location causes internal injuries that result in 2hp per round of bleeding until a DC 15 heal check is made or magical healing is applied.
Arm:
Arm injuries apply a -1 to attack with that arm, or a -1ac if a shield is wielded in that arm. A DC15 heal check or having magical healing applied removes this condition. A critical hit against that arm rolls on the chart below to determine how much of the limb is lost.
Fingers (roll secondary chart) - 100-51
(Roll 1d6-1, minimum 1 to determine quantity, then roll 1d6-1 (minimum 1) that number of times to determine which fingers are lost. A maximum result of 5 on the first die assumes the hand was cut in half.)
Penalties to attack stack until the fingers are regenerated.
1. Index. finger 2. Middle finger, 3. Ring finger 4. Pinky finger 5. Thumb - Can no longer grip objects with this hand
Each finger lost incurs a -5% Arcane Spell Failure penalty, and a -1 to attack. (The loss of the thumb makes the latter pointless however, as weapons cannot be meaningfully gripped in that hand any longer.
Wrist - 50-35
The hand is lost above the wrist. The character cannot pick up objects with that arm and suffers a bleeding wound (2hp/round) until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. A hook may be fitted to the hand to allow for limited functionality, and a modified shield (DC 15 Craft Armor check) may still be strapped to the stump, though it's check penalty increases by 1.
Elbow - 34-15
The arm is lost from the elbow up. The character suffers a bleeding wound (2hp/round) until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. Only a magical prosthetic can be utilized. A buckler maybe strapped to the upper arm, though it incurs double arcane spell failure and a check penalty of -2.
Shoulder - 14-1
The entire arm is gone. The character suffers a massive bleeding wound (4hp/round) until a DC 20 heal check or magical healing is applied. Only a magical prosthetic may be utilized. No items may be strapped to this location as it simply does not exist in a meaningful quantity at this point.
Leg:
Leg injuries apply a -5ft to base speed and a -1 to Reflex saves. This lasts untl a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied to the character.
A critical hit against the leg has a 50% chance of severing it.
Leg is intact, though wounded - 100-51; 2hp/round bleeding until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied.
Leg is severed at the ankle - 50-40; 2hp/round bleeding until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. -2 to Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, Hide, Move Silently, speed is halved. Character is subject to an automatic trip attempt when this occurs.
Leg is severed at the knee - 40-15; 2hp/round bleeding until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. -4 to Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, Hide, Move Silently, character may only crawl along at 1/4 base speed. Character is subject to an automatic trip attempt when this occurs.
Leg is severed at the thigh - 15-1; 4hp/round bleeding until a DC 20 heal check or magical healing is applied. -10 to Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, Hide, Move Silently, character may only crawl along at 1/4 base speed. Character is subject to an automatic trip attempt when this occurs.
Standing with a severed leg requires a DC 15/20/25 balance check each round, depending on the severity. (15 for ankle, 20 for knee, 25 for thigh).
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Recovery:
Lost body parts may be recovered via a Restoration spell - the strength of the spell determining just how quickly the limb re-grows.
Lesser Restoration takes 2d4 days, Restoration, 1d4 days, and Greater Restoration, 1 day.
The effects of the Regenerate spell are now meshed with Greater Restoration. Any spell list where Regenerate appears, replace it with Greater Restoration, add Lesser Restoration as a 2nd level spell, and Restoration as a 4th level spell.
Alternatively, prosthetics may be applied - the prices and functionality of which should be determined by the DM and players.
Called shots:
Called shots are not guaranteed to hit the area aimed for - rather they simply expand the die roll range for that area.
First, make a standard attack roll with a -2 penalty (-4 against the head, neck, or targets on the head) - note that ranged weapons and spells must be within 30ft to make a called shot, as the precision required is almost impossible at greater distances.
If it hits, expand the possible range of the hit as follows:
Location in question increases by a % to hit.
+10% against head or neck
+15% for Arm
+20% for Leg
Torso: The regular attack roll is considered to be aimed at the torso (which being as big a target as it is, does not incur a penalty to hit). There are no called shots to the torso.
The range for other locations change in accordance with the following:
Head: Head 85-100, Neck - 84-75, Torso - 74-40, Right Arm - 39-30, Left Arm - 29-20,
Right Leg - 19-10, Left Leg - 9-1
Neck: Head - 91-100, Neck - 94-82, Torso - 82-40, Right Arm - 39-30, Left Arm -29-20, Right Leg - 19-10, Left Leg - 9-1
Right Arm: Head - 98-100, Neck - 96-97, Torso - 95-55, Right Arm - 54-30, Left Arm - 29-25, Right Leg - 24-7, Left Leg - 6-1
Left Arm: Head - 98-100, Neck - 96-97, Torso - 95-50, Right Arm - 29-25, Left Arm - 54-30, Right Leg - 6-1, Left Leg - 24-7
Right Leg: Head - 99-100, Neck - 98-98, Torso - 97-50, Right Arm - 49-41, Left Arm - 40-45, Right Leg - 39-6, Left Leg - 5-1
Left Leg: Head - 99-100, Neck - 98-98, Torso - 97-50, Right Arm - 40-45, Left Arm - 49-41, Right Leg - 5-1, Left Leg - 39-6
Creatures with non-humanoid anatomy
Some creatures simply have more or less of a given type of limb or other body part than a typical humanoid.
First - an explanation of body parts as they apply to unusual anatomy:
Head: The head is usually easy to recognize. This is generally where the brain and eyes are kept, as well as any ears and a mouth. Note that this is not always true, and not all creatures have a head. In the case of a creature that has no distinguishable head, but rather has eyes, a mouth, and a brain in it's body (Beholders for instance) consider them to be a Torso, but see special rules later for still harming the eyes and other important targets.
Neck: This is the area between the head and the torso, and usually carries food, air, and if the creature can speak or make other noises with it's mouth, generally contains its vocal organs. Many creatures simply do not have one, and some do not care if it is damaged. (A Golem often has a neck - but damaging it causes no special ill effects for the creature - Conversely, a Scorpion's neck is almost impossible to strike, and is considered for all intents and purposes of this system simply not to exist.)
Torso: This is the main body of the creature. Even on creatures with no anatomy whatsoever (oozes primarily) this is the primary target location. If a creature has no other limbs, it still has a Torso.
Whew >.<;;
Arms: These are generally the 'offensive' limbs of a creature. For example - a bears front paws, a beholder's eye-stalks, a scorpion's pincers - all of these classify as "Arms" under this system. Not all creatures have arms; some have limbs solely for the purpose of locomotion or primarily for locomotion - in which case they are legs (Ex: A horse's legs - even though they can rear and kick, are primarily for locomotion and thus all 4 fall under legs.)
Legs: Limbs used primarily for locomotion. When faced with a creature who uses their limbs both for movement and attack, think about the specific method. An Ape for instance will walk on it's front knuckles, but these limbs are considered arms, as they are as much for grasping and attacking as movement. Conversely a horse, although it can rear up and kick with it's forelegs, uses them primarily for locomotion. Some lack legs altogether, and others have unusual forms of locomotive limb (ex: a lower body like a snake).
In the latter case, if the unusual locomotive limb is still outside the body and can be struck, then it counts as a leg. Note: Wings fall into this category. Note that if a creature has insignificant traditional legs (like a flighted bird), then the wings completely replace the 'leg' category. If the creature has both useful wings and useful legs (ex: a harpy), then use the rules below for alternate limb distribution.
Handling attacks on creatures with unusual anatomy
Most creatures have a head or heads, a neck or necks, a torso, legs or wings, and arms.
When attacking a creature with unusual anatomy - use the same rules as normal with the following modifications:
1) If there is more than one of a given hit location (example: 4 arms, 2 on each side), then first, determine the hit location as normal - ex: Left Arm, then randomize between the arms on that side.
So a creature with 4 arms, 2 on each side, hit in the "Left Arm" location, requires you roll 1d2 to determine specifically which arm was hit.
2) If a given piece of anatomy is singular where there are multiples on a standard creature of that type, then treat all hits against that location as being on the specific body part.
Example: A Yuan-Ti with a snake's lower half. All hits to either Right or Left leg count as a hit against it's "Leg" (ie: the snake tail).
The same would be true of a creature with one arm, or one eye.
Note, the DM may wish to rule that for exceptionally thick limbs (the aforementioned Yuan-Ti snake body), that it requires the location to be severed more than once for it to be truly removed. This is an optional rule however, and is left to the DM to determine when appropriate.
3) If a given piece of anatomy simply does not exist on that creature, then re-roll to hit location if it comes up. If a creature has no specific body parts (like an ooze), treat the entire creature as a Torso; though if sensory organs are present, roll on the Head chart to determine if these are injured. This does not inflict an automatic critical threat - you are still striking the torso, it just happens to be a torso with eyes or ears.
4)
For truly bizarre anatomy - for example, a Beholder, who's torso is also it's head, apply common sense to determine it's hit locations.
For a Beholder, this means that each Eyestalk is an arm (arms being offensive limbs).
So when rolling for hit locations against a beholder, consider the eye stalks on the left half of it's body to be the left arm location, and the eyestalks on the right side of it's body to be the right arm.
Then randomize (1d4) to determine which stalk is hit. Use the Head chart to determine if an eye is put out.
Treat the rest of the beholder as a Torso, and hits on the torso have a chance of wounding the large central eye with a roll on the Head table.
Again - just because you roll on the head table does not mean you get an automatic threat - only a creature with a distinct head location receives that.
5) Called shots against a multi-limbed area operate normally. However if a very specific limb ("The Third leg on the right of that giant scorpion") is to be targetted, increase the AC penalty by half again. If it's successful, and the roll on the location chart indicates the called area, then the specific limb is struck.
Otherwise treat the attack normally.
6) "Special" Limbs - These include the Scorpion's Stinger, certain Devil's stingers, or any other limb that does not immediately appear to fall under the normal definitions; though they are almost invariably offensive or magical in nature.
Consider such a limb an additional Arm, with the number of "Special" limbs divided evenly between the Arm hit locations. If there is only one special limb, or an odd number of special limbs, then treat one of these special limbs as strikeable from either side.
Ex: A scorpion receives a hit on the Right Arm location. Roll 1d2 to determine if the stinger is struck instead of the pincer. The same would be done if it were rolled on the Left arm.
On the other hand, if a scorpion had 3 tails, you'd randomize 1d3 on each side - the 1 being a pincer, the 2 being the tail on that side, and the third being the center tail.
Concerns -
Admittedly this requires a bit of work - but bizarre monsters like the Beholder are thankfully uncommon to most campaigns that would use these rules.
If you do want to include a lot of strange creatures and use these rules, there are two simpler ways to handle it.
First - before such an encounter (preferably before the session) the DM should map out the guidelines on the given creature so that they can be consulted instantly.
This is the best way, as it allows players to continue using these rules and potentially disrupt a dangerous creature with careful choices.
The other way is to simply consider the anatomy too bizarre to be accounted for traditionally. In this case, count the entire creature as a torso and ignore the other rules. (In other words, fight as you would a standard D20 combat, with the exception of the weapon conditions and potential bleeding from a critical.)
*Huff-puff huff-puff*
Update!
Added:
Rules for dealing with strange anatomies. I tried to keep them simple - the mostly require a simple randomization roll to determine which specific limb is hit, after rolling a location. This can be a little complex in dealing with really "out there" creatures... but I think for most unusual critters it ought to be OK.
Made Neck hits a bit more severe, including adding a critical effect (I'd forgotten to before).
Made certain the description of what a Blunt or Piercing weapon does when it "severs" a limb is present, so people don't get weird ideas of hammers cleanly slicing arms or rapiers taking off people's legs >.>
Please let me know what you think >< this remains a work in progress!
So I'm planning on running a campaign sometime later this year; and one thing I want to do is to make the combat a little grittier and nastier. I want to get away from the "You're fine until your at 0 HP or below" situation you commonly see in D&D; but likewise, I don't want to switch systems because most systems that have rules for say... limb loss - also tend to be much much more lethal than I want.
So, being bored tonight, I sat down and wrote this up, this is just the first draft - I'd like to refine it so that it's at least somewhat easy to use (though I know full well it's going to slow combat down - I'm willing to live with it though, I just want to make sure it's polished as well as it can be.)
(Also - sorry for not using Tables; I'm rolling 1s tonight my my search checks >.<)
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These rules are designed to give D&D 3.5e combat a more brutal and grittier feel, where a solid strike can cleave limbs (including the player's!) or cause other effects.
As a note: Players should understand that these rules are not designed for realism per-se; they attempt to replicate 'movie realism' - the effects should make some sense, but likewise aren't always as debilitating as a real life injury of that kind would be. For example: Having your throat cut is most often quite lethal in reality. In these rules, such an injury is debilitating, but only fatal if left untreated.
It is advised that a DM using these rules inform their players, and that players not neglect the Heal skill, as it becomes invaluable using this system.
This system also can lengthen a combat round quite a bit if things are not handled efficiently (even then, it does create some extra time constraints)
To speed things along: Roll the Hit Location d100 along with your attack roll rather than waiting for your DM to tell you if you hit (make sure to get permission first of course). If you hit, then follow the roll to it's conclusion; if not, no worries, simply discard the roll. If your DM allows, you might also wish to roll your damage dice at this time, adding dice for critical hits after the fact.
On to the rules!
Special effects on weapons:
These apply each time you strike with these weapons, no matter what location you strike.
Bludgeoning weapons have a 10% (Roll d100, 91-100 is what you're after) chance of causing 2 Strength damage per strike. This can apply to coporeal undead and most constructs (though incoporeal creatures are immune, as are oozes).
Note that bludgeoning damage cause damage to the physical structure of the creature - deep tissue bruises, bones, even stone can crack and shatter. A result on the chart below of "Severed" when rolled with a blunt weapon usually means the limb is horribly broken and mangled beyond use. It is likely still attached, but it is completely useless, and well beyond the recovery of a standard Cure spell.
This is left somewhat to DM interpretation however, as the size of the weapon and strength of the wielder may very well rip the limb away.
Piercing and slashing weapons cause 1 hp/round bleeding for each strike they make. Creatures that are immune to critical hits are immune to this damage.
Note that Piercing weapons do not typically "sever" a limb (though certain broad-headed spears might) - generally a result of "Severed" on a given limb means that the nerves have been cut, and the limb is completely useless, though still attached. This is left somewhat to DM interpretation however, as the size of the weapon and strength of the wielder may very well rip the limb away.
Weaponlike spells instead cause:
Cold - Location is numbed. If an arm, -1 to attack for 1 round. If a leg, -5ft to base speed. If head, the spell's usual save DC or be stunned for 1 round. Otherwise normal.
Fire - Location has severe burns. Arm -1 to attack for 1 round. Leg, -5ft to speed. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be blinded for 1 round.
Electricity - Location suffers convulsions. Arm - Make a disarm attempt, using the spell's level +10 as your strength score. (Consider the attack roll successful). If you fail they cannot attempt to disarm you. Leg - Make a trip attempt using the spell's level +10 as your strength score (consider the attack roll already made). You cannot be tripped if you fail. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be dazed for 1 round.
Sonic - Location is hammered by a wave Head - Head, the spell's usual save DC or be deafened for 1 round. Torso - Make a Bull Rush attempt against the target, with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. Legs - Make a trip attempt with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. You cannot be tripped if you fail.
Force - Location is hammered by a wave Head - Head, the spell's usual save DC or be stunned for 1 round. Torso - Make a Bull Rush attempt against the target, with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. Legs - Make a trip attempt with the spell's level +10 as your strength score. You cannot be tripped if you fail.
Acid - Location suffers severe burn. Location has severe burns. Arm -1 to attack for 1 round. Leg, -5ft to speed. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be nauseated for 1 round.
Holy/Unholy/Negative/Positive - Location suffers convulsions as raw power roils through it.. Arm - Make a disarm attempt, using the spell's level +10 as your strength score. (Consider the attack roll successful). If you fail they cannot attempt to disarm you. Leg - Make a trip attempt using the spell's level +10 as your strength score (consider the attack roll already made). You cannot be tripped if you fail. Head, the spell's usual save DC or be dazed for 1 round.
Note that only spells that require an attack roll cause these effects - other sources of these damage types, be they spells or weapon effects do not apply.
Grenadelike weapons may apply at the DM's option.
Locational Damage:
After you roll a hit, roll a d100, different locations have different effects
Head - 95-100
Neck - 94-92
Torso - 91-50
Right Arm - 49-40
Left Arm - 39-30
Right Leg - 29-15
Left Leg - 14-1
Head:
On a normal hit, you score an automatic critical threat (you still must roll to confirm). If you scored a confirmed critical hit before rolling Head as a damage location, increase the critical damage modifier x1.
Example: A longsword strikes an orc in the head with a confirmed critical - the longsword acts as if it had a critical modifier of x3 rather than x2.
Example 2: A longsword strikes an orc in the head with a normal hit roll - roll to confirm critical; if successful, a normal critical hit at the longsword's x2 modifier applies.
Roll another d100 after striking the head; the below rules are in addition to the above.
Right Eye 96-100
Left Eye 95-92
Both Eyes 91-90
Face 89-20
Right Ear 19-10
Left Ear 9-1
Eye: You lose the eye in question, causing the associated loss of depth perception (manifesting as a -2 penalty on ranged attacks and a -2 on spot and search checks)
An injury to Both eyes, either caused individually or by a Both Eyes roll causes Blindness.
Face: Nothing beyond the normal Head rules; though you are likely left with a scar. How this impacts the character is up to the player and DM.
Ear: The loss of an ear causes partial deafness, resulting in a -2 to Listen checks, and a 10% Spell Failure chance to any spell with a verbal component. The loss of both ears causes complete deafness, all listen checks are automatically failed, and spells with Verbal components have a 20% chance to fail.
Neck:
Neck injuries vary by damage type. A piercing or slashing weapon causes a bleeding wound (4 HP per round until a healing spell is applied or a DC 15 heal check is made- this stacks with any other sources of bleeding). A bludgeoning weapon on the other hand inflicts a -2 penalty to Constitution and Strength until a healing spell is applied or a DC 15 heal check is made.
Regardless of damage type, the character also has a 50% chance of being unable to speak until a healing spell is applied or a DC 15 heal check is made.
A critical hit against the neck guarantees the creature is incapable of speech until recieving a DC20 heal check or magical healing; and also doubles the bleeding or ability penalties until recieving a DC20 heal check or magical healing.
Torso:
Normal damage rules are followed for non-critical hits. A critical hit on this location causes internal injuries that result in 2hp per round of bleeding until a DC 15 heal check is made or magical healing is applied.
Arm:
Arm injuries apply a -1 to attack with that arm, or a -1ac if a shield is wielded in that arm. A DC15 heal check or having magical healing applied removes this condition. A critical hit against that arm rolls on the chart below to determine how much of the limb is lost.
Fingers (roll secondary chart) - 100-51
(Roll 1d6-1, minimum 1 to determine quantity, then roll 1d6-1 (minimum 1) that number of times to determine which fingers are lost. A maximum result of 5 on the first die assumes the hand was cut in half.)
Penalties to attack stack until the fingers are regenerated.
1. Index. finger 2. Middle finger, 3. Ring finger 4. Pinky finger 5. Thumb - Can no longer grip objects with this hand
Each finger lost incurs a -5% Arcane Spell Failure penalty, and a -1 to attack. (The loss of the thumb makes the latter pointless however, as weapons cannot be meaningfully gripped in that hand any longer.
Wrist - 50-35
The hand is lost above the wrist. The character cannot pick up objects with that arm and suffers a bleeding wound (2hp/round) until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. A hook may be fitted to the hand to allow for limited functionality, and a modified shield (DC 15 Craft Armor check) may still be strapped to the stump, though it's check penalty increases by 1.
Elbow - 34-15
The arm is lost from the elbow up. The character suffers a bleeding wound (2hp/round) until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. Only a magical prosthetic can be utilized. A buckler maybe strapped to the upper arm, though it incurs double arcane spell failure and a check penalty of -2.
Shoulder - 14-1
The entire arm is gone. The character suffers a massive bleeding wound (4hp/round) until a DC 20 heal check or magical healing is applied. Only a magical prosthetic may be utilized. No items may be strapped to this location as it simply does not exist in a meaningful quantity at this point.
Leg:
Leg injuries apply a -5ft to base speed and a -1 to Reflex saves. This lasts untl a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied to the character.
A critical hit against the leg has a 50% chance of severing it.
Leg is intact, though wounded - 100-51; 2hp/round bleeding until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied.
Leg is severed at the ankle - 50-40; 2hp/round bleeding until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. -2 to Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, Hide, Move Silently, speed is halved. Character is subject to an automatic trip attempt when this occurs.
Leg is severed at the knee - 40-15; 2hp/round bleeding until a DC 15 heal check or magical healing is applied. -4 to Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, Hide, Move Silently, character may only crawl along at 1/4 base speed. Character is subject to an automatic trip attempt when this occurs.
Leg is severed at the thigh - 15-1; 4hp/round bleeding until a DC 20 heal check or magical healing is applied. -10 to Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, Hide, Move Silently, character may only crawl along at 1/4 base speed. Character is subject to an automatic trip attempt when this occurs.
Standing with a severed leg requires a DC 15/20/25 balance check each round, depending on the severity. (15 for ankle, 20 for knee, 25 for thigh).
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Recovery:
Lost body parts may be recovered via a Restoration spell - the strength of the spell determining just how quickly the limb re-grows.
Lesser Restoration takes 2d4 days, Restoration, 1d4 days, and Greater Restoration, 1 day.
The effects of the Regenerate spell are now meshed with Greater Restoration. Any spell list where Regenerate appears, replace it with Greater Restoration, add Lesser Restoration as a 2nd level spell, and Restoration as a 4th level spell.
Alternatively, prosthetics may be applied - the prices and functionality of which should be determined by the DM and players.
Called shots:
Called shots are not guaranteed to hit the area aimed for - rather they simply expand the die roll range for that area.
First, make a standard attack roll with a -2 penalty (-4 against the head, neck, or targets on the head) - note that ranged weapons and spells must be within 30ft to make a called shot, as the precision required is almost impossible at greater distances.
If it hits, expand the possible range of the hit as follows:
Location in question increases by a % to hit.
+10% against head or neck
+15% for Arm
+20% for Leg
Torso: The regular attack roll is considered to be aimed at the torso (which being as big a target as it is, does not incur a penalty to hit). There are no called shots to the torso.
The range for other locations change in accordance with the following:
Head: Head 85-100, Neck - 84-75, Torso - 74-40, Right Arm - 39-30, Left Arm - 29-20,
Right Leg - 19-10, Left Leg - 9-1
Neck: Head - 91-100, Neck - 94-82, Torso - 82-40, Right Arm - 39-30, Left Arm -29-20, Right Leg - 19-10, Left Leg - 9-1
Right Arm: Head - 98-100, Neck - 96-97, Torso - 95-55, Right Arm - 54-30, Left Arm - 29-25, Right Leg - 24-7, Left Leg - 6-1
Left Arm: Head - 98-100, Neck - 96-97, Torso - 95-50, Right Arm - 29-25, Left Arm - 54-30, Right Leg - 6-1, Left Leg - 24-7
Right Leg: Head - 99-100, Neck - 98-98, Torso - 97-50, Right Arm - 49-41, Left Arm - 40-45, Right Leg - 39-6, Left Leg - 5-1
Left Leg: Head - 99-100, Neck - 98-98, Torso - 97-50, Right Arm - 40-45, Left Arm - 49-41, Right Leg - 5-1, Left Leg - 39-6
Creatures with non-humanoid anatomy
Some creatures simply have more or less of a given type of limb or other body part than a typical humanoid.
First - an explanation of body parts as they apply to unusual anatomy:
Head: The head is usually easy to recognize. This is generally where the brain and eyes are kept, as well as any ears and a mouth. Note that this is not always true, and not all creatures have a head. In the case of a creature that has no distinguishable head, but rather has eyes, a mouth, and a brain in it's body (Beholders for instance) consider them to be a Torso, but see special rules later for still harming the eyes and other important targets.
Neck: This is the area between the head and the torso, and usually carries food, air, and if the creature can speak or make other noises with it's mouth, generally contains its vocal organs. Many creatures simply do not have one, and some do not care if it is damaged. (A Golem often has a neck - but damaging it causes no special ill effects for the creature - Conversely, a Scorpion's neck is almost impossible to strike, and is considered for all intents and purposes of this system simply not to exist.)
Torso: This is the main body of the creature. Even on creatures with no anatomy whatsoever (oozes primarily) this is the primary target location. If a creature has no other limbs, it still has a Torso.
Whew >.<;;
Arms: These are generally the 'offensive' limbs of a creature. For example - a bears front paws, a beholder's eye-stalks, a scorpion's pincers - all of these classify as "Arms" under this system. Not all creatures have arms; some have limbs solely for the purpose of locomotion or primarily for locomotion - in which case they are legs (Ex: A horse's legs - even though they can rear and kick, are primarily for locomotion and thus all 4 fall under legs.)
Legs: Limbs used primarily for locomotion. When faced with a creature who uses their limbs both for movement and attack, think about the specific method. An Ape for instance will walk on it's front knuckles, but these limbs are considered arms, as they are as much for grasping and attacking as movement. Conversely a horse, although it can rear up and kick with it's forelegs, uses them primarily for locomotion. Some lack legs altogether, and others have unusual forms of locomotive limb (ex: a lower body like a snake).
In the latter case, if the unusual locomotive limb is still outside the body and can be struck, then it counts as a leg. Note: Wings fall into this category. Note that if a creature has insignificant traditional legs (like a flighted bird), then the wings completely replace the 'leg' category. If the creature has both useful wings and useful legs (ex: a harpy), then use the rules below for alternate limb distribution.
Handling attacks on creatures with unusual anatomy
Most creatures have a head or heads, a neck or necks, a torso, legs or wings, and arms.
When attacking a creature with unusual anatomy - use the same rules as normal with the following modifications:
1) If there is more than one of a given hit location (example: 4 arms, 2 on each side), then first, determine the hit location as normal - ex: Left Arm, then randomize between the arms on that side.
So a creature with 4 arms, 2 on each side, hit in the "Left Arm" location, requires you roll 1d2 to determine specifically which arm was hit.
2) If a given piece of anatomy is singular where there are multiples on a standard creature of that type, then treat all hits against that location as being on the specific body part.
Example: A Yuan-Ti with a snake's lower half. All hits to either Right or Left leg count as a hit against it's "Leg" (ie: the snake tail).
The same would be true of a creature with one arm, or one eye.
Note, the DM may wish to rule that for exceptionally thick limbs (the aforementioned Yuan-Ti snake body), that it requires the location to be severed more than once for it to be truly removed. This is an optional rule however, and is left to the DM to determine when appropriate.
3) If a given piece of anatomy simply does not exist on that creature, then re-roll to hit location if it comes up. If a creature has no specific body parts (like an ooze), treat the entire creature as a Torso; though if sensory organs are present, roll on the Head chart to determine if these are injured. This does not inflict an automatic critical threat - you are still striking the torso, it just happens to be a torso with eyes or ears.
4)
For truly bizarre anatomy - for example, a Beholder, who's torso is also it's head, apply common sense to determine it's hit locations.
For a Beholder, this means that each Eyestalk is an arm (arms being offensive limbs).
So when rolling for hit locations against a beholder, consider the eye stalks on the left half of it's body to be the left arm location, and the eyestalks on the right side of it's body to be the right arm.
Then randomize (1d4) to determine which stalk is hit. Use the Head chart to determine if an eye is put out.
Treat the rest of the beholder as a Torso, and hits on the torso have a chance of wounding the large central eye with a roll on the Head table.
Again - just because you roll on the head table does not mean you get an automatic threat - only a creature with a distinct head location receives that.
5) Called shots against a multi-limbed area operate normally. However if a very specific limb ("The Third leg on the right of that giant scorpion") is to be targetted, increase the AC penalty by half again. If it's successful, and the roll on the location chart indicates the called area, then the specific limb is struck.
Otherwise treat the attack normally.
6) "Special" Limbs - These include the Scorpion's Stinger, certain Devil's stingers, or any other limb that does not immediately appear to fall under the normal definitions; though they are almost invariably offensive or magical in nature.
Consider such a limb an additional Arm, with the number of "Special" limbs divided evenly between the Arm hit locations. If there is only one special limb, or an odd number of special limbs, then treat one of these special limbs as strikeable from either side.
Ex: A scorpion receives a hit on the Right Arm location. Roll 1d2 to determine if the stinger is struck instead of the pincer. The same would be done if it were rolled on the Left arm.
On the other hand, if a scorpion had 3 tails, you'd randomize 1d3 on each side - the 1 being a pincer, the 2 being the tail on that side, and the third being the center tail.
Concerns -
Admittedly this requires a bit of work - but bizarre monsters like the Beholder are thankfully uncommon to most campaigns that would use these rules.
If you do want to include a lot of strange creatures and use these rules, there are two simpler ways to handle it.
First - before such an encounter (preferably before the session) the DM should map out the guidelines on the given creature so that they can be consulted instantly.
This is the best way, as it allows players to continue using these rules and potentially disrupt a dangerous creature with careful choices.
The other way is to simply consider the anatomy too bizarre to be accounted for traditionally. In this case, count the entire creature as a torso and ignore the other rules. (In other words, fight as you would a standard D20 combat, with the exception of the weapon conditions and potential bleeding from a critical.)
*Huff-puff huff-puff*
Update!
Added:
Rules for dealing with strange anatomies. I tried to keep them simple - the mostly require a simple randomization roll to determine which specific limb is hit, after rolling a location. This can be a little complex in dealing with really "out there" creatures... but I think for most unusual critters it ought to be OK.
Made Neck hits a bit more severe, including adding a critical effect (I'd forgotten to before).
Made certain the description of what a Blunt or Piercing weapon does when it "severs" a limb is present, so people don't get weird ideas of hammers cleanly slicing arms or rapiers taking off people's legs >.>
Please let me know what you think >< this remains a work in progress!