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View Full Version : Broken Legs [3.5e Trait]



Rithaniel
2011-03-07, 04:58 AM
Broken Legs
Perhaps you broke your spine and are paralyzed from the waist down. Perhaps your leg bones were ground to dust in some war many years ago. Either way, your legs are useless. You have grown accustomed to it, all the same, of course.
Prerequisite: 'Slow' flaw.
Benefit: You only take half penalties for being prone (-2 on melee attack rolls, -2 AC against melee attacks) and gain the ability to use a ranged attack while prone. Also, if you are close enough to an object heavier than yourself to grab it, you can lift yourself up from prone as a swift action which does not provoke AoO. You remain upright as long as you use both hands to grip the object and hold yourself there.
Drawback: You are forever prone unless holding yourself up or being held up, and you can only move around on your hands unless otherwise assisted. Normal land movement requires you to have at least one hand free, and is never faster than 5 feet (Regardless of what other feats or class features you may have).
Roleplaying Ideas: A characters with this trait might easily be a battered war hero who has decided to go back into combat, just to prove that he doesn't need his legs to beat your face in. Or a sickly, corrupt wizard who is forced into servitude by his keepers, who carry him around in a frame on a brutes back.

Some Stuff From My Friend
Wheelchair (Mundane Item)
This chair has wheels yo. It enables the user to travel at a speed of 20 feet a round, but their hands must be free to do this. They can attempt to push one handed, but their speed is halved. Going uphill decreases speed by 10 ft, going downhill increases by 10ft. Made of metal, hardness 10, hp 10.
Craft Metalwork. Unknown price.

Powered Wheelchair (Magic)
Now you got power! Can control one handed with no issues. Same as before, but can be enhanced as if it were anything appropriate for the feet slot.
Uses Unseen Servent, CL 1. Some kinda price.

Rocket Wheelchair (Magic)
This blinged out wheelchair has it all. It runs on its own at your thought, powered by an awesome elemental. Comes with Spiderclimb 1/day, Expedition Retreat 1/day, Air Walk 1/day, and can dash forward 120 ft, overruning opponents as a person a size larger and using +X or your own overrun check, whichever is higher. It leaves a wall of fire behind which burns for 3 rounds.
Uses Animate Objects, Spiderclimb, Expeditious Retreat, Air Walk, and Fire Wall. Some higher price

Discuss.

Runestar
2011-03-07, 07:29 AM
Is there some benefit to being prone? Seems like I am just burning a feat to further gimp myself.

Though if you made it a flaw, people would probably just find a way to get around walking, such as flight, or simply PAO'ing into a race which eschews legs. Such as a psionic sandwich. :smalltongue:

unosarta
2011-03-07, 07:40 AM
Is there some benefit to being prone? Seems like I am just burning a feat to further gimp myself.

Though if you made it a flaw, people would probably just find a way to get around walking, such as flight, or simply PAO'ing into a race which eschews legs. Such as a psionic sandwich. :smalltongue:

The title says trait. Which means, if you have access to the Slow trait, and your DM approves, you can get this as one of your two traits.

Although I do agree that there probably should be a higher benefit. Being Prone isn't really that big of a deal.

Runestar
2011-03-07, 07:43 AM
What are traits? Sorry, but the term doesn't ring a bell. What system is this for? :smalltongue:

unosarta
2011-03-07, 07:53 AM
What are traits? Sorry, but the term doesn't ring a bell. What system is this for? :smalltongue:

That's weird, since you seem to know what Flaws are, and they are from the same book. (http://dndsrd.net/unearthedTraits.html#_top)

Runestar
2011-03-07, 08:01 AM
I don't own UA. I know of flaws only because every build in the optimization boards assume you get 2 free feats courtesy of flaws. Traits never ever get mentioned. :smalltongue:

unosarta
2011-03-07, 08:31 AM
I don't own UA. I know of flaws only because every build in the optimization boards assume you get 2 free feats courtesy of flaws. Traits never ever get mentioned. :smalltongue:

Oh. That's okay, at least you know now. :smallsmile:

Traits are basically a small penalty for a small bonus. A flaw trades a larger penalty for a feat. This trait is trading a very small bonus for a very large penalty. Thus, it should either have the bonus increased, or change it to a flaw. Either of them would work.

Cieyrin
2011-03-07, 11:22 AM
Traits are basically a small penalty for a small bonus. A flaw trades a larger penalty for a feat. This trait is trading a very small bonus for a very large penalty. Thus, it should either have the bonus increased, or change it to a flaw. Either of them would work.

Yeah, I agree, this seems like you're gaining a little for a large loss. Perhaps take a leaf from the Blind PC's Association (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19906846/The_Blind_PCs_Association?num=10&pg=1) thread in how to go about it so you're perhaps closer to an even trade.

Rithaniel
2011-03-07, 12:09 PM
Well, the trait is essentially:

1) A +4 bonus to AC against ranged attack rolls in exchange for a -2 penalty to AC against melee attacks.

2) Immunity to trip attacks or other effects that result in falling prone in exchange for a -2 penalty on melee attacks.

3) The ability to 'rise' from prone without wasting a move action in exchange for the decrease in speed (usually -10 ft, since 30 ft is the most 'normal' movement rate, and the character already has the Slow flaw).

Morph Bark
2011-03-07, 02:41 PM
3) The ability to 'rise' from prone without wasting a move action in exchange for the decrease in speed (usually -10 ft, since 30 ft is the most 'normal' movement rate, and the character already has the Slow flaw).

...but since he needs both hands to hold himself up all the time, he can't actually do anything while "standing".

Temotei
2011-03-07, 04:15 PM
Aw. I was hoping speed bonuses would work. Could you imagine a broken-legged monk crawling on the ground faster than all of her allies? :smallbiggrin:

I'll reiterate that it seems kind of weak.

Rithaniel
2011-03-08, 12:03 AM
Alright, well, I'm wanting to keep this a trait, just to make it so that more DMs will accept it (traits are less dangerous than flaws in the eyes of a lot of DMs), so, how would you advise this be 'fixed'?

Runestar
2011-03-08, 08:14 AM
Traits generally give a small bonus in exchange for a small penalty. Your trait imposes a fairly hefty penalty, so the bonuses would have to be quite significant to compensate. Which in turn tends to create lopsided characters, increasing the likelihood of abuse (in that the only people who would then take this trait are those who can circumvent the drawback somehow).

I am not sure it can be fixed. :smallconfused:

Cieyrin
2011-03-08, 05:40 PM
Traits generally give a small bonus in exchange for a small penalty. Your trait imposes a fairly hefty penalty, so the bonuses would have to be quite significant to compensate. Which in turn tends to create lopsided characters, increasing the likelihood of abuse (in that the only people who would then take this trait are those who can circumvent the drawback somehow).

I am not sure it can be fixed. :smallconfused:

Well, fixed as a trait, in the normal sense of the game mechanic. We can probably balance it out so people can appreciably play Dr. Xavier to their heart's content.

MrEdwardNigma
2011-03-09, 08:24 AM
This trait might not be very optimal, but I was planning to make a wheelchair bound NPC cleric for the next session of my ongoing campaign, so I'm gonna use it anyways.

One thing I wonder about though, if in a wheelchair, would a character still get the +4 AC to ranged attacks? I mean, he's no longer REALLY on the floor, so I don't see why he would be harder to hit.

Temotei
2011-03-09, 05:00 PM
This trait might not be very optimal, but I was planning to make a wheelchair bound NPC cleric for the next session of my ongoing campaign, so I'm gonna use it anyways.

One thing I wonder about though, if in a wheelchair, would a character still get the +4 AC to ranged attacks? I mean, he's no longer REALLY on the floor, so I don't see why he would be harder to hit.

The character is sitting, so they're granted a +2 bonus against ranged attacks and they take a -2 penalty against melee attacks.

Here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm#favorableandUnfavorableConditi ons).