Good Evening Fellow Gamers,
So I have an idea for a character who has lost an arm. But they have a magical prosthesis.
In my mind, I want it to be relatively subtle when they are in their full armor, but when they are 'between adventures' and/or hanging out at the inn the absence of the arm is noticeable. I envision the amputation to be above the elbow
Now, my questions for you:
1: Are there any existing magical items that are full-function prosthesis (or augment prosthesis)
2: If not, what 'slot' should the prosthetic apparatus take up? I'm thinking chest or shoulders slot to represent the straps and fixings and such.
3: At a minimum, I want it to be able to function as a replacement for the missing limb.
4: Would the armored prosthesis be able to 'count as' a buckler, since there is really no arm underneath the prosthetic.
5: If you were a DM, would you allow this for a first-level character? If not, what level would be appropriate?
6: According to the spellcaster for hire formula, it's only 910gp for regenerate, so why would this exist, since a magical item would likely be far more expensive.
What other considerations should I have? Is this an idea I should abandon entirely?
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon
Construct limb with something like an Iron Cobra seems like a good idea. It is normally worn on the limb, but it seems reasonable to extend it to prosthesis in this case. It is fairly pricey though 27000 gp on top of the construct's cost. It also retains the melee attacks and you can use it's special attacks, and it acts as a heavy steel shield.
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4 Winds Fantasy Gaming have made rules for prosthetics, you can them here.
There are both magical and mechanical variants. So of them are a bit strong, imo, but it would surely be a place to find inspiration.
To answer some of your questions:
4) I my opinion, it should be rather costly to have it function as a shield (especially if counts as a free hand anyway). While it might be wood or metal, the arm have other functions. Having swords and axes bash away on it, would likely ruin it, unless it was properly reinforced.
5) Depends on the campaign, but mostly I tone down the magic, so I wouldn't be too keen on a magical prosthetic from the start (though a good story can often sway me). I would however be glad to incorporate it, if you started out with a regular prosthetic (or simply just a single arm).
6a) Spellcasters might not be readily availiable to cast (most likely not given it is a lvl 7 spell), so there si a market for alternatives.
6b) Even so, most people can afford the spellcasting. So there is a market for simple, commonplace prosthetics. Some of these artisans is going to refine their craft to the point, where magic is being infused to craft the best prostetic the world have ever seen!
6c) Don't sweat it. The economic system is best at regulating the economics of the game for PCs, not the world around them. We don't see magical streetlights in every city, or have the world cured of dangerous diseases, just because the rules make it easy.
Cool idea. My humble answers below:
2: I get what you mean by shoulders and chest, but I think it unnecessary. Wrist, hands slot. Unfortunately the slots are for both, but given the magic you could plug into this thing, I think that is fine.
When creating the eldritch gauntlet for the Gauntlet Witch in Kobold Quarterly #23, this is what I went for:
"An eldritch gauntlet has both the weapon statistics of a normal spiked gauntlet and the armor statistics of studded leather, but it weighs only 15 lbs. An eldritch gauntlet uses one of the witch’s hand and wrist item slots and her chest slot."
- Not sure you can use up one of the wrist or hands slot. Ooops.
- The armor stats and chest slot was used there because the eldritch gauntlet covers the entire arm and part of the chest, like a gladiator's lorica manica.- But definitely could count as a spiked gauntlet! ;)
3: Sure. No loss to Strength, Dex, CMB, CMD, Fort saves or AC.
4: Not sure what you mean by "as a buckler" but if you use the slots I mention, then yes, I don't see why not, though the usual rules apply for wielding two handed weapons and using the buckler/arm. I created a bracer/sleeve/gauntlet I called a bastion that was kinda like this.
5. Certainly, with the right backstory. Which needn't be more than a paragraph. ;)
6: This is the tricky bit, but here are some options:
The character is magic immune [i]except for this prosthesis - a corollary effect might be a null-filed, and inability to benefit from caster buffs.
The character is cursed, and the curse is the prosthesis. It cannot be removed without high magicks, mythic quest etc…
The prosthesis is a gift, whether unlooked for or due to a lineage or heritage of the character. Making the prosthesis a lineage item i.e it improves with level) would be nice too.[/i]
Other considerations:
Folks might want to steal your arm. :)
If cursed, it might grow to subsume your character. :)
If a gift, it might be geased to compel you to great adventures. ;)
Do not abandon this idea entirely.
clockwork prosthetic (from Magical Marketplace). 6400g for a new limb bundled with frankly amazing bonuses to lifting capacity and against maneuvers.
For Glinishmore!
If not, what 'slot' should the prosthetic apparatus take up?
I don't think it should take up any magic item slots at all if all it is doing is replacing an existing arm/limbs function. This also avoids having to segregate magic item slots when the character DOES get items in his career.
If you want it to be enchanted afterwards I would think enchantment costs would be as for a slot less wondrous item. That would allow you to use normal equipment.
4: Would the armored prosthesis be able to 'count as' a buckler, since there is really no arm underneath the prosthetic.
I think that you and your GM could workout additional costs for the arm if you want to use it as a buckler and or club/slam attack. The big advantages would be that you would always have the shield and or weapon readied and that you would still have a functional hand at all times. I don't see this as being too expensive. Maybe double the masterwork costs of the buckler and/or club to have that ability added to the arm. If the arm if made out of special materials that would carry over to the items, assuming that material cost was covered under the arms initial outlay.
5: If you were a DM, would you allow this for a first-level character? If not, what level would be appropriate?
I would allow it but the limb would be simple wood and do nothing more or less than what the normal limb would be able to do. They could 'upgrade' the limb with their money as they adventure, including replacing it with better material's and enchantments. That way they get their character concept from the get go but can also get it enhanced as they play. It provides them with no bonus at level 1 that anyone else would not have and no hindrance for a background story choice. If someone wanted to spend a trait or even a feat on it I would work with them to give the limb some more abilities at level one, perhaps using idea's from the Warforged of the Ebberon setting as inspiration.
6: According to the spell caster for hire formula, it's only 910gp for regenerate, so why would this exist, since a magical item would likely be far more expensive.
Would really depend on setting. Perhaps basic magical limbs are cheaper than regen? Maybe having a magical limb is a sign of status for those who can afford them rather than having a limb regenerated? It would show their loss in battle but not leave them incapacitated?
Or maybe a caster powerful enough to cast regenerate is simply not available where the character is from while one who can fashion magical limbs is?
What other considerations should I have? Is this an idea I should abandon entirely?
I have always liked this concept personally ever since I read the Champions Eternal books by Moorcock.
I would say that magical limbs could have any of the following issues:
Variance in touch sensitivity. Cheap limbs may have no feeling while advanced magical ones could have better than normal. This could hurt dex oriented skill use, spell casting or combat with that limb.
Magic limbs would not fatigue but what they are attached to on the body would. For Example: This could mean you could keep your grip tight with a prosthetic hand forever but the wrist/arm/shoulder would still get tired and sore and possibly even more damaged if you exceed the normal fatigue limits of the body with the replacement limb.
Your limb might be a sunderable target. If so you might need to assign a limb HP and Hardness based on material and enchantment levels. I personally would not do this frankly. A limb attached to a person should be a part of that person magically speaking, IMO.
Is your limb permanently attached to your body or does it have to be strapped on somehow like a real world prosthetic?
Thanks for all the advice!
In my mind, I want to sort of have the arm be a 'reveal.' During a session, when the PCs are at the tavern enjoying some downtime, the character just unstraps the arm and sets it on the table with a sigh of relief (like when you take off your shoes at the end of a long day).
I'd like the aesthetics of it to be somewhere between clockwork (like Yoshimitsu in Soul Calibur) and full magic emulating cybernetics (like Gaige from Borderlands, or Jax from Mortal Kombat)
At the very minimum, I want it to function as a 'normal' arm. Any additional functions (like counting as a buckler) would be paid for and separate, if integrated, functions. For example; a foe could 'sunder' the armor plates on it and reduce its effectiveness as a buckler. Or maybe I reinforce the hand to make it more solid and it would then count as a cestus.
Also, I was looking at the Spellcasting Stats for Magnimar, and they top out at 8th level spellcasting. So a city that large wouldn't be able to cast regeneration, it might make sense why an armored prosthesis was the way to go. And by the time the character -does- find a place where it could be cast... they might be reluctant to part with a prosthesis that may have been enhanced during the course of the adventure.
Thanks again for your inputs.
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon