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Just recently in a game I'm running, the party ranger took a critical hit from a chupacabra. The result from the Critical Hit Deck was "Bone Masher: Normal Damage and 1d3 Str damage (arm.)" Essentially, it broke his arm or sprained it or something like. The part I'm uncertain of is that it says "Limb useless until healed." Is that until the ability damage is healed or until the hit point damage is healed?
Just recently in a game I'm running, the party ranger took a critical hit from a chupacabra. The result from the Critical Hit Deck was "Bone Masher: Normal Damage and 1d3 Str damage (arm.)" Essentially, it broke his arm or sprained it or something like. The part I'm uncertain of is that it says "Limb useless until healed." Is that until the ability damage is healed or until the hit point damage is healed?
I rule all damage done to the arm.
Ie: if he has 30 damage total, and then takes fifteen to the arm, his arm is useless as squishy bits in a fight till15 is healed.(I apply the first fifteen hitpoints to his arm)
Furthering of the question: Do temporary hitpoints fill this catagory?
I'd rule just the ability damage. For one, easier to keep track of. Second, the hit point damage is the normal attack, the mangled arm/ str damage is the critical effect.
Healing the str damage is going to be tedious enough.
Just recently in a game I'm running, the party ranger took a critical hit from a chupacabra. The result from the Critical Hit Deck was "Bone Masher: Normal Damage and 1d3 Str damage (arm.)" Essentially, it broke his arm or sprained it or something like. The part I'm uncertain of is that it says "Limb useless until healed." Is that until the ability damage is healed or until the hit point damage is healed?
Is there one that affects a leg that doesn't do ability score damage? If so, what is the wording on that card?
If the effect doesn't do ability score damage and has the same text, it would point towards the hp damage needing to be healed. This way the arm could be usable and still have ability score damage.
The ability score damage is easier to track though, I agree, so use that if playability is your concern. Either way you may need to track it as a separate number from your normal damage, maybe in parenthesis.
Just recently in a game I'm running, the party ranger took a critical hit from a chupacabra. The result from the Critical Hit Deck was "Bone Masher: Normal Damage and 1d3 Str damage (arm.)" Essentially, it broke his arm or sprained it or something like. The part I'm uncertain of is that it says "Limb useless until healed." Is that until the ability damage is healed or until the hit point damage is healed?
I would rule it as strength damage. You can get 1 point of ability damage back overnight. You can get 2 points back with a DC 15 heal check. Lesser restoration also restores 1d4 ability points to any one score.
Is there one that affects a leg that doesn't do ability score damage? If so, what is the wording on that card?
The alternative on the same card, which affects the leg, does 1d3 Dex damage and halves the character's move speed. It pretty much has the same wording except it affects a different ability score and has a different effect (movement instead of preventing 2-handed wielding.)
It just says this type of limb or that type. I did a 50/50 roll to determine which it was.
I'm honestly leaning towards ability score damage being important because it is technically possible (if extremely difficult) to deal lasting structural damage to creatures in D&D. If someone suffers ability damage, or loses an eye, finger, hand, etc... application of cure-x-wounds doesn't replace lost body parts or restore inner structural integrity. That's what Regenerate and the various Restoration spells are even there in the book to do.
Despite what I named the thread, the fact that it does 1d3 ability damage and characters heal one point of that per day suggests it's a sprain at most.