This is an attempt at updating to Pathfinder a combat maneuver we used previously in another campaign and would like assistance for purposes of other perspectives on balance/effects & the prerequisites.
Severing Strike [Combat, Critical]
You are able to severely maim a target by severing or damaging one of its limbs.
Prerequisite: Crippling Critical, Critical Focus, base attack bonus +15.
Benefit: Whenever you score a critical hit against an opponent with a slashing weapon, you may choose to use this feat. Instead of dealing full damage, you instead deal one-half damage. Additionally, you sever one of the targets arms at the wrist or elbow joint, or one of the target's legs at the knee or ankle joint (your choice). A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + your base attack bonus) reflects an injury (using the same penalties) and no loss of limb for a duration of 1d4 rounds.
Severing or damaging part of an arm prevents the target from wielding weapons or using tools in the hand and imposes a -4 penalty on skill checks and ability checks keyed to Strength and Dexterity. Severing or damaging part of a leg knocks the target prone, reduces the target's speed by half, reduces its carrying capacity by half, and imposes a -4 penalty on skill checks and ability checks keyed to Strength and Dexterity.
If a limb is severed, the target bleeds an additional 2d6 bleed damage each round on his turn. Bleed damage can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal skill check or through any magical healing. A replacement limb negates these reductions and penalties as does use of a regenerate spell (see the Replacement Limbs entry under magical items).
Special: You can only apply the effects of one critical feat to a given critical hit unless you possess Critical Mastery.
Notes: Certain races in my campaign setting craft replacement limbs which are magical items or equivalent in and of themselves.
Example Replacement Limb Materials by Race: Lolthari [similar to drow](adamantine), Elves (mithral or darkwood), Dwarves (mithral; adamantine on rare occasion), Gnomes (clockwork), Sídhe [a Fey race](aurorum).
Bump.
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Rather that dickering with custom rules, I would just use the Called Shots rules from Ultimate Combat. They already contain rules for severing limbs on a Debilitating Blow.
Basically, you take a -2 to hit and target a limb. If you deal more than half the creature's health in damage, they have to make a Fortitude save equal to the creature's own AC. If they make the save, they take debilitating effects. If they fail the save by 5 or more, the limb is severed.
Rather that dickering with custom rules, I would just use the Called Shots rules from Ultimate Combat. They already contain rules for severing limbs on a Debilitating Blow.
Basically, you take a -2 to hit and target a limb. If you deal more than half the creature's health in damage, they have to make a Fortitude save equal to the creature's own AC. If they make the save, they take debilitating effects. If they fail the save by 5 or more, the limb is severed.
You know, I completely forgot their system existed, even though we had tried it for a few sessions, but overall the players didn't seem to like it much.
I'm glad you reminded me of it. In essence, my players had wanted a slightly more reliable method of removing opponents limbs akin to the Star Wars "Jedi" talent or the old school Sword of Sharpness. At the least, I can either try to come up with a simple solution in some other manner or go back and make sure the penalties mesh with the pre-existing rule-set - it's also kinda reassuring that Pathfinder doesn't assign bleed to the limb-loss, so I can actually pull that out of my proposed feat.
Thanks!