The Loss of a Body Part

Hand

Since a person’s manual dexterity comes primarily from the opposable thumbs interacting with the fingers and palms, the loss of a hand limits how complex items are used and how items are carried.

A character who has lost a hand incurs the following penalties:

• -5 penalty on Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, and Use Magic Device skill checks;
• -4 penalty on grapple checks;
• Must make a caster level check to cast spells with somatic components;
• Unable to wield two-handed weapons or make two-weapon attacks, but may still wear a shield on the affected arm;
• Carrying capacity is not reduced. However, the maximum weight a character can lift over head or off the ground is reduced by one third, as shown on Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Hand (for medium creatures). These penalties do not stack with other penalties for losing limbs.

A character who has lost both hands, or one hand and one arm, cannot use any of the listed skills, make attacks, cast spells with somatic components, or handle objects, without the aid of prosthetics or magic.

Arm

Losing an arm at the elbow (or higher) severely limits what that side of the body can do. With a markedly shorter reach and range, the arm is practically unusable.

A character who has lost an arm incurs the following penalties:

• -10 penalty on Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, and Use Magic Device skill checks;
• -8 penalty on grapple checks;
• Must make a caster level check at a -5 penalty to cast spells with somatic components;
• Unable to wield weapons two-handed or make two-weapon attacks, and may not wear a shield on the affected arm.
• Carrying capacity is not reduced. However, the maximum weight a character can lift over head or off the ground is halved, as shown on Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Arm (for medium creatures). These penalties do not stack with other penalties for losing limbs.

A character who has lost both arms cannot use any of the listed skills, make attacks, or use objects, without the aid of prosthetics or magic.

Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Hand

Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Arm

Foot

Keeping upright becomes a chore with the loss of the foot. Uneven legs, no pivot point, and a smaller base affect land movement.

A character who has lost a foot incurs the following penalties:

• -5 penalty on Acrobatics, Climb, Ride, Stealth, and certain Perform skill checks (GM’s discretion).
• Cannot run.
• Cannot bull rush or overrun and takes a -4 penalty to resist these combat maneuvers.
• Land movement rate is reduced by half, and characters can no longer benefit from the fast movement class feature.
• Carrying capacity is reduced by one third and the maximum weight a character can lift over head or off the ground is halved, as shown on Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Foot (for medium creatures). These penalties do not stack with other penalties for losing limbs.

A character who has lost both feet, or one foot and one leg, is always considered flat-footed, cannot use any of the listed skills, and can only move 5 feet as a full round action, without the aid of prosthetics or magic.

Leg

Losing a leg at the knee (or higher) strips it of its fundamental purposes. Walking is replaced by hopping, standing is replaced by balancing, kicking becomes impossible. Very little can be done in an upright position without aid from a prosthetic, magic, or fellow adventurer.

A character who has lost a leg incurs the following penalties:

• -10 penalty on Acrobatics, Climb, Ride, Stealth, and certain Perform skill checks (GM’s discretion).
• Cannot run or charge.
• Cannot bull rush or overrun and takes a -12 penalty to resist these combat maneuvers.
• Speed is reduced to 5 feet, and can no longer make a 5-foot step.
• Carrying capacity is reduced by two thirds and the maximum weight a character can lift over head or off the ground is halved when sitting, impossible when standing, as shown on Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Leg (for medium creatures). These penalties do not stack with other penalties for losing limbs.

A character who has lost both legs is always considered flat-footed and prone, and can only move 5 feet as a full round action, without the aid of prosthetics or magic.

Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Foot

Table: Modified Lifting Capacity: Leg