[RPG] Is it possible to cut off the limbs of an enethe?

dnd-3.5e

I am aware that vorpal weapons can instakill with a successful crit, but I am looking for something less drastic. Are there any feats, class features or rules that would allow cutting off the limbs of your enemy or damaging the muscles and tendons to make them unusable?

3rd party sources are allowed.

Best Answer

There are no official rules in D&D 3.5 for dismemberment in combat.

There are specific cases where it can happen (like the Vorpal weapon property mentioned in the question, the Wu Jen spell Decapitating Scarf (Complete Arcane p. 102), or the removal of a character's hand to make room for the Hand of Vecna), some of which provide rules for their specific case.

There's also a variant rule described on p. 27 of the DMG called "Damage to Specific Areas," but it doesn't really cover how dismemberment would work, it just suggests penalties to apply if a character, say, steps on a caltrop, or has their fingers slashed by a trap.

Since you mention being okay with third-party solutions, you might consider:

  • Torn Asunder: Critical Hits, a third-party Pathfinder supplement that provides detailed rules for dismemberment and other specific injuries that can happen in combat.
  • The homebrew Severing Limbs in combat rules by Omegas for dismemberment.
  • Coming up with your own homebrew rules, possibly drawing inspiration from any or all of the above.
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