[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Missing Digit, One Arm and One Hand

[johndallman]

Missing Digit [-2 or -5], One Arm [-20] and One Hand [-15] are all mundane physical disadvantages, for creatures that normally have arms, hands and digits, or something equivalent. There’s no direct way that I can find to model someone who’s lost both hands, or both arms: No Fine Manipulators is reserved for races without manipulators, or without limbs. Missing Digit appeared in Compendium I for 3e, while One Arm and One Hand both date from 1e, and have always been used to represent effects of injury.

Missing Digit simply gives DX penalties for use of that hand, -5 for the thumb or -1 for a finger. One Arm and One Hand have many of their rules in common, and assume you lost your off-hand arm or hand. You cannot perform any task that requires two hands, such as using a two-handed weapon, and tasks that can be done with one hand, but are usually done using both, like Climbing or Wrestling, are at -4. Impromptu reality checks are recommended when it’s not clear if a task requires both hands. Advanced prosthetics that cancel out these disadvantages give you a Mitigator (-60%) limitation on them. If you are of a race that has only one arm naturally, such as an elephant, you have One Arm, rather than No Fine Manipulators, and can use modifiers from the Extra Arms advantage.

One Hand lets you do more: you can make unarmed parries with the handless arm, or strap a shield to it. You can wield two weapons if one of them is attached to your stump, such as a hook; that’s also worth +1 to Intimidation skill. Simple prosthetics, such as a grabber or hook, give -2 to -4 to DX compared to having a hand.

In some game settings, simple and dangerous-looking replacements reduce appearance by a level. Societies where simply having lost a digit, hand or arm reduces appearance are probably rare; people are usually sympathetic to victims of accidents.

These disadvantages are, naturally, rare on published character templates, apart from pirates. Prosthetics are in Low-Tech, High-Tech and Ultra-Tech. Missing Digit shows up on Action’s Demolition Man, and in AtE Freakishness. DF14: Power-Ups has some ‘orrible Necromancer abilities based on One Arm, though more sensible Denizens: Swashbucklers would use Artificer technology, magic, or just buy the disadvantage down to a Distinctive Feature. Missing Digits are fairly common in Fantasy’s Roma Arcana, and Horror has a way to remove Corruption along with body parts. Martial Arts has more on combat effects, and Technical Grappling adds detail. Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys includes a way to avoid loosing body parts in combat, at a fairly high price in character points, although if Psi-Tech is in use, you could try acquiring PK powers in their place. Steampunk has clockwork prostheses, and Supers equally-plausible powered armour which can serve as prosthetics.

How often have you seen players take these disadvantages at character creation? I suspect it is rare, but they’re worth having in the system to cover injuries.