Additional Limbs
From D20advanced
| ADDITIONAL LIMBS | ||
| Type: Alteration | Action: None (passive) | |
| Range: Personal | Duration: Permanent | |
| Resistance: None | Cost: 2 points per rank | |
You have one or more additional limbs, such as arms, legs, tentacles, or a prehensile tail (among others). You have one extra limb at rank 1. Each additional rank moves your number of extra limbs one step up the Time and Value Progression Table: two at rank 2, five at rank 3, and so forth. In-between numbers of additional limbs should be considered the nearest higher rank. So four extra limbs, for example, is considered rank 3.
Additional Limbs do not allow you to take extra actions in a round. All additional limbs except your dominant limb are considered your "off-hand." If you have the Ambidexterity feat, you have no off-hand penalties with any of your limbs.
If you apply all of your Additional Limbs to an opposed Maneuver check with Might (rather than leave some of them free), you gain a +1 bonus per rank in Additional Limbs (though this bonus is still capped by the campaign's power level.
Contents |
FX Feats
- Extended Reach: Since Additional Limbs is a personal range effect this FX feat does not affect it. To extend the reach of your limbs (additional or otherwise), use the Elongation FX.
- Innate: Additional Limbs are often innate qualities of a character or creature’s physiology, making this FX feat appropriate.
- Split Attack: While Additional Limbs do not grant any additional attacks, applying this FX feat to the character’s unarmed attacks can reflect the ability of multiple limbs to strike at different targets.
- Subtle: The "effect" of Additional Limbs—namely having additional limbs—is not Subtle, an exception to the normal guidelines on passive effects. At the GM’s discretion, this FX feat can give a character “invisible” Additional Limbs, detectable only by certain unusual senses (rank 1) or not at all (rank 2). This works well in conjunction with the Projection extra (see the following) and may make the Additional Limbs capable of surprise attacks.
Extras
In general, FX modifiers affecting attacks (e.g. Affects Corporeal, Area, Penetrating, etc.) should apply to the Strength of a character with Additional Limbs rather than to the Additional Limbs effect itself. Such modifiers applied to Strength affect all of the character’s limbs.
- Duration: Additional Limbs can be made sustained in duration for a net +0 modifier. This reflects the type of FX a character can turn on or off (growing or forming the additional limbs and then making them disappear just as easily). This is also the case for Additional Limbs made continuous (a +1 modifier) except the extra limbs remain until you choose to eliminate them, even if you are stunned or unconscious.
- Projection (+1): Your Additional Limbs are merely a projection of your power rather than an extension of you. Therefore, they are not vulnerable to attack on their own; any attacks specifically against your Additional Limb(s) have no effect. So, for example, one of your additional limbs could reach into a container of acid to pull out an object without any risk of harm. The GM may require Additional Limbs with this extra to modify their duration to continuous or sustained, but this is not essential. It’s likely that Additional Limbs with this extra are not eligible for the Innate FX feat.
- Range: Like the Extended Reach feat, this modifier does not improve the “reach” of the Additional Limbs themselves. For that, use the Elongation FX.
Flaws
- Distracting (–1): Coordinating the actions of multiple limbs may be distracting indeed, applying this flaw to the Additional Limbs effect results in the character losing any defense bonus while applying any extra limbs to an action. This flaw should generally not apply to any creature that has Innate Additional Limbs, especially if they are part of its natural physiology.
Drawbacks
- Noticeable: As noted under Subtle, Additional Limbs are noticeable by default and probably shouldn’t have this drawback unless they’re a Projection or something truly unusual.
Associated FX
Additional Limbs assumes the limbs are usable as arms or legs (or both). Other sorts of limbs—wings, for example—are better handled by other traits, such as Enhanced Movement. Common FX associated with Additional Limbs include:
- Elongation: Additional Limbs often take the form of tentacles, pseudopods, or prehensile hair with unusual stretching properties, making Elongation an appropriate additional effect. It is often Limited solely to the Additional Limbs, the rest of the character’s body unable to elongate.
- Enhanced Strength: Additional Limbs may come with Enhanced Strength, particularly mechanical or grafted-on limbs. As with Elongation, these effects may be Limited solely to the Additional Limbs.
- Damage: A character’s Additional Limbs might have natural weapons such as claws or simply greater striking power, providing this bonus to melee damage. Note that Limited to Additional Limbs is generally not a suitable flaw for Damage, although the GM may approve an FX Loss drawback for Damage if the characters extra limbs are easier to restrain or avoid than normal limbs.
