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Extra Limbs


g3taso

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I like extra limbs. Here's what I'm working with in 5e (if that matters):

 

21 Extra Limbs:  (Total: 35 Active Cost, 21 Real Cost) Extra Limbs  (2), Inherent (+1/4) (6 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) (Real Cost: 4) <b>plus</b> +23 STR (23 Active Points); Only w/ Extra Limbs Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) (Real Cost: 11) <b>plus</b> Endurance Reserve  (55 END, 1 REC) (6 Active Points) (Real Cost: 6)

 

Some benefits I have thought of might include:

1: SLs with Acrobatics, Breakfall, Climbing, Fast Draw, Hoist, Rapid Attack

2. CSLs with heavy weapons (aka the BFG), grappling, HtH damage (or OCV to reflect more opportunities)

 

How might I bundle some other powers into this? I was thinking of a MP with common limits OIF and Extra Limbs Only but I'm open. I was wondering if anyone had a better idea? For that matter, I was wondering if anyone had more ideas for the benefits of having some extra limbs?

 
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I probably wouldn't allow the "only with use of extra limbs" limitation, since... how often are you going to use your strength without limbs?

 

It's technically legal. You'd think the Limitation would be on the Extra Limbs Power not on the Characteristic, but this is according to RAW.

 

Feel free to ask Steve Long the reason why.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

He doesn't answer game design or philosophy questions from palindromedaries.

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The +23 strength would only apply to my mechanical limbs. My normal 14 STR would apply to everything else.

 

If they're mechanical how are they Inherent?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary buys Extra Limbs with Invisible Power Effects

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How often would it actually apply though?  If you needed to escape a Grab or Entangle, make a Hand-To-Hand Attack, or Lift something Heavy (If you cannot lift heavy objects with them due to your weak normal person legs, you should probably be buying HA instead of +Str, or at least limiting your +Str appropriately), you can just use your mechanical limbs for that.

 

The classic "mechanical arm" villain (Doc Oct) has never been shown to suffer for his lack of inherent strength (as far as I know) except when his mechanical arms have already been damaged (aka as a result of the foci he bought them through being damaged).

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Sure, but how are you going to exert that 14 Strength without using any limbs?

 

He's not going to exert that 14 STR without using any limbs. He will use one or more limbs to exert that 14 STR.

 

They just won't be the EXTRA Limbs.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary thinks we're not going out on a limb to assert that.

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As for other special abilities the OP could purchase:

Lots of mechanical limb style characters have unusual weapons integrated into their mechanical limbs (such as machine guns, blasters, or tasers). In addition, many mechanical limbs have some level of Stretching (even if only to represent the extra reach granted by their unusually large size). Some might also including Swinging, Clinging, extra Leaping, or even Flight.

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If they're mechanical how are they Inherent?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary buys Extra Limbs with Invisible Power Effects

 

Sorry. They are a single arm with the Duplication power. Got the idea in one of the threads here.

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?

What?

 

edit: in response to

 

Sorry. They are a single arm with the Duplication power. Got the idea in one of the threads here.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Looking blankly at a palindromedary which looks back twice as blankly

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I would also limit it to -1/4.  If the person can use all HTH combat maneuvers with the extra limbs at full strength, its not worth 1/2.

 

Note that all extra limbs are also considered off hands.  So you would need to buy ambidexterity to remove the penalty.

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de2fc77e7398fac3090ce1ce77646059.jpg

Largely a cross post, such a creature appears in one of the MHI novels - 

Yoshitoshi, the Spider Princess, is a Tsuchigumo (土蜘蛛), literally translated "dirt/earth spider", a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore.  Like others of her kind, she has no allegiance to the Japanese Emperor, and she only looks human.  Her monstrous true form is seen by who are Stunned, or when she is Stunned, Knocked out, or asleep.

 

A Tsuchigumo is described as being a spider that has lived long enough to gain magical powers. Using said powers it can disguise it's true form as that of a human. All the stories seem to indicate that they all turn themselves into lovely women, suggesting that much like the kitsune the "woman" you see can actually be a male or female creature.

 
The standard it seems for the Tsuchigumo is that once they have disguised themselves as a woman they will find a semi secluded place and wait for a human (usually male) to show up. The tales vary; some tell of the Tsuchigumo asking individuals to marry them (with often disastrous results) or ask someone to care for their baby which is later discovered to be the spider's egg sack. There are also stories of men falling in love with the Tsuchigumo and slowly die as she drains his life away every time he goes to see her.

The most common however seems to be that the Tsuchigumo will find a safe place to wait and lure a an to sit with her as she plays her Biwa, a Japanese instrument. It is said her playing is so beautiful that the man doesn't notice he's being cocooned until it's too late. Soon after the Tsuchigumo devours it's victim or feeds them to it's young.

There is however another aspect to the Tsuchigumo, a legend tells of a man who was down by a waterfall in Kashikobuch (meaning "clever abyss") and managed to escape the web trap the Tsuchigumo had laid by wrapping it around a stump. After she tore the stump out of the ground and into the water he fled, but as he ran he heard her voice call out, "How clever, how clever!". It seems she was so impressed by his escape and decided to reward humans as a whole; as she is now worshiped there as a a goddess who protects the residents from drowning. There is still a shrine standing there in her honor.


Yoshitoshi has four Invisible Extra Limbs with exoskeleton Armor, the body of a tiger, and the head of a demon.  Her blood is white.

 

She has a suite of spider Powers: Clinging, and

 

25  Multipower Spider Webs, Susceptible to Flame (-1)

 1) Entangle 4d6 DEF 4, 1/2 END (+1/4), 

 1 2) Stretching 4", No END (+1/2), 

 1 3) Swinging 15", 4x NCM, No END (+1/2)

 

An idea for her use as a Player Character would be to have her bodyguards slain in action (in play), and then offer employment to our other Player Characters as bodyguards.  They may have to spar with her to show their skills.  Funerals may also be role-played.  There is plenty of room for improvement of her illusion ability.  For use of her as a Player Character, I recommend her Hand-to-Hand damage not exceed the PC average, given that she can blindside a foe with her Invisible Spider Limbs.  If her Player wants to keep the other Players unaware of this exact capacity, this could be referred to as her Shadowless Strike.  

 

Perhaps her mother is known as Our Lady, Queen of Secrets.

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He's not going to exert that 14 STR without using any limbs. He will use one or more limbs to exert that 14 STR.

 

They just won't be the EXTRA Limbs.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary thinks we're not going out on a limb to assert that.

 

That last line actually made me laugh!

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OIF on extra limbs is odd - it means they can be taken from you out of combat (so less permanent part of a body more backpack).  If that's the concept and intent then it works - but adding inherent to a power with a focus is mechanically weird IMO.

 

I guess it would mean you can Drain the focus itself, thus rendering the power inoperable, but can't drain the power directly?   So drain Extra Limbs would fail but Drain Body targeting the focus would work?

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I guess it would mean you can Drain the focus itself, thus rendering the power inoperable, but can't drain the power directly?   So drain Extra Limbs would fail but Drain Body targeting the focus would work?

RAW, that is correct. Which is unfortunate because Drain Extra Limbs is almost unheard of to start with (and I generally ban it outright for reasons*). Meanwhile Drain BODY is comparatively quite common (probably the most common form of Drain).

 

*The primary reason being that lots of existing builds forgot to pay the few extra points to make their inherent extra limbs actually Inherent.

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Drain Extra Limbs is unheard of but I would suspect a lot of people would Unify it with something else that might be targeted more often - like the strength it grants - which would make the arms stop working by proxy. 

 

Inherent is one of the ones I look at closely (lest someone buy it on their Armour power and then Link every power to it for a free -1/4 to everything) but I've never said no to applying it to anything bought as a Sense, life support, or extra limbs.

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