Is it possible for a PC to dismember a humanoid?
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$begingroup$
I am playing a level 2 tiefling barbarian with a strength of 20. Part of my character concept is the ability to literally tear weaker humanoid opponents into pieces.
Is it possible for me to tear a weak humanoid in half, rip a limb off or something similar?
I know with a high enough roll, anything is possible, but I really want to impress the party by ripping say a human or kobold or even a goblin into shreds. Basically, I want to go "Doomguy glory kill" mode.
dnd-5e
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I am playing a level 2 tiefling barbarian with a strength of 20. Part of my character concept is the ability to literally tear weaker humanoid opponents into pieces.
Is it possible for me to tear a weak humanoid in half, rip a limb off or something similar?
I know with a high enough roll, anything is possible, but I really want to impress the party by ripping say a human or kobold or even a goblin into shreds. Basically, I want to go "Doomguy glory kill" mode.
dnd-5e
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Welcome to rpg.se! Take the tour and visit the help center to learn how things work around here. Are you asking if there is a rule to allow dismemberment or if it is possible to achieve in game? Thanks for participating and happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:34
1
$begingroup$
I made an edit to make the question easier to read. If you disagree with what I have done you can rollback the changes.
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:40
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I am playing a level 2 tiefling barbarian with a strength of 20. Part of my character concept is the ability to literally tear weaker humanoid opponents into pieces.
Is it possible for me to tear a weak humanoid in half, rip a limb off or something similar?
I know with a high enough roll, anything is possible, but I really want to impress the party by ripping say a human or kobold or even a goblin into shreds. Basically, I want to go "Doomguy glory kill" mode.
dnd-5e
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
$endgroup$
I am playing a level 2 tiefling barbarian with a strength of 20. Part of my character concept is the ability to literally tear weaker humanoid opponents into pieces.
Is it possible for me to tear a weak humanoid in half, rip a limb off or something similar?
I know with a high enough roll, anything is possible, but I really want to impress the party by ripping say a human or kobold or even a goblin into shreds. Basically, I want to go "Doomguy glory kill" mode.
dnd-5e
dnd-5e
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
edited Apr 3 at 4:44
V2Blast
26.3k591161
26.3k591161
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
asked Apr 3 at 4:31
Thorg Thorg
312
312
1
$begingroup$
Welcome to rpg.se! Take the tour and visit the help center to learn how things work around here. Are you asking if there is a rule to allow dismemberment or if it is possible to achieve in game? Thanks for participating and happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:34
1
$begingroup$
I made an edit to make the question easier to read. If you disagree with what I have done you can rollback the changes.
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:40
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
Welcome to rpg.se! Take the tour and visit the help center to learn how things work around here. Are you asking if there is a rule to allow dismemberment or if it is possible to achieve in game? Thanks for participating and happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:34
1
$begingroup$
I made an edit to make the question easier to read. If you disagree with what I have done you can rollback the changes.
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:40
1
1
$begingroup$
Welcome to rpg.se! Take the tour and visit the help center to learn how things work around here. Are you asking if there is a rule to allow dismemberment or if it is possible to achieve in game? Thanks for participating and happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:34
$begingroup$
Welcome to rpg.se! Take the tour and visit the help center to learn how things work around here. Are you asking if there is a rule to allow dismemberment or if it is possible to achieve in game? Thanks for participating and happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:34
1
1
$begingroup$
I made an edit to make the question easier to read. If you disagree with what I have done you can rollback the changes.
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:40
$begingroup$
I made an edit to make the question easier to read. If you disagree with what I have done you can rollback the changes.
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:40
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
There aren't any rules for instantly killing people, no.
The good news is: when you kill something the normal way, by dropping its hit points to zero, some DMs will allow you to narrate what exactly it looks like when you kill it. If you're fighting a goblin (or even a much stronger foe) and you drop its hit points to zero, you could then turn to the group and say: "and I ripped its arm off and beat it to death with it!".
Of course it's up to the DM whether to allow this, but since it's a nice bit of roleplaying with no mechanical effect on the battle, most should be fine with it. There was one DM I played with who actively encouraged this: when someone dropped a creature to zero, he'd turn to them and ask them to narrate cinematically how they killed it.
Matt Mercer, who runs the Critical Role game, uses the catchphrase "how do you want to do this?" for this.
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
Narrate kills like this add much flavour to fight, and I really appreciate it. In the RP I'm currently playing, it's the GM who tells what happened to make the game more fluent, but we can tell what we want exactly to do when we attack, so the result is influenced by what we intend to do. I highly recommend such fight roleplay, as it helps keep combat into roleplay instead of just RPG turn order fight.
$endgroup$
– Zoma
Apr 3 at 8:46
4
$begingroup$
There's also an optional rule on page 272 of the DMG about being able to have damage blow through to a second target if you did enough of it. That's somewhat peripheral to the core of the question, but seems like it might fit in with the desired feel - tear a goblin's arm off and beat some other goblin to death with it.
$endgroup$
– Ben Barden
Apr 3 at 13:43
1
$begingroup$
Is it worth mentioning Matt Mercers "How do you want do this this?" as an illustration of your last point?
$endgroup$
– Someone_Evil
Apr 3 at 18:56
1
$begingroup$
@Someone_Evil dang, good catch.
$endgroup$
– Dan B
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Maybe if you had a Vorpal Blade or Sword of Sharpness.
Both of these weapons have a "dismemberment ability" that activates if you roll a natural 20 when attacking with them. The Vorpal Blade cuts off the target's head (or one of them if the target has multiple heads), and the Sword of Sharpness chops off a limb.
Unfortunately, the Vorpal Blade is a Legendary item, and a Sword of Sharpness is Very Rare, so it may be impossible for a low level character to obtain one.
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
$endgroup$
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
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active
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$begingroup$
There aren't any rules for instantly killing people, no.
The good news is: when you kill something the normal way, by dropping its hit points to zero, some DMs will allow you to narrate what exactly it looks like when you kill it. If you're fighting a goblin (or even a much stronger foe) and you drop its hit points to zero, you could then turn to the group and say: "and I ripped its arm off and beat it to death with it!".
Of course it's up to the DM whether to allow this, but since it's a nice bit of roleplaying with no mechanical effect on the battle, most should be fine with it. There was one DM I played with who actively encouraged this: when someone dropped a creature to zero, he'd turn to them and ask them to narrate cinematically how they killed it.
Matt Mercer, who runs the Critical Role game, uses the catchphrase "how do you want to do this?" for this.
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
Narrate kills like this add much flavour to fight, and I really appreciate it. In the RP I'm currently playing, it's the GM who tells what happened to make the game more fluent, but we can tell what we want exactly to do when we attack, so the result is influenced by what we intend to do. I highly recommend such fight roleplay, as it helps keep combat into roleplay instead of just RPG turn order fight.
$endgroup$
– Zoma
Apr 3 at 8:46
4
$begingroup$
There's also an optional rule on page 272 of the DMG about being able to have damage blow through to a second target if you did enough of it. That's somewhat peripheral to the core of the question, but seems like it might fit in with the desired feel - tear a goblin's arm off and beat some other goblin to death with it.
$endgroup$
– Ben Barden
Apr 3 at 13:43
1
$begingroup$
Is it worth mentioning Matt Mercers "How do you want do this this?" as an illustration of your last point?
$endgroup$
– Someone_Evil
Apr 3 at 18:56
1
$begingroup$
@Someone_Evil dang, good catch.
$endgroup$
– Dan B
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There aren't any rules for instantly killing people, no.
The good news is: when you kill something the normal way, by dropping its hit points to zero, some DMs will allow you to narrate what exactly it looks like when you kill it. If you're fighting a goblin (or even a much stronger foe) and you drop its hit points to zero, you could then turn to the group and say: "and I ripped its arm off and beat it to death with it!".
Of course it's up to the DM whether to allow this, but since it's a nice bit of roleplaying with no mechanical effect on the battle, most should be fine with it. There was one DM I played with who actively encouraged this: when someone dropped a creature to zero, he'd turn to them and ask them to narrate cinematically how they killed it.
Matt Mercer, who runs the Critical Role game, uses the catchphrase "how do you want to do this?" for this.
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
Narrate kills like this add much flavour to fight, and I really appreciate it. In the RP I'm currently playing, it's the GM who tells what happened to make the game more fluent, but we can tell what we want exactly to do when we attack, so the result is influenced by what we intend to do. I highly recommend such fight roleplay, as it helps keep combat into roleplay instead of just RPG turn order fight.
$endgroup$
– Zoma
Apr 3 at 8:46
4
$begingroup$
There's also an optional rule on page 272 of the DMG about being able to have damage blow through to a second target if you did enough of it. That's somewhat peripheral to the core of the question, but seems like it might fit in with the desired feel - tear a goblin's arm off and beat some other goblin to death with it.
$endgroup$
– Ben Barden
Apr 3 at 13:43
1
$begingroup$
Is it worth mentioning Matt Mercers "How do you want do this this?" as an illustration of your last point?
$endgroup$
– Someone_Evil
Apr 3 at 18:56
1
$begingroup$
@Someone_Evil dang, good catch.
$endgroup$
– Dan B
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There aren't any rules for instantly killing people, no.
The good news is: when you kill something the normal way, by dropping its hit points to zero, some DMs will allow you to narrate what exactly it looks like when you kill it. If you're fighting a goblin (or even a much stronger foe) and you drop its hit points to zero, you could then turn to the group and say: "and I ripped its arm off and beat it to death with it!".
Of course it's up to the DM whether to allow this, but since it's a nice bit of roleplaying with no mechanical effect on the battle, most should be fine with it. There was one DM I played with who actively encouraged this: when someone dropped a creature to zero, he'd turn to them and ask them to narrate cinematically how they killed it.
Matt Mercer, who runs the Critical Role game, uses the catchphrase "how do you want to do this?" for this.
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
$endgroup$
There aren't any rules for instantly killing people, no.
The good news is: when you kill something the normal way, by dropping its hit points to zero, some DMs will allow you to narrate what exactly it looks like when you kill it. If you're fighting a goblin (or even a much stronger foe) and you drop its hit points to zero, you could then turn to the group and say: "and I ripped its arm off and beat it to death with it!".
Of course it's up to the DM whether to allow this, but since it's a nice bit of roleplaying with no mechanical effect on the battle, most should be fine with it. There was one DM I played with who actively encouraged this: when someone dropped a creature to zero, he'd turn to them and ask them to narrate cinematically how they killed it.
Matt Mercer, who runs the Critical Role game, uses the catchphrase "how do you want to do this?" for this.
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
edited 8 hours ago
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
answered Apr 3 at 4:43
Dan BDan B
39.2k878149
39.2k878149
4
$begingroup$
Narrate kills like this add much flavour to fight, and I really appreciate it. In the RP I'm currently playing, it's the GM who tells what happened to make the game more fluent, but we can tell what we want exactly to do when we attack, so the result is influenced by what we intend to do. I highly recommend such fight roleplay, as it helps keep combat into roleplay instead of just RPG turn order fight.
$endgroup$
– Zoma
Apr 3 at 8:46
4
$begingroup$
There's also an optional rule on page 272 of the DMG about being able to have damage blow through to a second target if you did enough of it. That's somewhat peripheral to the core of the question, but seems like it might fit in with the desired feel - tear a goblin's arm off and beat some other goblin to death with it.
$endgroup$
– Ben Barden
Apr 3 at 13:43
1
$begingroup$
Is it worth mentioning Matt Mercers "How do you want do this this?" as an illustration of your last point?
$endgroup$
– Someone_Evil
Apr 3 at 18:56
1
$begingroup$
@Someone_Evil dang, good catch.
$endgroup$
– Dan B
8 hours ago
add a comment |
4
$begingroup$
Narrate kills like this add much flavour to fight, and I really appreciate it. In the RP I'm currently playing, it's the GM who tells what happened to make the game more fluent, but we can tell what we want exactly to do when we attack, so the result is influenced by what we intend to do. I highly recommend such fight roleplay, as it helps keep combat into roleplay instead of just RPG turn order fight.
$endgroup$
– Zoma
Apr 3 at 8:46
4
$begingroup$
There's also an optional rule on page 272 of the DMG about being able to have damage blow through to a second target if you did enough of it. That's somewhat peripheral to the core of the question, but seems like it might fit in with the desired feel - tear a goblin's arm off and beat some other goblin to death with it.
$endgroup$
– Ben Barden
Apr 3 at 13:43
1
$begingroup$
Is it worth mentioning Matt Mercers "How do you want do this this?" as an illustration of your last point?
$endgroup$
– Someone_Evil
Apr 3 at 18:56
1
$begingroup$
@Someone_Evil dang, good catch.
$endgroup$
– Dan B
8 hours ago
4
4
$begingroup$
Narrate kills like this add much flavour to fight, and I really appreciate it. In the RP I'm currently playing, it's the GM who tells what happened to make the game more fluent, but we can tell what we want exactly to do when we attack, so the result is influenced by what we intend to do. I highly recommend such fight roleplay, as it helps keep combat into roleplay instead of just RPG turn order fight.
$endgroup$
– Zoma
Apr 3 at 8:46
$begingroup$
Narrate kills like this add much flavour to fight, and I really appreciate it. In the RP I'm currently playing, it's the GM who tells what happened to make the game more fluent, but we can tell what we want exactly to do when we attack, so the result is influenced by what we intend to do. I highly recommend such fight roleplay, as it helps keep combat into roleplay instead of just RPG turn order fight.
$endgroup$
– Zoma
Apr 3 at 8:46
4
4
$begingroup$
There's also an optional rule on page 272 of the DMG about being able to have damage blow through to a second target if you did enough of it. That's somewhat peripheral to the core of the question, but seems like it might fit in with the desired feel - tear a goblin's arm off and beat some other goblin to death with it.
$endgroup$
– Ben Barden
Apr 3 at 13:43
$begingroup$
There's also an optional rule on page 272 of the DMG about being able to have damage blow through to a second target if you did enough of it. That's somewhat peripheral to the core of the question, but seems like it might fit in with the desired feel - tear a goblin's arm off and beat some other goblin to death with it.
$endgroup$
– Ben Barden
Apr 3 at 13:43
1
1
$begingroup$
Is it worth mentioning Matt Mercers "How do you want do this this?" as an illustration of your last point?
$endgroup$
– Someone_Evil
Apr 3 at 18:56
$begingroup$
Is it worth mentioning Matt Mercers "How do you want do this this?" as an illustration of your last point?
$endgroup$
– Someone_Evil
Apr 3 at 18:56
1
1
$begingroup$
@Someone_Evil dang, good catch.
$endgroup$
– Dan B
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Someone_Evil dang, good catch.
$endgroup$
– Dan B
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Maybe if you had a Vorpal Blade or Sword of Sharpness.
Both of these weapons have a "dismemberment ability" that activates if you roll a natural 20 when attacking with them. The Vorpal Blade cuts off the target's head (or one of them if the target has multiple heads), and the Sword of Sharpness chops off a limb.
Unfortunately, the Vorpal Blade is a Legendary item, and a Sword of Sharpness is Very Rare, so it may be impossible for a low level character to obtain one.
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Maybe if you had a Vorpal Blade or Sword of Sharpness.
Both of these weapons have a "dismemberment ability" that activates if you roll a natural 20 when attacking with them. The Vorpal Blade cuts off the target's head (or one of them if the target has multiple heads), and the Sword of Sharpness chops off a limb.
Unfortunately, the Vorpal Blade is a Legendary item, and a Sword of Sharpness is Very Rare, so it may be impossible for a low level character to obtain one.
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Maybe if you had a Vorpal Blade or Sword of Sharpness.
Both of these weapons have a "dismemberment ability" that activates if you roll a natural 20 when attacking with them. The Vorpal Blade cuts off the target's head (or one of them if the target has multiple heads), and the Sword of Sharpness chops off a limb.
Unfortunately, the Vorpal Blade is a Legendary item, and a Sword of Sharpness is Very Rare, so it may be impossible for a low level character to obtain one.
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
$endgroup$
Maybe if you had a Vorpal Blade or Sword of Sharpness.
Both of these weapons have a "dismemberment ability" that activates if you roll a natural 20 when attacking with them. The Vorpal Blade cuts off the target's head (or one of them if the target has multiple heads), and the Sword of Sharpness chops off a limb.
Unfortunately, the Vorpal Blade is a Legendary item, and a Sword of Sharpness is Very Rare, so it may be impossible for a low level character to obtain one.
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
answered Apr 3 at 13:32
user48255user48255
5,5461033
5,5461033
add a comment |
add a comment |
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Welcome to rpg.se! Take the tour and visit the help center to learn how things work around here. Are you asking if there is a rule to allow dismemberment or if it is possible to achieve in game? Thanks for participating and happy gaming!
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:34
1
$begingroup$
I made an edit to make the question easier to read. If you disagree with what I have done you can rollback the changes.
$endgroup$
– linksassin
Apr 3 at 4:40