Dragonblood Arms (3.5e Equipment)
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Dragonblood Arms
Exotic One-Handed Melee
Cost: | 275 gp |
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Damage (Small): | 1d6/1d4 |
Damage (Medium)1: | 2d4/1d6 |
Critical: | 20/x3 or 19-20/x2 |
Weight2: | 25 lbs |
Type3: | Bludgeoning or Piercing/Slashing |
HP4: | 5 |
Hardness: | 10 |
1. See Damage Increases by Size to calculate the damage for a weapon larger than Medium or smaller than Small.
2. Weight figures are for Medium weapons. A Small weapon weighs half as much, and a Large weapon weighs twice as much.
3. When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies "and", either type (player's choice at time of attack) if the entry specifies "or", or each end of the double weapon is a different type if the entry specifies "/".
4. The hp value given is for Medium armor, weapons, and shields. Divide by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it by 2 for each size category larger than Medium.
A Dragonblood Arm is a heavy gauntlet-type weapon, similar to a Metal Sleeve with three blades hidden in the forearm, like Dragon Claws have. Experienced users can also use a hidden surprise. The price above is given for just one of these weapons, but they are usually found and used in pairs.
Like Dragon Claws, you can choose to either use the Bludgeoning damage of the gauntlets themselves, or the Piercing and Slashing of the clawlike blades. Extending and retracting the blades is the same action as drawing a weapon (Usually a move action). While the blades are retracted, you can wield other weapons and use other items normally, but you must clench your fists while the claws are out. Dragonblood Arms are effectively double weapons, and thus the claws are enchanted separately from the gauntlets. The first crit profile and set of damage numbers are for the gauntlets, while the second profile and set of damage numbers are for the claws.
Due to them being gauntlets, they take longer to equip than most weapons; Properly equipping a Dragonblood Arm takes as much time as donning a shield (Usually a Move action), which is not affected by things like the Quick Draw feat. Likewise, your opponent cannot disarm you of your Dragonblood Arms. You cannot wield a Dragonblood Arm in two hands to add 1 1/ your Strength to damage.
Like Metal Sleeves, Dragonblood Arms require a Strength of at least 16 to wield properly, and provide a shield bonus to AC equal to the number of Dragonblood Arms you're currently wielding (Up to +2 for a normal creature with 2 arms). They can be enhanced as if they are Shields, but this is done separately from enhancing them as weapons.
The gauntlets themselves are heavy and hit hard; While the claws are retracted, a character with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat deals unarmed damage as if they were a size larger than they actually are. The claws, on the other hand, are serrated and curved; While the claws are out, each successful attack deals one point of Bleed to the target, and this Bleed damage is multiplied on a critical hit.
You can use Weapon Finesse to apply your Dexterity modifier to attack rolls with Dragonblood Arms, even though they aren't Light weapons for you. Dragonblood Arms can be considered exotic Monk weapons, and can be used in conjunction with Flurry Of Blows class feature. Dragonblood arms also count as Gauntlets, Dragon Claws and Metal Sleeves for all intents except proficiency.
However, the true potential of the Dragonblood Arms comes to the surface when wielded by a proficient user. Due to their weight and the amount of manual dexterity needed to use them properly, proficiency in Dragonblood Arms requires a Strength and Dexterity of at least 16 each, as well as proficiency in both Dragon Claws and Metal Sleeves.
A character who has exotic weapon proficiency in the Dragonblood Arms gains the ability to release the claws and snap your wrists, slinging the claws from the tubes they rest in and sending them flying out to 15ft, giving you 15ft reach (For a Medium character). You do not threaten beyond your normal reach, however, and unlike other Reach weapons, you may still attack adjacent targets. Each claw is connected to its gauntlet with a thin chain, and the claws, once fired, can be pulled back to the gauntlets as the same action as drawing a weapon (Usually a Move action), so that they may be fired again.
The ranged claws can be used to trip enemies; If you are tripped during your trip attempt, you cannot drop the claws in order to avoid being tripped.
Those proficient with Dragonblood Arms also gain access to the following special abilities.
Get Over Here!: If you land at least two of the ranged claw attacks on the same target in a single round, you can make an opposed Grapple check as a non-action, as if you have the Impale feat (And if you have the feat, you instead get a +4 bonus on the Grapple check). If you win, you pull the target 5ft closer to you, plus 5ft for every +5 you beat their check by. If you fail, you can retract the claws as a free action, dealing their minimum damage to the target again as the blades rip their flesh.
Razor Rip: When you are wielding more than one Dragonblood Arm, and you land at least one successful melee attack with each while the claws are out, you can choose to use this ability, though no more than once per round. When you do, you lever the two claws apart, opening armor like a tin can and tearing even tough flesh. Make a Sunder attempt against the target's AC that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. If you succeed, you deal the minimum damage of both claws, and reduce the enemy's Armor bonus to AC by 1 until the armor is repaired (Such as by Mending or Make Whole), but deal no additional Bleed damage. Razor Rip doesn't stack with Two-Weapon Rend, and can't be used in the same round as the Rend, since it is, in itself, a form of Rend.
Once the armor's AC is reduced to one-half its full value, your Razor Rip attacks sunder Natural Armor instead. Natural armor is healed at the same rate as ability damage, and immunity to ability damage doesn't confer immunity to damage to your Natural Armor. Natural Armor cannot be reduced below 0 in this way. Against targets with an effective Natural Armor score of 0, Razor Rip deals the full damage of both claws and applies Bleed damage normally.
Thunderclap Punch: You may make a Stunning Fist attempt with a Dragonblood Arm twice per day, as if you had the feat, as long as the claws are retracted. If you already possess the feat, you gain 2 additional daily uses that can only be used with Dragonblood Arms, and Stunning Fist attempts made with Dragonblood Arms gain +2 to their save DC, so long as the claws are retracted.
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Author | Zhenra-Khal + |
Class | Melee + |
Cost | 275 gp + |
Critical | 20/x3 or 19-20/x2 + |
Damage | 2d4/1d6 + |
Damage Type | Bludgeoning +, Piercing + and Slashing + |
Hardness | 10 + |
Hit Points | 5 + |
Identifier | 3.5e Equipment + |
Proficiency | Exotic + |
Range | — + |
Rating | Unrated + |
Size | One-Handed + |
Title | Dragonblood Arms + |
Weight | 25 + |