Skeletal Difference

August 3, 2022
Limitless Heroics Cover: As our heroes fight the hydra, we see just some of the variety of symptoms represented in this book. The paladin has a prosthetic arm to assist with their amputation. The barbarian rages from their wheelchair, providing mobility for their paralyzed legs. The ranger, whose body is more accustomed to an aquatic environment just as someone in the real world may be more comfortable in a quieter or darker sensory environment, finds ways to compensate and keep fighting. The wizard’s vitiligo may not be thought of as a disability, nor should it be, yet many in the real world experience severe discrimination due to unusual skin pigment — how many celebrities, corporate executives, or politicians do you know with visibly irregular skin?

(IE) areas of your body are not the shape typical for your ancestry—curved, rotated, bulbous, or otherwise different. Roll on the following table for the locations:

d10 Area
1–2 Ribs
3–6 Arm
7−10 Leg
  • Ribs. Your ribs are too small for your chest. You have trouble breathing as your ribs press on your lungs. Every minute of exertion, such as combat, a walking forced march, or climbing, you need to either succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Constitution saving throw—increasing cumulatively by 1 every minute of exertion—or take one level of exhaustion until taking a short rest.
  • Arm. Your arm bone curves or is underdeveloped such that you have a −(IE) penalty on all Strength checks and melee attack rolls that use your arms.
  • Leg. Your leg bone curves or is underdeveloped such that you have a −(IE) penalty on all Strength checks and melee attack rolls that use your legs.
Real-world Examples

Paget’s Disease of Bone, Neurofibromatosis, Jeune Syndrome, Spondylocostal Dysplasia, Spondylothoracic Dysplasia, Phocomelia

Assistive Options

Depending on the nature of the malformation, a prosthetic might help reduce the penalty by 1 in some instances. For other manifestations, a wheelchair or other mobility device may help.