Concentrated Push looks good!
Updating
The Keeper of the Key Working Draft.
I think I'm revising my opinion on Incapacitator, though perhaps this interpretation is more boring. (It's much less complicated and doesn't require us to remove bone references, though!) The original Incapacitator says it works like the withering palm spell. In 3.5, that seems to function similar to a rod of withering --- a successful attack deals Con and Str damage, which converts to drain on a critical hit. How about we just go with that?
Hold on a sec, I'll post the relevant spells and items for comparison purposes.
Here's the
withering palm Wu Jen spell…
Oriental Adventures said:
Withering Palm (Evocation)
Level: 7
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Area of Effect: Creature touched | Components: V, S
Casting Time: 4 segments
Saving Throw: 1/2
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This spell acts similar to a staff of withering. Upon casting the spell, the wu jen must touch the victim. If a successful hit roll is made, the victim suffers 3d6 points of damage and must make a successful saving throw vs. spell to avoid the withering effect. If the saving throw is failed, one limb of the creature (either the limb touched or one randomly determined) becomes shriveled and useless. The head is not considered a limb! If the saving throw is successful, the creature still suffers damage but does not undergo withering. If an arm is withered, the character can still fight, though he cannot use two-handed weapons. Spells requiring somatic components can be cast 75% of the time. If a leg is withered, the character's movement rate is reduced to 1/4 its normal. Armor Class decreases by 3 and the character suffers a -4 on his chance to hit. A withered limb can be restored by the use of heal, limited wish, and wish spells.
…the 1E
staff of withering…
Dungeon Master's Guide said:
Staff of Withering: The staff of withering is a + 1 magic weapon. A hit from it causes 2-5 points of damage. If 2 charges are expended when a hit is scored, the creature struck will also age 10 years, its abilities and life span adjusted far the resulting age increase. If 3 charges are expended when a hit is made, 1 of the opponent creature’s limbs can be made to shrivel and become useless unless it saves versus magic (check by random number generation for which member is struck). Note that ageless creatures (undead, demons, devils, etc.) cannot be aged or withered. Each effect of the staff is cumulative, so that 3 charges will score damage, age, and wither. Aging a dwarf is of little effect, while aging a dragon could actually aid the creature.
…and the 3E equivalent of the
rod of withering…
SRD said:
Withering
A rod of withering acts as a +1 light mace that deals no hit point damage. Instead, the wielder deals 1d4 points of Strength damage and 1d4 points of Constitution damage to any creature she touches with the rod (by making a melee touch attack). If she scores a critical hit, the damage from that hit is permanent ability drain. In either case, the defender negates the effect with a DC 17 Fortitude save.
Hmm…
There's not much commonality between Incapacitator and the withering powers.
The primary effect of
withering is permanent damage (aging or limb shrivelling in 1E, ability damage or ability drain in 3E),
Incapacitator is only temporary. The incapacitated limb or digit recovers naturally after 24 hours.
To me it's pretty clear the text for Incapacitator only refers to
withering palm for the effects of a limb being rendered useless, i.e.:
If an arm is withered, the character can still fight, though he cannot use two-handed weapons. Spells requiring somatic components can be cast 75% of the time. If a leg is withered, the character's movement rate is reduced to 1/4 its normal. Armor Class decreases by 3 and the character suffers a -4 on his chance to hit. A withered limb can be restored by the use of heal, limited wish, and wish spells.
If we made Incapacitator do ability damage/drain, the target would only become incapacitated if they took so much Strength or Dexterity damage their ability score dropped to 0 and they became helpless or paralyzed, which would render then completely unable to act rather than being able to act with a reduced capacity because they don't have full use of their limbs.
Also, if we used ability damage the effects would not vanish entirely after 24 hours like the OA version, but the target would heal the ability damage at 1 or two points per day, meaning they'd be helpless or paralyzed for the first day (or 12 hours) then be able to act again with Strength or Dexterity 1.
I could see it imposing an Ability Penalty though, since "
Ability damage is different from penalties to ability scores, which go away when the conditions causing them go away."
Oh, and I wouldn't use Constitution damage/drain like 3E
withering since Incapacitator isn't a lethal ability. A target hit by an Incapacitator attack could die from the normal damage of its unarmed strike, but not from the Incapacitating effect. They don't become unable to breathe or suffer heart failure or other forms of fatal paralysis, they are just partially immobilized in one or more extremity which explicitly excludes their head.