Prosthetics, otherwise known as prostheses, were artificial devices designed to replace missing body parts such as arms, legs, eyes, and other organs and appendages.[1][4]
Replacing lost teeth, false teeth were made of materials such as wood, gold, silver, or porcelain.[5] Of the four, wood teeth were the most at risk of being broken.[6]
Hook
A primitive type of hand prosthetic that was quite popular among seafarers, which could also function as tool or weapon.[3] It consisted of a cup and an attached gaff.[7] In the 14th century DR, Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue offered brass, gold, silver, and steel hooks in both human and demihuman sizes.[3]
Peg
A primitive type of leg prosthetic,[4] pegs were quite popular among seafarers. In the 14th century DR, Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue offered brass, gold, ivory, silver, and wooden pegs in both human and demihuman sizes.[3]
Wooden leg
A more developed type of leg prosthetic, but similarly associated with sailors.[8]
An expensive sort of prosthetic limb or hand that was produced by the gnomes of Skullport's Clockwork Wonders store. The limbs took a full month to design and one to three months to construct. Downsides included needing to regularly oil them to prevent their gears and mechanisms from jamming or corroding. They also also needed to be wound up several times a day. On the plus side, with an additional fee they could be outfitted with additional features like greater durability or hidden spring-loaded weapons.[2]
Drow craftwork
A drow woman examines her prosthetic arm while a drow artisan watches.
The drow of the Underdark developed advanced mechanical prosthetics with many ball-swivel joints and intricate parts operated via cables similar to tendons. These were precisely crafted and had hands as dexterous and arms as agile as the originals. Moreover, they were made from adamantine, giving them both flexibility and hardness, so they wouldn't snap or shatter when stressed—in fact, these could punch or claw through typical armors and the skin beneath. A delicate hand could be detached and replaced with a combat-ready claw or an attached axe, sword, spiked mace, or other weapon when preparing for battle. Moreover, even whole-bodied drow would wear similar apparatuses over their limbs, giving them for example one-piece sword-gauntlets or toe-claws or spikes that aided in climbing and kicking in battle. Such devices were among the most common and most advanced of drow engineering, but the drow weren't in the habit of sharing designs among each other or with outsiders.[9] A seller of artificial limbs in Menzoberranzan was Sh'aun Darnruel.[10]
Gondar prosthetics
The Church of Gond's members had their own distinct variety of prosthetic limbs that had a great "yoke" that would attach to their wearer. They were known for their proficiently articulated joints, with feet flexing at the ankle, hands having gripping power, and fingers able to be pointed. The most expensive of these prosthetics were laced with spells that kept them bonded to a user and allowed for good motor control, though Gondar clerics had to be paid to renew this magic.[11]
Kalgalast prosthetics
A variety of highly realistic limbs that were sold in the late 14th century DR by the traveling craftsmen Orviir Kalgalast. These multi-jointed limbs were made of a combination of wood and metal, covered in a rubber sleeve, and enchanted to protect against wear-and-tear (including cracking, melting, or weathering from sunlight or frigid temperatures). They were designed for humans, elves, half-elves, and halflings. They could also be ordered to have certain skin hues or fingernail styles. These limbs could be quite expensive, with jointed limbs with full strappings but no rubber sleeve, costing around 2,200 gp, whilst merely a replacement "under-piece" (such as part of a joint, or a forearm) would fetch 600 gp. And for larger than average individuals, a limb could cost as much as 4,000 gp. Additionally, at triple the base price, Kalgalast could incorporate retractable weapons or hiding-cavities. Rumors, attested to by Elminster, spoke of these prosthethics exploding on those who didn't pay fully for them, sometimes resulting in the wearer's death.[12]
Magical
A wondrous prosthetic leg.
Realistic
A wide variety of magical prosthetics that prevented others from noticing the body part was artificial and that their wearer did not have full use of it.[13][14][note 1]
Wondrous
A common variety of wondrous item, these functioned identically to the limbs that they replaced and could not be removed against the wearer's will.[1]
A Durpari individual with a plangent hand prosthesis.
Plangent
In the land of Durpar, a unique type of violet crystal known as plangent was discovered in the late 15th century DR and used to create prosthetic limbs that were magically animate.[15]
Notable Prosthetics[]
Ebony hands
One knowledgeable wizard was able to create for Kaverin Ebonhand prosthetic hands out of an enchanted ebony-black rock. Once pressed against a fresh stump, the magic molded the black stone into the form of hands. The magic hands acted as if they were flesh and blood but were made out of stone.[16]
A magical peg leg that was rumored to have been passed around by adventurers after its owner was lost at sea. When grafted onto a body it would shorten or lengthen to whatever length was appropriate for walking. It allowed its wearer to summon a parrotfamiliar. It could detect gold pieces within a 100‑foot (30‑meter) radius. It made the wearer incapable of becoming seasick and proficient in navigating, the use of harpoons and ropes, swimming, sensing the weather, and general seamanship. And finally, three times per day the peg leg could be tapped against something to unleash a knock spell. Overall it was worth around 10,000 gold pieces.[18]
History[]
In the late 15th century DR, a barber in Silverymoon by the name of Jooge Nopsmoth would use his expertise in dentistry to replace troublesome teeth with prosthetics made of gold, silver, or porcelain. He also offered special iron teeth, which allowed his annis hag master to eavesdrop on their wearer.[5]
During this time period Arla Razortongue established the Peg and Hook in Luskan, a prosthetics shop that unusually sold hooks meant to be worn in place of a leg and pegs meant to be worn in place of a hand. She managed to convince a number of pirates to try out this unorthodox method and later on would replace one of her own hands and legs with a peg and hook respectively.[19]
Notable Owners[]
“
...werk compensatorily by grantin' in flair what they takes in facil'ty.
Angar Axeson, a dwarf warrior and blacksmith, had a steel prosthetic orb in place of his right eye after having lost the real one during the Tethyrian Civil War.[20]
Cilaen Irontoes, an inhabitant of the Lady's Ward of Sigil who had iron prosthetic toes after his brother dropped a 50 lb (23 kg) stone on his feet.[23]
Essimuth Lanys, a merchant and retired adventurer who owned three elaborately carved peg legs. The one he typically wore was carved to resemble an owlbear holding up his leg. For formal occasions, he wore a duskwood peg leg carved with the shield and coat of arms of Waterdeep. Finally, during the winter season he wore an ivory peg leg carved like a rearing white dragon, which had grooves to give him better traction on ice and snow.[25]
Kaverin Ebonhand had both of his hands cut off as a punishment for murder. His wizard lawyer created two hands of animated black stone for Kaverin.[16]
Rufus Railsplitter, a Ravenian bar owner skilled in bargaining, once lost his left hand to a "creditor" due to a gambling debt. In its place, Rufus wore a leather armguard that terminated in a broad, flat metal blade.[32]
Vangol Kuskolt, a dwarven priest of Tyr with an iron peg leg. In his duties as a judge in the town of Leilon, he would brand criminals using his iron leg, which he would first super-heat in a fire.[35]
Voron Orama, a Ravenian moon elf tavern keeper, had a gleaming metal arm.[36]
Prosthesis article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
AFR #285 Wizards of the Coast.
