Crippled Arm
From The Vault
Crippled Arm is Condition in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout Tactics.
Effect: Your character's right/left arm has been severely hurt, and cannot function well.
- Fallout 1, Fallout 2: if one arm has been crippled, the character is unable to use two-handed weapons like Hammers, Rifles and Big Gun. If both arms have been crippled, you cannot attack with weapons. This can be cured by visiting a doctor or using the Doctor skill.
- In Fallout 3 your weapon accuracy is reduced in VATS by a crippled arm, but you will still be able to use weapons. In first person mode, you will see your weapon sway, and while this doesn't seem to effect accuracy with regular non-VATS shots, it does cause your crosshairs to sway significantly while using the scopes on weapons like the Sniper Rifle or Scoped .44 Magnum, making it much harder to aim. A crippled arm can be healed by sleeping, visiting a doctor or applying a stimpak on the crippled arm.
For more information on crippled limbs, see Crippled Limbs
[edit] Fallout 3 Exploit
Crippling an opponent's arms has an extra use other than reducing their accuracy/damage, they will drop their current weapon and will try to pick it up again. There is a mechanism within Fallout 3 that any NPC that picks up a ranged weapon receives a certain amount of ammo upon equipping the weapon so the character can use the gun, this amount is usually much higher than what a NPC usually carries, so by crippling one arm of an opponent that has a weapon that you want ammo for and letting them pick it up again they will have the predetermined ammo allotment that an NPC acquires in addition to what they are already carrying and the same thing will happen if you cripple the NPC's other arm (assuming they don't die in the process). Example: an NPC equipped with a Minigun usually has around 50 5mm round on them, crippling their arm once and allowing them to recover their weapon will increase the number to around 150 rounds, doing so again will further increase the number of 5mm rounds to around 250 or more (sometimes over 400). The implications of this are obvious; much higher ammo yield after defeating an enemy in combat (or pickpocketing if you are feeling foolish), this technique is best utilized on opponents with Big Guns that have large magazines such as the Minigun, Gatling Laser, or possibly the Flamer, but potentially any ranged weapon will do. Please note that Super Mutant Overlords carrying the Tri-Beam Laser will not drop their weapon if you cripple their left arm.
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