Handmines were used on the planet Skaro during the Thousand Year War. They appeared in groups and would take hold of and pull individuals underground. They resembled hands with an eye in the centre of the palm. They could be destroyed by a Dalek gunstick.
They travelled by tunnelling under the ground and possessed incredible strength; a single Handmine was able to pull an adult Kaled beneath the ground with considerable force, briefly forming a hole in the ground where the individual got pulled.
They were drawn to sound and movement. If a person was still but making noise, they would rise up from the ground to search for the target. Once they had found someone, they would turn to face them.
As a child, Davros found himself surrounded by Handmines. A soldier named Kanzo tried to help him, reminding him to stand still before being pulled underground. The Twelfth Doctor found him but abandoned him when he discovered the child was his future enemy. The Doctor later returned and used a Dalek gunstick to destroy the Handmines surrounding Davros, rescuing him and bringing the boy home so he could teach Davros the concept of mercy. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice, The Witch's Familiar)
When helping the young Davros the Doctor assessed the Handmines and calculated the survival rate of an encounter with them as being one in a thousand. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice)
In Davros' lifetime, the Kaleds sought to clear the mine fields. They captured Mutos and sent them to work "locating" Handmines. In fact, the slaves' task was to traverse a mine field, crossing back and forth until the day they'd accidentally trigger one of the Handmines, without any chance for escape. In one timeline, Arfor was nearly sent to this fate by a Kaled captain. (AUDIO: The Master's Dalek Plan)
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
In the game Lost in Time the Handmines were featured. But not as part of the storyline, but rather as animations on the Waypoint called "Dalek City" and as an Item Card for said Waypoint.