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Laerrigan
Learned Scribe
USA
195 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Mar 2010 : 19:19:54
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This is a subject that intrigues me, and reading more reference recently to albino drow brought it to mind (since albinism in real life is defined by very low-resolution vision from a lack of melanin in the retinas, not by visible pigmentation, and thus albino drow should be killed by their evil, racially-perfectionistic people to weed them out, unless elven retinas are just supposed to work that differently from human).
Has anyone experimented with running a character with a realistic disability---physical or non---getting into how it has affected their life, their attitude and outlook, their strengths and weaknesses? I know the general SOP is that if a character has a particular weakness, one gives them a strength elsewhere to balance it out, but as someone whose vision without glasses is well worse than 20/200 (the E at the top of the eye chart is a round patch of vague, grey mist to me), I can say that I really don't think I would've developed blindsight or significantly better-than-average vision up close if I had grown up without corrective lenses, lol. I just would've learned to walk more slowly so as not to run into lampposts  .
I would be interested to hear about anyone running a character with some kind of disability without questionable compensatory strengths, and getting into the practical, psychological, and social aspects of it, both in background and in-game. (and I'm not implying criticism of people who shy away from it---I prefer playing someone who doesn't need glasses to avoid lampposts   )
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"Your 'reality,' sir, is lies and balderdash, and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever." (Baron Munchausen)
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was not made for this world." (C.S. Lewis, "Surprised by Joy") |
Edited by - Laerrigan on 22 Mar 2010 19:41:37
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2010 : 19:37:17
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I did play a partially crippled fighter for about two years solid.
His name was Maelkith Karn. He was a towering behemoth with great strength and constitution over all, but his Dexterity was extremely low (I can't remember the exact score, but it made me much easier to be hit!).
He was also badly deformed by the same event that caused his leg to be crippled. His Charisma was horrid (worse than his dexterity).
He had been trapped beneath a falling timber as a youth in a fire. His leg had been made nearly useless and his face horribly burned as well.
The fastest he could move was a double move (no running or even jogging).
He was an AMAZING character to play. The party always having to wait for him to catch up, and some VERY sticky situations occurred when we needed to run away but couldn't.
One instance comes to mind: a fight with a Lich.
Maelkith was only a 9th level fighter at the time if I recall correctly; and the part was really where it should NOT have been.
I actually rolled well for initiative while the Lich rolled awfully. I had no way to really hurt this thing enough to keep it from blasting us all into the Abyss...and so I dropped my Two-Handed Sword +something (can't remember) and grabbed the Lich in my arms.
The DM ruled that every round I succeeded in grappling the Lich I would automatically be damaged, but it allowed the party to actually bring together an idea that allowed us to defeat a 19th level Wizard!
Maelkith nearly died from the affair, and suffered from a few Verbal Only spells the Lich inflicted upon him; BUT...
We would have simply ran away, but Maelkith would have surely died because he was so slow...and so he did only what he could.
I later used that Lich's bony face as a mask in a helmet for Maelkith...and used his spell tome to learn some magic too!
When we finished that game, Maelkith was a Fighter Lord (2nd Edition DnD) and a Wizard of some small skill.
Playing a crippled and horribly scarred human actually was a great deal of fun. He is still to this day one of my fondest memories for a character. |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2010 : 20:23:48
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At the table, I once played a swordswoman who was blind in one eye (but not the other) and had trained such that she could anticipate attacks from her blind side, but when attacks came from her good side, she was actually worse at defending (since her training hadn't emphasized that). It was just neat, seeing how it played out.
I also played a hideously deformed and crippled warmage who wore a full suit of leather armor to hide his (her? its?) features. That was one of my favorite characters, actually.
In terms of writing, I try to instill all my characters with some weaknesses, whether they be disabilities or hang-ups or phobias or whatever. It's not just the disability that makes a difference, but also how they deal with it on a mental and psychological level. A character's entire life can be shaped around such a disability.
One character in particular (Shadowbane, star of my novel Downshadow) has a lesser version of what in RL we'd call CIPA (congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis--look it up on Wikipedia) wherein he can't feel pain (or much of anything), which is both a blessing and a curse. It waxes and wanes, as it's a magical curse and not actually CIPA, but it will invariably prove fatal to him in the long run (basically petrifying him).
Also (in the same novel) I have a character who can't touch anyone, as contact with her skin burns living flesh like acid.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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wintermute27
Learned Scribe
USA
179 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2010 : 02:30:27
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I've played two. The first one was missing a hand but had a shoulder harness (like what Jason Isaacs uses in the movie Peter Pan) and a hook to compensate. I was playing a 3.5 Warlock, so the lack of one hand didn't make too much of a difference. If I recall correctly there were some invocations that were deemed to require two hands to use and were not available. It was a lot of fun and I managed to talk the DM into giving me several modular attachments for my harness, which unfortunately were declared exotic weapons and I had to spend feats to use them proficiently, but I still had fun playing the character none the less.
My second "disabled" character was actually from the last game I played. He was an elderly, retired adventurer (4e Warlock, Star Pact) who ran a book store, but the stars and the entities that lived among them decided that my services were needed again, so I polished my old ritual daggers and went on my way. My DM and I never could find anything in the 4e books about age penalties, so we decided on a -2 penalty to dexterity and constitution and reduced my movement rate by 1 (I used a cane). I had a blast playing the "wise old man" and would ramble on, in character, about previous adventures I'd had and attempted to impart my unsolicited advice to the younger, "less experienced" members of the party. I'd never actually call this character disabled, but when making him, I did take penalties for no reason other than to flavor my character, and never asked for anything to compensate for them.
One thing that I always consider is "can this disability be removed at a later date?". In the case of my one handed character, I looked into what it would take to regrow an arm by magic and in 3.5 it's a 7th level cleric spell. This required the services of a rather high level cleric and a considerable donation that my poor, low-level warlock couldn't afford, but may have been able to some day. Missing limbs can be restored and curses can be broken, but there really isn't much you can do about the achy joints and stiff movements that come from old age.
(I'm only just now realizing that the only two times I've ever played a Warlock, they were both handicapped in some way. Interesting... ) |
My Current Campaign: The Adventures of the Stonelanders |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2010 : 05:35:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
At the table, I once played a swordswoman who was blind in one eye (but not the other) and had trained such that she could anticipate attacks from her blind side, but when attacks came from her good side, she was actually worse at defending (since her training hadn't emphasized that). It was just neat, seeing how it played out.
I also played a hideously deformed and crippled warmage who wore a full suit of leather armor to hide his (her? its?) features. That was one of my favorite characters, actually.
In terms of writing, I try to instill all my characters with some weaknesses, whether they be disabilities or hang-ups or phobias or whatever. It's not just the disability that makes a difference, but also how they deal with it on a mental and psychological level. A character's entire life can be shaped around such a disability.
One character in particular (Shadowbane, star of my novel Downshadow) has a lesser version of what in RL we'd call CIPA (congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis--look it up on Wikipedia) wherein he can't feel pain (or much of anything), which is both a blessing and a curse. It waxes and wanes, as it's a magical curse and not actually CIPA, but it will invariably prove fatal to him in the long run (basically petrifying him).
Also (in the same novel) I have a character who can't touch anyone, as contact with her skin burns living flesh like acid.
Cheers
Was that character who couldn't touch anyone possibly inspired by the female lead in Ninja Scroll? She couldn't either, because her skin excreted a nasty poison due to her ninja training. |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Laerrigan
Learned Scribe
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2010 : 09:50:37
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Dalor---Awesome . I love how it impacted the confrontation, and all the possibilities inherent in those "sticky situations" because of being unable to get away so easily.
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Erik---Really interesting idea, being better on the side she focused on compensating for. And the notion of a curse which approximates a real disease/disability has so much flexible potential; cool . quote:
In terms of writing, I try to instill all my characters with some weaknesses, whether they be disabilities or hang-ups or phobias or whatever. It's not just the disability that makes a difference, but also how they deal with it on a mental and psychological level. A character's entire life can be shaped around such a disability.
Absolute agreement here.
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Wintermute---quote:
I'd never actually call this character disabled, but when making him, I did take penalties for no reason other than to flavor my character, and never asked for anything to compensate for them.
I know there are those who can mechanically max their PCs into a calculated icon of perfection for what they are and can still RP them well, but I personally have always liked doing what you said, lol. My first serious attempt at a PC (my namesake here) started out obsessive and arachnophobic. If he was deeply involved in something and the DM said to roll for Spot or Listen, I rolled d% first to see if he even got to roll the check, lol. And encountering a spider had an array of potential reactions by d%, which could be quite comical, or harmful to himself or a friend (such as "beat it to death frantically with no other concerns, even if it's on someone").
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Alystra---THAT MOVIE ROCKS! Each time I've watched it, some new layer of theme and psychology rises to my attention. Marvelous example of an odd disability and the subtle ways in which it impacts someone. Just not for the kiddies .
I did have one visually-impaired character that I never played but wrote a little about---he was an albino drow before I knew they were cool  , in Eberron. His clan was doing fairly well for itself so they let him live as a menial servant, but they always looked down on or pitied him in their survivalistic society. He stowed away on a ship as a young adult, hoping to find that elusive notion of "a niche in life" in the great unknown. Even much later, well-established with a friend and a challenging career, he had this deep-seated surety that he'd always mess things up for anyone close to him, that'd he'd hold them back or endanger them. It just showed up in odd ways, because he was such an outwardly stoic, level-headed sort. His hardheaded overprotectiveness of his friend was one manifestation; it was for his own sake (self worth) as much as for hers, and he absolutely could not be dissuaded from it. He needed gnome-crafted magnifying goggles in order to read handwriting, and nystagmus (jumping and twitching of eye muscles, often a part of albinism) made for just that much more difficulty in reading. He HATED having his visual impairment known, because back home it meant he was substandard, non-viable on his own, a burden, despite his intelligence and melee ability. I found the psychological impact of it all quite intriguing, the more I explored his character, and I've enjoyed reading/viewing some published examples of that kind of impact. |
"Your 'reality,' sir, is lies and balderdash, and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever." (Baron Munchausen)
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was not made for this world." (C.S. Lewis, "Surprised by Joy") |
Edited by - Laerrigan on 23 Mar 2010 09:55:12 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2010 : 02:47:33
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| Very interesting character! I've never played one that was impaired or handicapped, but I've had plenty of half-breeds and done a lot story-wise with them to explore how their heritage affects not only how others see them, but how they view themselves, often with interesting results. My half-dragon twins are an example- the male(Palax) is very confident and even arrogant at times because of his draconic power and the fact that he is a paladin, while his bladesinger sister Vala is very quiet and compassionate and understanding of other races, since she takes after the other side. And they react very differently to racial prejudices. Palax is usually antagonistic to it, while she tends to simply feel resigned to it. |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2010 : 04:08:22
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MAN! I can't believe I almost forgot my favorite "disabled" character!
His name was "Alzheimer" the Wizard. I am not making fun of people that have this horrible illness mind you...but the rest of the party started calling him that.
Our DM decided to pick up FIFTY years after our last game with all new characters in his campaign world. I admit, I got the idea of my character from one of my favorite novel wizard/gods Fizban.
Now, I had played a certain Ranger/Wizard that had been turned evil by this DM for killing a tower full of soldiers in a rather gruesome way (which I disagreed with...but another story is that!); but I thought it would be a good way to bring back the fella.
Anyway, we were allowed to start out at 9th level only in a 3.5 Edition game...which wasn't enough for me to try and squeeze in both ranger and wizard classes...so I just went with the fact that the fella was OVER 80 YEARS OLD NOW and said he had long ago left off being a Ranger.
I did give him horrid physical abilities to reflect his age; with perhaps only his Constitution being an 8 (I think) and both his strength and dexterity being a six I think...been a while.
However, there was his lack of remembering that came into play very often. I literally made sure to forget to memorize spells at times, or would grab a fallen pair of swords and attempt to fight as a ranger again. Sometimes the party would have to hold me back from "scouting out the enemy" and such things as that.
Alzheimer was a HORRIBLE wizard. I think I went five or six playing sessions without ever casting so much as a cantrip! The party eventually resorted to hiring an NPC wizard to supplement my bumbling; but they didn't realize that Alzheimer was actually still quite the evil old bastard...and the wizard somehow died in the midst of a battle.
He was getting ready to cast a spell that was needed to save his life; but I secretly countered it with a counterspell and he died beneath the claws of a demon (or was it a dragon? I can't remember so well...I really did sit in a daze half the time playing the fella). That only resulted in me acquiring another spellbook and the NPCs items.
The "Old Man" eventually found a way to restore his wisdom (oh yeah, I gave him a HORRIBLE wisdom to reflect his illness and insanity...did I forget to mention that?) and became a rather potent Wizard before the campaign ended.
I even got him killed once...well, the party thought he died, I actually just used a series of illusions to make it look like I got killed...when he came back very quickly after a nasty death via being eaten alive, the party thought he was much more powerful and thought I was REALLY ripping off the Fizban bit.
I loved Fizban though...and just thought it would be awesome to play an evil version of him. 
I can't even remember the name that I picked for him...he just eventually went by "Alzheimer" or "Evil Old Bastard" and that was good enough for me. |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4430 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2010 : 01:30:40
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I once played a barbarian/frenzied berserker who had sever mental disabilities.
Mentally, he acted much like a child who threw fits when things didn't go his way or when he became threatened. He was plagued by nightmares of demons attempting to possess him. This developed into a severe psychosis and also led him to heavy drinking. So not only was he acting like a child, but he would see and hear things (delusions), and then fly into a rage/frenzy. The character got these symptoms as a child when he spent the night in a local "haunted house". The house wansn't haunted per-se, but a demon was sealed inside the house decades before by a powerful cleric of Lathander. When Ox (the character) went into the house on a bet, he was possessed by the demon so the demon could escape it's confines.
The character was constantly attacked by the demon and occasionally possessed. But the character fought it for almost 15 years before another Sacred Exorcist saw him. The exorcist banished the demon, and gave Ox the relief he so despritley(sp?) needed.
Though the demon was gone, the damage his mind and psyche endured was permanent and he is forever troubled by these delusions and nightmares.
Very fun to RP but I think it started to get on some of my party member's nerves, lol. |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2010 : 15:13:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Was that character who couldn't touch anyone possibly inspired by the female lead in Ninja Scroll? She couldn't either, because her skin excreted a nasty poison due to her ninja training.
I've never seen Ninja Scroll, but that's certainly a good example of the trope!
My character's curse was inspired in part by the Ravenloft creatures that similarly secrete a poison so they can't touch anyone they love (forgot what they are called at the moment), partly by Rogue of Marvel Comics fame (for the "I can't touch anybody ever" conflict), and also in part by another Marvel comics character, Wither, whose power more closely parallels my character's curse. It is particularly devastating to this particular character, as *before* she got the curse, she was a very flirtatious and sensual individual, constantly touching people, kissing, caressing, etc. Now she can't do any of that, and it has had a major impact on her psychology and behavior.
quote:
Originally posted by Laerrigan
Erik---Really interesting idea, being better on the side she focused on compensating for. And the notion of a curse which approximates a real disease/disability has so much flexible potential; cool .
It is neat, isn't it?
This particular inspiration comes from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, actually, where the lead warrior kid is blind in one eye, and a clever swordsman defeats him by ignoring his weakness and attacking from his good side.
See? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Laerrigan
Learned Scribe
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2010 : 23:01:38
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Alystra---Crossbreeds are another interesting branch (or fullbloods simply in the "wrong" place, or those that have an unusual appearance even without it having anything to do with heredity) . All the marvelous possibility for internal and external reactions....
Dalor---  That is great. And I saw your story about the guard tower and totally agree with you about alignment. I probably would've awarded you extra XP for sheer determination and highly effective use of resources with maximum effect at minimum cost. To say nothing of style .
Diffan---Ha! Neat. Unexpected twist of the past, lol.
Erik---Ermordenung are so cool. Especially when handled as humans, with all the internal reactions to their state, whether they wanted it or it was forced upon them. And the fact that they're immune to all poison except that of other ermordenung....Can't touch someone they love for fear of killing them, and can't even touch others of their kind. May as well devote themselves entirely to the acts of murder that their name translates to....right? Ravenloft is wonderful. Great to see certain elements of it living on in novel/character inspiration elsewhere---yup, pure flattery of awesomeness . |
"Your 'reality,' sir, is lies and balderdash, and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever." (Baron Munchausen)
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was not made for this world." (C.S. Lewis, "Surprised by Joy") |
Edited by - Laerrigan on 25 Mar 2010 23:02:49 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2010 : 08:11:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Was that character who couldn't touch anyone possibly inspired by the female lead in Ninja Scroll? She couldn't either, because her skin excreted a nasty poison due to her ninja training.
I've never seen Ninja Scroll, but that's certainly a good example of the trope!
My character's curse was inspired in part by the Ravenloft creatures that similarly secrete a poison so they can't touch anyone they love (forgot what they are called at the moment), partly by Rogue of Marvel Comics fame (for the "I can't touch anybody ever" conflict), and also in part by another Marvel comics character, Wither, whose power more closely parallels my character's curse. It is particularly devastating to this particular character, as *before* she got the curse, she was a very flirtatious and sensual individual, constantly touching people, kissing, caressing, etc. Now she can't do any of that, and it has had a major impact on her psychology and behavior.
quote:
Originally posted by Laerrigan
Erik---Really interesting idea, being better on the side she focused on compensating for. And the notion of a curse which approximates a real disease/disability has so much flexible potential; cool .
It is neat, isn't it?
This particular inspiration comes from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, actually, where the lead warrior kid is blind in one eye, and a clever swordsman defeats him by ignoring his weakness and attacking from his good side.
See? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
Cheers
Rogue and Wither? Really? That is so cool! It's good to know I'm not the only Marvel freak in here, lol! I'm glad to hear you're a fellow fan. I have always loved Rogue for her conflicted nature. Wither, I wasn't so fond of, however. |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Tyranthraxus
Senior Scribe
Netherlands
423 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2010 : 00:22:20
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I never played a disabled character but the dwarven defender I DM'ed for lost an eye. We used a crit/fumble table and one of the results lead to the loss of a body part (in this case one of his eyes).
It didn't effect him much except for a -2 penalty on spot checks and the risk of losing his other eye and be completely blind (if I rolled the same result ever again).
One of the characters is my 4e campaign has a spellscar. He's not really disabled, quite the opposite actually, but it could lead to some interesting situations. |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 19 Aug 2010 : 08:36:53
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| I never played actually, but I made a disabled half-drow NPC, who is deaf. My friends helped me to find classes which make up for it a bit. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Salius Kai
Learned Scribe
USA
217 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2010 : 18:39:48
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I played a Samurai with one arm. He was trapped under his burning manor as a child, and the only way to save him was to leave the arm behind. He was also covered in burn scars, and quite bitter about the whole affair.
He has largely inspired by Baiken, off of Guilty Gears. |
"Welcome to these walls of infinite knowledge."
Salius Kai |
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Saxmilian
Learned Scribe
USA
157 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2010 : 16:33:55
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I played a Common fighter who was struck down by a Wight and then later brought back from beyond seemingly normal. Sadly it was in mid tomb-raid that I decided to begin to roleplay and she developed a paralyzing fear of ghostly undead including Shadows, wights and anything in mists.
My DM loved it, for i was the first one to develop "personality-flaws". My co-players hated it when she refused to enter the room and slay the zombies and when they attacked, dropped her sword and cowered in the corner sobbing hysterically.
Nowadays, I guess it would all be chalked up to Shaken, Panicked and Helpless but this was "back-in-the-day" before those rules.
We survived, but it became a company's joke about Jean'ete the awesome sellsword who couldnt keep it together in the presence of the undead.
In my own game my neice (who plays and loves druids) was atatcked and nearly killed by a sword spider. Thanks to a friendly heal she survived but I loved it when she came to me after the game and said, "I know my druid loves animals but i think she's gonna hate spiders now. Is that cool?"
We gave her the the Flaw Arachnophobia. She loves it and get really into character for all the reasons why she hates spiders. "Uggghh...creepy crawlers with those hairy legs! Yuck!" |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2010 : 17:27:29
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I also play a character in a planar game (with major FR elements) who can't seem to not betray the party occasionally.
Not sure chronic treachery is a disability, however!
While trapped inside a gelatinous cube, my paladin in True Dungeon 2010 got his hand lopped off by the Barbarian (thanks, Garen Thal!) and I went through the rest of the dungeon without a left hand (clearly, he was a Tyrran). Not that it mattered, as we all burst into flames in the extremely impossible end fight, but whatevs.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4430 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2010 : 17:56:55
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| Speaking of Tyrran clergy, I have this Cleric of Tyr that took that one feat "Hand of Tyr" from the book Waterdeep: City of Splendors. The feat doesn't allow you to use your left hand but you gain bonuses to using longswords and what-not from your right hand. Though most people wrap their left hand in bandages my character's hand was made of stone. This was a result of his childhood in which he and a few buddies were investigating this abandoned house. On one of the door handles was traped by a wizard's spell of Flesh to Stone. The spell traveled up the character's arm but was stopped by Tyr himself. The character was given a choice, serve the god of Justice and survive, or take his chances with the spell. The character chose Tyr and went on to become one of Tyr's most devout followers. The spell, however, couldn't be totally removed, and so his hand was encased in Stone forever more. |
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Xevo
Acolyte
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - 28 Sep 2010 : 00:10:26
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I played one in the rare times I was allowed to be a player. The first was a monk named Hood. As an infant he was left on the doorstep of a monastery in Shou Lung (the monks were the ones to name him). He was completely mute. When I played him I never talked. Rather than use the sophistication of sign language, I used the more universal pidgin. My companions were hesitant at first, but when they saw my silent laugh for the first time, they friggin loved it. Often they would tell me to stop yelling at them when it became obvious that I would if I could.
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The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
-Terry Pratchett |
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coach
Senior Scribe
USA
479 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2010 : 04:29:14
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i played a mute monk in a NWN persistant online world
i played a wizard with severe allergies that would sometimes disrupt his spellcasting
i played a warrior who was 100% magic dead (sounds like a huge benefit but beneficial magic didnt work on or around him either (i.e. healing or using magical weapons etc) so pros and cons evened out (imagine having to ALWAYS heal naturally) |
Bloodstone Lands Sage |
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MalariaMoon
Learned Scribe
324 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2010 : 16:48:39
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Great topic, although I realize I'm a late contributor.
My current campaign includes a profoundly short sighted half-orc; a ferocious melee warrior but utterly useless in any sort of ranged combat.
In the past I played a necromancer who purposefully hollowed out a space in left arm to use as a secret hidey hole, although I'm not sure if it really counts as a disability beyond a certain stiffness in the fingers on that hand. In retrospect I realise the DM should have enforced some kind of spellcasting penalty.
On idea that's floated around in my head for a while but never made it onto paper is of a character who suffers from occasional bouts of debilitating pain as a side effect of some spell damage from long ago. The only cure would be to track down the offending spellcaster and slay him ... |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7974 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2010 : 18:20:51
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quote:
Laerrigan
... reading more reference recently to albino drow brought it to mind (since albinism in real life is defined by very low-resolution vision from a lack of melanin in the retinas, not by visible pigmentation, and thus albino drow should be killed by their evil, racially-perfectionistic people to weed them out, unless elven retinas are just supposed to work that differently from human).
Mildly off topic here, but -
Drow (and other D&D) eyes apparently do operate differently from what our physics would allow. Humans (from Earth, anyways) have eyesight which already approaches the maximum theoretical limits for biological chemistry, we can even perceive single-photon events under ideal conditions. Assuming size and density of photoreceptors similar to (Earth) human biology, D&D creatures with infravision would require eyeballs/retinas with almost ten times greater surface area than ours simply to "see" the much longer wavelengths of the near-infrared spectral range. Low-light (scotopic) vision is more reasonable, though again, the scale of our biology imposes limits (thus, we trade some of our photoptic colour-differentiating vision for some photoreceptor cells which can only see high contrast light from the blue end of the spectrum) ... a drow's eyeballs would probably have a much higher cones-to-rods ratio, meaning much better vision under low light but extreme sensitivity (overstimulation and almost complete blindness) in bright light and some degree of colour-blindness (at least towards the red end of the spectrum) in all lighting conditions. Drow eyes are sometimes described as having the reflective eyeshine effect (like a cat or nocturnal raptor); this is caused by a layer of tapetum lucidum tissue behind/within the retina which improves the efficiency of low-light photoreceptors at the cost of dispersing (blurring) the image - drow would probably have terrible long-distance focus and, like a cat (or any other predator, even a human), would probably visually recognize (and automatically focus on) things based on motion perception.
Arcane Ages (Cormanthyr and Fall of Myth Drannor) suggest elvensight is (almost) magical, actually being able to weakly "see" magical auras/dweomers/fields to some extent, perhaps also "seeing" the nearly-telepathic racial aura subconsciously shared by all elves. These explanations are criticized within the same books.
Dwarven infravision would be utterly indispensable to their metalwork; blacksmiths used to judge the temperature of heated metals by their colour, and sensitivity to the infrared range would allow dwarves to accurately "measure" metal temperatures invisible to us (without infrared thermometers) - which helps explain how dwarves could anneal, temper, and alloy metals far better than other races. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 29 Dec 2010 18:26:10 |
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Fellfire
Master of Realmslore
1965 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2010 : 22:16:09
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| Hawthhorne wrote a short-story called Rappaccini's Daughter published in 1844, that was similar to Kagero from Ninja Scroll, same basic premise. Check it out. |
Misanthorpe
Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but.. blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me." - Bane The Dark Knight Rises
Green Dragonscale Dice Bag by Crystalsidyll - check it out
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Edited by - Fellfire on 29 Dec 2010 22:17:57 |
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Laerrigan
Learned Scribe
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 31 Dec 2010 : 02:37:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
Drow (and other D&D) eyes apparently do operate differently from what our physics would allow.... [snip]
Awesome. I love bits like that that hold together and tie into interesting RL info. I feel less twitchy on the subject now. Thanks |
"Your 'reality,' sir, is lies and balderdash, and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever." (Baron Munchausen)
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was not made for this world." (C.S. Lewis, "Surprised by Joy") |
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Mystic Lemur
Seeker
58 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2011 : 04:45:36
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I like to play characters with 'personality'. The one time I offered to play a Dwarf Fighter, my DM asked me "what's the catch?"
I really want to play a sorcerer whose tongue has been cut out as punishment, and is only able to communicate through mime and his raven familiar. The horrendous penalties to spellcasting (full round action to cast spells a level lower than other sorcs my level) are the only reason I haven't. |
"What mattered our lives now, when our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring." -A review of the FRCG ;) |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Laerrigan
Learned Scribe
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2011 : 05:10:14
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| Or work it out with the DM where your raven familiar can provide the verbal component, if within a certain short distance of you, maybe even having to perch on you for it....I do like odd arrangements (that aren't too complex), lol. And then there's all the fun of having the raven apparently argue with itself as it voices its own side of a conversation with you while also voicing your side of it, in different put-on voices....We'll just hope it doesn't have a sense of humor and a penchant for lying, or it could really get you into (minor, of course) trouble. |
"Your 'reality,' sir, is lies and balderdash, and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever." (Baron Munchausen)
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was not made for this world." (C.S. Lewis, "Surprised by Joy") |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2011 : 18:03:05
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I'm currently running an NPC in the game I am DMing that is a mute. His tongue had been cut out by a noble he had angered. He arrived with the group at the same time one of the other players had to introduce a new character. I decided that the NPC and the PC had known and adventurered together extensively and had developed a form of sign language to allow them to communicate. What I do is pass little notes to the player when the NPC has something to say. This proves to be interesting as the player then says to the group what it is the NPC had messaged to her. It amazes me how, despite having the note in her hand, the actual message changes as she explains to the group what it was that was said. It is also fun when that PC is not with the group. Then the only means of communication from the NPC is by nods or shakes of the head or miming.
I love playing characters that have a disability or some form of weakness. It adds character to the character. Years later are you going to remember playing with a person who played a typical fighter that was maxed out on all his stats and was just like any other fighter that most players play? Or are you going to remember that character who was a fighter but had a bad limp or a maimed arm and despite these disabilities managed to save the party time and time again?
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Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
Edited by - Fizilbert on 10 Jan 2011 18:08:04 |
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Topic |
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Disabilities in characters
