Is it possible to have blind, deaf, mute, etc. characters without it being some pandering magicy-realmy "Look, I'm special" fest? Have you had PCs or DMPCs like this? Is it feasible to make a character that has lost a sense to a god or curse?
My next character is aiming to be a deaf dwarf that is just that and has to communicate through sign language or a magic item to bypass the effect to understand others.
What is so "magical-realmy" about that? Did this word lost its meaning?
I had a character who was both deaf and legally blind in pathfinder (dual cursed oracle). I compensated with a familiar with telepathy who served as my spotter and interpreter after level 8. Before level 8 I managed with a slate and chalk.
Yes. Just look at Daredevil. Also, like ten thousand "blind" anime characters.
Long ago
Exactly what I was thinking.
In 3.5 with book of nine sword you could take a skill that give you something like "Tremor Vision" X foot from you.
I really liked the concept of blind easter fighter so I made one with that skill and Blind Fight.
The fact is that impaired character can work, but you have to find a way around it (in D&D is pretty easy) . Example is a mute character. Yeah is fun and all, but at the end of the day is a role playing game, can be fun the first ten session, after it really become a burden .
OP is just some guy who lets Veeky Forums do his thinking for him methinks.
It was fine until you called it sensory deprivation.
There is not a single magical-realmy thing to it for the rest of us.
Your fetish, however, is utterly obvious. Using terms that only fetishists use is going to blow your cover, just so you know.
>and has to communicate through sign language
Don't, that means someone else in the party has to be an interpreter for you, or important people are going to have to know sign language.
Just have him read lips. Still a disadvantage, but you're not as much of a ball and chain for your party in social situations.
Either you cop-out, with a magic item or power to sidestep the loss, or it becomes very hard to interact with others, doubly so in a combat environment.
It's best if NPCs have those odd quirks, that lend themselves to behind-the-scenes roles with little to no action involved.
It's a rare game, the one where PCs NEVER have an action scene of some sort, but only go around scheming and politicking.
I'm pretty stoked about playing a blind monk like lee sin from LoL with daredevils echo ability.
Temporarily, as a curse/injury/NPC, yes. Tedious in the long run, as you have to describe everything both normally and adapted to the set of senses the deprived person can use (especially if you want to use it to hide some info from them).
Might be useful to play some "blind warrior"-type PCs that can function as well as the others, just roll it into advantages (exceptional hearing/sense of smell/immumity to visual illusions) and disadvantages (will miss obvious visual cues and easier falls into terrain traps if careless). Also, requires a mature player that won't turn it snowflakey/can play along with normal descriptions and not metagame visuals described to others.
Kinda. The default answer should be "just don't play with people who want to inject their sexual preferences into every single thing".
Yes
You can, just look to disabled characters in fiction like Geordi la Forge or Toph Beifong for reference on how to do it right. Basically, make the disability just one facet of the character; not something you ignore or bring up constantly, but something you keep in the back of your mind as you play. Only remind people of it if it's pertinent to the situation at hand.
Blind warriors are a common trope in eastern fantasy, and blind oracles are common in western fantasy. There's plenty of precedent for blindness in the genre. Deafness less so, but if you didn't use fetish phrases like "sensory deprivation," it would probably fly under the radar.
GM blinded my Bard once, at level 2. It couldn't have bother me any less and actually gave my character more depth and followers until level 7, when he regained his eyesight without anyone knowing so that he could pretend to see through the darkness in his eyes.
>that means someone else in the party has to be an interpreter for you
I've been in a game where one PC was like that. Not because of blindness, but because few people spoke the only language he did. Only one other PC spoke his language.
Having that PC constantly saying that he was translating for him got annoying really quickly.
>Just have him read lips. Still a disadvantage, but you're not as much of a ball and chain for your party in social situations.
Agreed. Give him some way to communicate with the rest of the party at the very least.
Toph was the best fucking character on the goddamn show.
>Strongest earthbender
>Made up two entirely new styles of earthbending.
>Is blind as fuck but doesn't treat it as a disability.
>Rich
>Funny
>Snarky
>Cute
>Able to take out an entire hit squad comprised of the strongest earth benders in Ba Sing Se alongside the Avatar.
>Created an entire police force built around metal-bending.
>Still serving niggas in LoK
What more could you ask for?
If you ever use the term "methinks" you are better off just offing yourself you fucking retard.
The word your looking for is "special snowflake", not "magical realm".
"Magical realm" is for blatantly forcing your sexual fetish in where it's not wanted.
>Someone who lets Veeky Forums do his thinking for him.
No OP. Having fantasy characters get by either deaf or blind is unrealistic bullshit. You should tell your friends that won't fly at all, and that they're stupid if they want it.
Your friends will respect you for telling them this.
Why would it be "unrealistic"? There are plenty of blind/deaf/mute/whatever people. Hell, they don't even have to be born like that, blinding someone or cutting their tongue out used to be a punishment. Impractical? Depends on how good you are at roleplaying. But it's definitely not unrealistic.
Look, there's bait too big for it to fit in anyone's mouth, but you're still desperately slobbering all over this trying to fit it in.
not that user but methinks you need to straighten your knickers because they seem to be quite twisted.
Haven't you heard? "Magical Realm" now means "anything that someone might get off to."