It is a verbal component not an audio component... If a table wants to see it differently then that is up to them
However personally I would say no - hand gestures won't work as verbal
Your turning a disability into a gimmick since the player creates their own character and chose to be mute, they were not born that way so it's their choice to be hindered and face the complications of such a disability.
Why choose to make a disabled character then look at means to overwrite that disability?? Seems people want to use a disability as flavour but not use it mechanically..
Making a joke out of disabilities is not being inclusive, it's just plain insulting.
It's only a joke if that's how it's handled at the table. There's respectful ways to do it and it's just fine to do so. Get off your high horse.
I mean, in this context any kind of "the disability technically exists but functionally the character is treated as though they don't have it" verges on tokenism, particularly when it's not a case of someone who actually has to deal with the disability getting some escapism. If everyone at your table is fine with it then really it's not anyone else's business for a private game, but personally I don't really see the point in having a disability like that, but only as some kind of cosmetic prop that doesn't actually impact play. Also, we're veering well off topic for a rules thread discussion. RAW, Verbal components are just that- components you provide via verbalization. Yes, Rule 0 means if the DM is onboard you can retool those parameters whatever way you want, but Rule 0 is rather outside of the scope of this section.
personally think if people want to play a disabled character then they should face the issues and obstacles associated with that disability especially considering they are choosing to have that disability ingame. as for workarounds - they should be discussed with the tables dm and/or discussed during session 0, however i would/do question why someone wants to be a mute character but doesnt want to have any of the issues associated with it. disabilities are disabilities for a reason. (Persons are considered to have a disability if they have a limitation, restriction or impairment)
now back on topic sign language would be somatic not verbal - its that simple
Verbal (V)
A Verbal component is the chanting of esoteric words that sound like nonsense to the uninitiated. The words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice. The words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a creature who is gagged or in an area of magical silence can’t cast a spell with a Verbal component.
Somatic (S)
A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements.
then theres also this (chapter 7 of the PHB 2024) "A spell’s components are physical requirements the spellcaster must meet to cast the spell. Each spell’s description indicates whether it requires Verbal (V), Somatic (S), or Material (M) components. If the spellcaster can’t provide one or more of a spell’s components, the spellcaster can’t cast the spell."
personally think if people want to play a disabled character then they should face the issues and obstacles associated with that disability especially considering they are choosing to have that disability ingame. as for workarounds - they should be discussed with the tables dm and/or discussed during session 0, however i would/do question why someone wants to be a mute character but doesnt want to have any of the issues associated with it. disabilities are disabilities for a reason. (Persons are considered to have a disability if they have a limitation, restriction or impairment)
now back on topic sign language would be somatic not verbal - its that simple
Verbal (V)
A Verbal component is the chanting of esoteric words that sound like nonsense to the uninitiated. The words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice. The words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a creature who is gagged or in an area of magical silence can’t cast a spell with a Verbal component.
Somatic (S)
A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements.
then theres also this (chapter 7 of the PHB 2024) "A spell’s components are physical requirements the spellcaster must meet to cast the spell. Each spell’s description indicates whether it requires Verbal (V), Somatic (S), or Material (M) components. If the spellcaster can’t provide one or more of a spell’s components, the spellcaster can’t cast the spell."
Please understand i am asking a question to all and not directing this to anyone specifically, as the above quoted comment is used in the ability to answer the Original Post of this Topic.
Ok, so if you have someone who in real life is a person who is disabled and can only communicate in sign language, and wants to play D&D, then how do you accommodate them if they want to play a wizard character?
A lot of verbal spells are that list, but only being able to sign language, and not being able to replicate the verbal components is just something that they the character has to deal with?
sometimes playing a character or having a disabled person want to play a character in a game is quite a challenge but a very welcomed experience especially as both a player and a DM, as far as my personal experience.
The question asked by the OP was how is sign language going to work for casting spells with both verbal and somatic components, or just verbal components?
best solution is to work it out with the player and group, and at least try to accommodate the player, if it works it works, if it don’t then it’s a learning experience.
So how would you, the reader handle the situation?
Well, to address the latter point first, since this is the rules section of the forum the RAW answer to the question is “V components are not compatible with a character who cannot verbalize”. Homebrew has been repeatedly acknowledged as an option, but this isn’t really the place for a lot of workshopping on that front.
Accommodating someone who actually has the disability and wants to have their character reflect that part of themselves is one thing, and again something that can be homebrewed any number of ways. The issue with these discussions is that most of the time the question of “how can I have a character who is nominally handicapped but avoid having them actually deal with the limitations of that condition” is coming from someone who doesn’t have to deal with the condition IRL and so steps on the landmine of thorny issues around representation, tokenism, etc.
Honestly, the only real answer to give to the question is “hash it out with your DM and the rest of the players”. D&D made the decision not to explore the field of selecting mechanical flaws at character creation in 5e, likely for about the same reasons the vast majority of “build your own character” video game RPGs either leave that field untouched or err away from conditions that involve the complete loss of a sense or use of a limb- it’s a headache to implement in a way that keeps gameplay accessible to the character and runs up against all those issues of perception I’ve already outlined, only worse because this is a company taking an “official” position. I’m not going to go around policing everyone’s tables, but imo unless the person playing the character actually has the condition and is looking for escapism, the “this character has a handicap but not really” bit is a pointless boondoggle of character design that adds nothing and can easily rub people the wrong way.
personally think if people want to play a disabled character then they should face the issues and obstacles associated with that disability especially considering they are choosing to have that disability ingame. as for workarounds - they should be discussed with the tables dm and/or discussed during session 0, however i would/do question why someone wants to be a mute character but doesnt want to have any of the issues associated with it. disabilities are disabilities for a reason. (Persons are considered to have a disability if they have a limitation, restriction or impairment)
now back on topic sign language would be somatic not verbal - its that simple
Verbal (V)
A Verbal component is the chanting of esoteric words that sound like nonsense to the uninitiated. The words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice. The words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a creature who is gagged or in an area of magical silence can’t cast a spell with a Verbal component.
Somatic (S)
A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements.
then theres also this (chapter 7 of the PHB 2024) "A spell’s components are physical requirements the spellcaster must meet to cast the spell. Each spell’s description indicates whether it requires Verbal (V), Somatic (S), or Material (M) components. If the spellcaster can’t provide one or more of a spell’s components, the spellcaster can’t cast the spell."
Please understand i am asking a question to all and not directing this to anyone specifically, as the above quoted comment is used in the ability to answer the Original Post of this Topic.
Ok, so if you have someone who in real life is a person who is disabled and can only communicate in sign language, and wants to play D&D, then how do you accommodate them if they want to play a wizard character?
if the real life individual is able to communicate (in any way, shape or form, regardless of any disability they may have) what they want their character to do ingame to either the dm or atleast one person then there is nothing stopping them from playing d&d and after that everything else is secondary (mainly just aesthetics surrounding how the dm and players wish it to be portrayed ingame) so no accommodation is needed - just acceptance.
as for the ingame character (which is separate from the real life individual) and the aesthetics of how magic works in the world they inhabit, is a discussion for that player to have with the tables dm and/or discussed during session 0.
A lot of verbal spells are that list, but only being able to sign language, and not being able to replicate the verbal components is just something that they the character has to deal with?
sometimes playing a character or having a disabled person want to play a character in a game is quite a challenge but a very welcomed experience especially as both a player and a DM, as far as my personal experience.
The question asked by the OP was how is sign language going to work for casting spells with both verbal and somatic components, or just verbal components?
best solution is to work it out with the player and group, and at least try to accommodate the player, if it works it works, if it don’t then it’s a learning experience.
So how would you, the reader handle the situation?
personally if i was dm, i would probably use one (or a combo) of the following: (dependant on mood and the player in question) 1) d&d has more then one species and multiple languages so theres room to negotiate on that front alone without changing any rules - for example if autognomes and thri-kreen can cast spells then theres nothing stopping a synthetic voice box or some clicking/clacking noises being used for the verbal component (general aesthetics).
2) alter the wording of the following "If the spellcaster can’t provide one or moreof a spell’s components, the spellcaster can’t cast the spell." to something along the lines of "If the spellcaster can provide halfof a spell’s components (rounded up, including the material component if one is required), the spellcaster can cast the spell." - however spells that are purely verbal would still be a no go but everything else spell-wise is possible. (homebrew)
3) make an exception to the rule where if a character only has sign-language to work with (ingame) where the somatic components can be interchangeable with verbal components - example aid instead of V, S, M * (white cloth) change it to V or S + M * (white cloth). (homebrew)
4) the real life person has communicated what they desire/actions in some way, shape or form to the dm/players at the table, their ingame character carries out that task without issues in some unique way. (easy going)
5) bad luck, you chose to make that character with a disadvantage, now respectfully play that character as is with limited spells. (strict)
I mean, in this context any kind of "the disability technically exists but functionally the character is treated as though they don't have it" verges on tokenism, particularly when it's not a case of someone who actually has to deal with the disability getting some escapism. If everyone at your table is fine with it then really it's not anyone else's business for a private game, but personally I don't really see the point in having a disability like that, but only as some kind of cosmetic prop that doesn't actually impact play. Also, we're veering well off topic for a rules thread discussion. RAW, Verbal components are just that- components you provide via verbalization. Yes, Rule 0 means if the DM is onboard you can retool those parameters whatever way you want, but Rule 0 is rather outside of the scope of this section.
personally think if people want to play a disabled character then they should face the issues and obstacles associated with that disability especially considering they are choosing to have that disability ingame. as for workarounds - they should be discussed with the tables dm and/or discussed during session 0, however i would/do question why someone wants to be a mute character but doesnt want to have any of the issues associated with it. disabilities are disabilities for a reason. (Persons are considered to have a disability if they have a limitation, restriction or impairment)
now back on topic
sign language would be somatic not verbal - its that simple
Verbal (V)
A Verbal component is the chanting of esoteric words that sound like nonsense to the uninitiated. The words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice. The words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a creature who is gagged or in an area of magical silence can’t cast a spell with a Verbal component.
Somatic (S)
A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements.
then theres also this (chapter 7 of the PHB 2024)
"A spell’s components are physical requirements the spellcaster must meet to cast the spell. Each spell’s description indicates whether it requires Verbal (V), Somatic (S), or Material (M) components. If the spellcaster can’t provide one or more of a spell’s components, the spellcaster can’t cast the spell."
Well, to address the latter point first, since this is the rules section of the forum the RAW answer to the question is “V components are not compatible with a character who cannot verbalize”. Homebrew has been repeatedly acknowledged as an option, but this isn’t really the place for a lot of workshopping on that front.
Accommodating someone who actually has the disability and wants to have their character reflect that part of themselves is one thing, and again something that can be homebrewed any number of ways. The issue with these discussions is that most of the time the question of “how can I have a character who is nominally handicapped but avoid having them actually deal with the limitations of that condition” is coming from someone who doesn’t have to deal with the condition IRL and so steps on the landmine of thorny issues around representation, tokenism, etc.
Honestly, the only real answer to give to the question is “hash it out with your DM and the rest of the players”. D&D made the decision not to explore the field of selecting mechanical flaws at character creation in 5e, likely for about the same reasons the vast majority of “build your own character” video game RPGs either leave that field untouched or err away from conditions that involve the complete loss of a sense or use of a limb- it’s a headache to implement in a way that keeps gameplay accessible to the character and runs up against all those issues of perception I’ve already outlined, only worse because this is a company taking an “official” position. I’m not going to go around policing everyone’s tables, but imo unless the person playing the character actually has the condition and is looking for escapism, the “this character has a handicap but not really” bit is a pointless boondoggle of character design that adds nothing and can easily rub people the wrong way.
if the real life individual is able to communicate (in any way, shape or form, regardless of any disability they may have) what they want their character to do ingame to either the dm or atleast one person then there is nothing stopping them from playing d&d and after that everything else is secondary (mainly just aesthetics surrounding how the dm and players wish it to be portrayed ingame)
so no accommodation is needed - just acceptance.
as for the ingame character (which is separate from the real life individual) and the aesthetics of how magic works in the world they inhabit, is a discussion for that player to have with the tables dm and/or discussed during session 0.
personally if i was dm, i would probably use one (or a combo) of the following: (dependant on mood and the player in question)
1) d&d has more then one species and multiple languages so theres room to negotiate on that front alone without changing any rules - for example if autognomes and thri-kreen can cast spells then theres nothing stopping a synthetic voice box or some clicking/clacking noises being used for the verbal component (general aesthetics).
2) alter the wording of the following " If the spellcaster can’t provide one or more of a spell’s components, the spellcaster can’t cast the spell." to something along the lines of " If the spellcaster can provide half of a spell’s components (rounded up, including the material component if one is required), the spellcaster can cast the spell." - however spells that are purely verbal would still be a no go but everything else spell-wise is possible. (homebrew)
3) make an exception to the rule where if a character only has sign-language to work with (ingame) where the somatic components can be interchangeable with verbal components - example aid instead of V, S, M * (white cloth) change it to V or S + M * (white cloth). (homebrew)
4) the real life person has communicated what they desire/actions in some way, shape or form to the dm/players at the table, their ingame character carries out that task without issues in some unique way. (easy going)
5) bad luck, you chose to make that character with a disadvantage, now respectfully play that character as is with limited spells. (strict)