Insofar as the Rules and Mechanics part of the R&M subforum here goes, the answer is simple: -As was quickly established in August, deafness by itself does not impair verbal spellcasting. A deaf person can still speak, and part of wizardly training in the first place is learning how to finely manipulate something you cannot directly perceive. A deaf wizard likely learned slower during their apprentice days, but once they got up to speed they'd be fine. Sorcerers can bumblefudge their way into figuring it out the way they always do, and anyone who says a deaf bard cannot use a musical instrument to provide verbal spell components, even if that's not technically RAW, needs to be slapped.
-A mute character cannot produce verbal spell components, whether or not they can hear (previous bard exception aside). Verbal components are providing a physical effect which is required for spellcasting; the 'tones and resonances' descriptor. Due to this, sign language cannot be used to provide verbal spell components. This is RAW< as per the effects of a Silence spell.
Insofar as the rules of being a good DM goes, the answer is equally simple: -Don't be a dickhat. If you have a hearing-impaired player trying to play the game, their job is hard enough keeping up with a mostly-spoken game like this. if their character is also deaf because that's what they want to do - or if a player with normal hearing is playing a deaf PC because they want to explore that condition, or show solidarity with a deafened friend/family member, it is not your job as a DM to tell them to piss off. Make it work. Yes, ideally the player would work with you to come up with something interesting and believable, but in the end this is a game. For some people, representation and acknowledgment is more important than verisimilitude, and if you want to include that player in your game, your task really is that simple. Make. It. Work.
I particularly really like the idea of magical gloves (or tattoos, depending on) that convert sign language/specific hand motions into the corresponding sound. Frankly, that sounds like an item I'd like to give a normal party without any deafened characters, just to see what it does. I know sign language doesn't work that way, but frankly we're already invoking magic. It could be quite interesting to see how a PC that literally speaks with their hands gets along.
I have this Great Old One warlock who is mute, and uses the telepathy granted by the class to speak, but he couldn't activate verbal components of his spells with telepathy. My DM and I decided that we would just make the somatic components more complex and more like sign language, occasionally working in snaps or claps when a specific frequency is required. In the spell casting rules, it says you need one hand open to perform those gestures, so my character has to have two hands free. Fortunately, eldritch blast with agonizing blast is the equivalent of a fighter 2 handed wielding a long sword, so he can still defend himself.
I made a paladin who had taken an oath of silence for a one-shot. This was meant to be an experimental build, so it was okay if it was limited. I still had to give them every non-verbal spell in the game, since there are precious few, and limiting them to only the paladin list would have meant almost no spells.
I think you need to leave room for disabled representation in your campaign, and that means making accomodations. I don't like the idea that you could not play a non-ambulatory character because there are no wheelchair ramps in fantasy settings. Give them a mount or a magic item that casts Fly. Or just decide that your world is in fact wheelchair accessible. I think it's okay to allow this unique talent give them a slight advantage. People who can communicate in sign language have an advantage as spies. It makes sense that they might also have an advantage as covert spellcasters. This isn't really a huge enough advantage to unbalance your game.
I know this is a super old thread, but I have been playing around with the idea for a deaf bard. My solution requires the allowance of a unique magic item, like magic gloves, that translates hand motions into audible sound. Quite literally creating a dnd sign language. The character would use their hands to create sounds and even mimic speech. The idea is based on me always wanting a bard who played the fantasy theremin to channel their spells.
"Waving their hands over a battle field the enemy would hear a haunting melody reverberate off the walls as the very air is charged with their magic tones. Within the sound you can hear a quiet rhythmic chanting weaved into the otherworldly song before the world around them explodes as our bard finishes their shatter spell."
This allows a deaf character to also cast spells without having to change the base rules, using their hands to create the proper audible sounds for spell casting and still providing all the disadvantages that come from having a verbal component to a spell. Plus a player gets a cool, unique, magic item and who doesn't get excited about that? XD
im currently working on a home brew cantrip that they might be able to use, but it still needs some tweaking and balancing; in which i give full liberty to do so
communication of hands: a passive cantrip that allows one to speak with hand signs to players, whatever you signs can be heard to the person(s) (up to 5 at a time) directed to in a 50 feet radius; and sounds wispy, as if from a distant fog The spell allows you to speak in any language you know, but no others; this spell does not work on wild animals or creatures of low intelligence. You can speak 12 words per bonus action with one hand, and 30 per bonus action with two open hands in combat, anything spoken longer than that requires a normal action This spell cannot be casted if a silencing spell or binding of the hands occurs, as this spell needs freedom to move and allowance for sound to carry
Some ASL words make sound that humans can perceive. "Work" strikes the hands together audibly, other signs slide skin against skin, and you have to move your face to make facial expressions as some words are an eyebrow raise apart. The pitch and resonance are there even if they are outside the human range of hearing. Tremmorsense would probably be able to perceive the vibrations as speech even if the creature can't speak sign. Silence works by stagnating the air preventing all vibrations from traveling not just audible ones. And gaging or binding still prevents facial movements necessary for sign language.
You could make an in character reason to activate verbal components. For example, a warlock's patron could temporarily posses the character, giving them the power to speak for verbal components. A tempest cleric could use the sound of thunder come from their mouth. Sorcerer and Wizard would be hard to give reasons for, but the others could be done relatively easily.
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Not quite the discussion on hand, Shelly.
Insofar as the Rules and Mechanics part of the R&M subforum here goes, the answer is simple:
-As was quickly established in August, deafness by itself does not impair verbal spellcasting. A deaf person can still speak, and part of wizardly training in the first place is learning how to finely manipulate something you cannot directly perceive. A deaf wizard likely learned slower during their apprentice days, but once they got up to speed they'd be fine. Sorcerers can bumblefudge their way into figuring it out the way they always do, and anyone who says a deaf bard cannot use a musical instrument to provide verbal spell components, even if that's not technically RAW, needs to be slapped.
-A mute character cannot produce verbal spell components, whether or not they can hear (previous bard exception aside). Verbal components are providing a physical effect which is required for spellcasting; the 'tones and resonances' descriptor. Due to this, sign language cannot be used to provide verbal spell components. This is RAW< as per the effects of a Silence spell.
Insofar as the rules of being a good DM goes, the answer is equally simple:
-Don't be a dickhat. If you have a hearing-impaired player trying to play the game, their job is hard enough keeping up with a mostly-spoken game like this. if their character is also deaf because that's what they want to do - or if a player with normal hearing is playing a deaf PC because they want to explore that condition, or show solidarity with a deafened friend/family member, it is not your job as a DM to tell them to piss off. Make it work. Yes, ideally the player would work with you to come up with something interesting and believable, but in the end this is a game. For some people, representation and acknowledgment is more important than verisimilitude, and if you want to include that player in your game, your task really is that simple. Make. It. Work.
I particularly really like the idea of magical gloves (or tattoos, depending on) that convert sign language/specific hand motions into the corresponding sound. Frankly, that sounds like an item I'd like to give a normal party without any deafened characters, just to see what it does. I know sign language doesn't work that way, but frankly we're already invoking magic. It could be quite interesting to see how a PC that literally speaks with their hands gets along.
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I have this Great Old One warlock who is mute, and uses the telepathy granted by the class to speak, but he couldn't activate verbal components of his spells with telepathy. My DM and I decided that we would just make the somatic components more complex and more like sign language, occasionally working in snaps or claps when a specific frequency is required. In the spell casting rules, it says you need one hand open to perform those gestures, so my character has to have two hands free. Fortunately, eldritch blast with agonizing blast is the equivalent of a fighter 2 handed wielding a long sword, so he can still defend himself.
I made a paladin who had taken an oath of silence for a one-shot. This was meant to be an experimental build, so it was okay if it was limited. I still had to give them every non-verbal spell in the game, since there are precious few, and limiting them to only the paladin list would have meant almost no spells.
I think you need to leave room for disabled representation in your campaign, and that means making accomodations. I don't like the idea that you could not play a non-ambulatory character because there are no wheelchair ramps in fantasy settings. Give them a mount or a magic item that casts Fly. Or just decide that your world is in fact wheelchair accessible. I think it's okay to allow this unique talent give them a slight advantage. People who can communicate in sign language have an advantage as spies. It makes sense that they might also have an advantage as covert spellcasters. This isn't really a huge enough advantage to unbalance your game.
I know this is a super old thread, but I have been playing around with the idea for a deaf bard. My solution requires the allowance of a unique magic item, like magic gloves, that translates hand motions into audible sound. Quite literally creating a dnd sign language. The character would use their hands to create sounds and even mimic speech. The idea is based on me always wanting a bard who played the fantasy theremin to channel their spells.
"Waving their hands over a battle field the enemy would hear a haunting melody reverberate off the walls as the very air is charged with their magic tones. Within the sound you can hear a quiet rhythmic chanting weaved into the otherworldly song before the world around them explodes as our bard finishes their shatter spell."
This allows a deaf character to also cast spells without having to change the base rules, using their hands to create the proper audible sounds for spell casting and still providing all the disadvantages that come from having a verbal component to a spell. Plus a player gets a cool, unique, magic item and who doesn't get excited about that? XD
im currently working on a home brew cantrip that they might be able to use, but it still needs some tweaking and balancing; in which i give full liberty to do so
communication of hands:
a passive cantrip that allows one to speak with hand signs to players, whatever you signs can be heard to the person(s) (up to 5 at a time) directed to in a 50 feet radius; and sounds wispy, as if from a distant fog The spell allows you to speak in any language you know, but no others; this spell does not work on wild animals or creatures of low intelligence. You can speak 12 words per bonus action with one hand, and 30 per bonus action with two open hands in combat, anything spoken longer than that requires a normal action
This spell cannot be casted if a silencing spell or binding of the hands occurs, as this spell needs freedom to move and allowance for sound to carry
Some ASL words make sound that humans can perceive. "Work" strikes the hands together audibly, other signs slide skin against skin, and you have to move your face to make facial expressions as some words are an eyebrow raise apart. The pitch and resonance are there even if they are outside the human range of hearing. Tremmorsense would probably be able to perceive the vibrations as speech even if the creature can't speak sign. Silence works by stagnating the air preventing all vibrations from traveling not just audible ones. And gaging or binding still prevents facial movements necessary for sign language.
Hello everyone !
I got a similar issue when I created my own homebrew race.
I decide they got some "missing" senses : no mouth, blind eye.
But I give them tremorsense and some facial tentacles (like Lekku in Star wars).
I add a note to explain that the tentacles can be used to create sound for any Verbal component of a spell or other sound communication.
This will also let them with their hand and the rest of their body for the Somatic part.
This tentacles can also be used in Somatic part but only if they are not already used for the Verbal part.
Do you feel this is fare and right ?
You could make an in character reason to activate verbal components. For example, a warlock's patron could temporarily posses the character, giving them the power to speak for verbal components. A tempest cleric could use the sound of thunder come from their mouth. Sorcerer and Wizard would be hard to give reasons for, but the others could be done relatively easily.
I exist sometimes, especially when I'm DMing Curse of Strahd.