I'm interested in playing a blind character. Not your stereotypical anima character who wears a blindfold, but can see/sense everything anyway. But with the actual in-game handicap of having the 'blind' condition. And I don't have a class or build in mind yet, so I'm looking for ideas and suggestions!
Obviously I don't want to be a liability for the party, and would like to still have the character pull her weigh in the party. Some ideas including building a character who relies more of auras or other more passive abilities. Spells that don't require sight may be a way to go as well, but a lot of spells would not be usable by RAW. Or perhaps a mounted character to help get around. The blind fighting fighting-style seems like it could be a no-brainer as well. Alternately, maybe the character can 'see' through other means, such as a familiar, or 'arcane eye' spell.
What other ideas can you think of? And how might you build a blind character? Any help would be welcome.
A cleric focused on support might work. Throw around bless and other buffs. Though healing word is out. A peace cleric could be pretty cool for that.
Maybe a dwarf for the tremorsense?
Or a Druid who can see when they wildshape, maybe? Or use a companion. A scribes wizard who can see through their manifest mind (or any wizard with a familiar). Though these maybe aren’t quite in the spirit of what you’re going for.
I'd say the blindsight fighting style is about the best way to go but one issue with magical worlds, It also requires consideration as to why the condition can't magically be fixed with something such as Greater Restoration or Lay on Hand. Another way might be a solution from Star Trek, I'm thinking Geordi la Forge, Where you start with a magic item that gives the character sight while wearing it but would be completely blind without it, something like that could be worked out with the DM. Maybe the magic item has a time limit, so it can only be activated once a day and lasts 8 hours, so it does not entirely mitigate the blindness by being around. There are many ways to go around it within the rules or by homebrew but I think you have to homebrew the condition as to why it can't be cured normally via spells/features that remove the blinded or cursed conditions.
I'm interested in playing a blind character. Not your stereotypical anima character who wears a blindfold, but can see/sense everything anyway. But with the actual in-game handicap of having the 'blind' condition. And I don't have a class or build in mind yet, so I'm looking for ideas and suggestions!
Obviously I don't want to be a liability for the party, and would like to still have the character pull her weigh in the party. Some ideas including building a character who relies more of auras or other more passive abilities. Spells that don't require sight may be a way to go as well, but a lot of spells would not be usable by RAW. Or perhaps a mounted character to help get around. The blind fighting fighting-style seems like it could be a no-brainer as well. Alternately, maybe the character can 'see' through other means, such as a familiar, or 'arcane eye' spell.
What other ideas can you think of? And how might you build a blind character? Any help would be welcome.
I am confused. You say "but can see/sense everything anyway. But with the actual in-game handicap of having the 'blind' condition". If the PC can see/sense everything, then it does not have the blind condition. How, precisely do you see this PC interacting in the game? The penalties from the Blinded Condition are severe. These are the specifics of that condition:
A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
Attack rolls made against the creature have advantage, and the creatures attack rolls have disadvantage.
You apparently didn't read their comment fully, they said "Not your stereotypical anima character who wears a blindfold, but can see/sense everything anyway. But with the actual in-game handicap of having the 'blind' condition."
Blunt answer - Your character will not pull their weight and will be a liability. In a world without pedestrian crossings and smooth pavements and braille, blind is a staggeringly debilitating handicap.
What do the other players think of the idea? You need to ask them now if you haven't already, to avoid stress at the table when someone says "Look, Humble Giant, your character's a liability. You need to retire them and make a new one."
Blunt answer - Your character will not pull their weight and will be a liability. In a world without pedestrian crossings and smooth pavements and braille, blind is a staggeringly debilitating handicap.
What do the other players think of the idea? You need to ask them now if you haven't already, to avoid stress at the table when someone says "Look, Humble Giant, your character's a liability. You need to retire them and make a new one."
That depends. Blindsight would mostly work for sight. Perception still applies unless sight is required, but the DM can still rule the PC knows where people are via perception, just like you know where an invisible character is even though they are invisible.
The drawbacks is going to be in other situations outside of combat where it isn't likely going to be a huge deal.
Blunt answer - Your character will not pull their weight and will be a liability. In a world without pedestrian crossings and smooth pavements and braille, blind is a staggeringly debilitating handicap.
What do the other players think of the idea? You need to ask them now if you haven't already, to avoid stress at the table when someone says "Look, Humble Giant, your character's a liability. You need to retire them and make a new one."
That depends. Blindsight would mostly work for sight. Perception still applies unless sight is required, but the DM can still rule the PC knows where people are via perception, just like you know where an invisible character is even though they are invisible.
The drawbacks is going to be in other situations outside of combat where it isn't likely going to be a huge deal.
The thing is that blindsight is objectively better than sight in more contexts relevant contexts than not, so this "handicap" turns into an upgrade.
Really, while it's not outright impossible, D&D 5e is not built to integrate player characters who come to the table with major handicaps, at least not in a way that makes those handicaps mechanically significant. The usual solutions you see for them that are actually within the RAW scope of the game and practical on an ongoing basis essentially amount to "say the handicap exists and then essentially pretend it's not there from that point on", which arguable verges on tokenism and thus is probably part of the reason why they haven't tried to touch the subject with official material. If a character is blind, then a significant portion of spells are simply off the table, their attacks are all at disadvantage, and anything coming at them is at advantage. That's a lot to deal with on an ongoing basis, and while it's not objectively impossible to play through, you'd need the right DM and right fellow players to run with it. And that's just for the hard mechanical stuff. It also adds a layer of complexity to the roleplay to keep the PC engaged outside of combat when their ability to effectively interact with their environment is so thoroughly curtailed.
To address some of the points on the original post:
"Detecting auras" is basically the same as "anime character who is nominally blind but still functions normally", so by your own criteria I'd say that's out
I'm not sure how a mount is supposed to really change things, and regardless a lot of common dungeon design would make riding a mount around all the time impractical at best
Blindfighting has a radius of 10ft, so that still leaves you significantly hobbled in your ability to perceive. Plus the new rules for Fighting Style feats would significantly impact your class pool or at least force you to dip for Fighting Styles
Arcane Eye is a 4th level non-ritual spell that only Wizards and Artificers get natively and only has a 30 ft radius
The "seeing-eye Familiar" actually becomes slightly more viable under the new rules since it only takes a bonus action to borrow its senses- though that would burn up your Bonus Action ever turn- but pretty much any AoE damage effect will wipe it out and leave you stuck until you've got a spare hour, and require you to have a steady supply of the components for the spell on hand as a corollary.
Really, if you want to make this concept work, you need to sit down with your DM and hammer it all out, and barring something amounting to a handwave that makes the character nominally blind but functionally the same as a regular PC there's simply no way your character can consistently "carry their weight" the way a regular PC will.
Side note on the point about why Greater Restoration isn't used to fix everything- the spell consumes 100 gp of diamond dust per cast. Not only does that raise the issue of costs, but diamond dust is used as a consumed component in several spells, so on a macro level supply would be a significant constraint as well.
Obviously I don't want to be a liability for the party,
If you don't want to be a handicap for the party, then don't make a blind character. If you are blind in real life and want to adventure, then YES! go for it!
If you just want to play a blind character, don't. No matter what you do you will be nerfing your party. The majority of spells and abilities in the game require a target you can see. 90% of the attacks against you will be at advantage. You will almost always fight at disadvantage. Cures and buffs mostly need a target you can see.
Blind Fighting only goes to 10 feet.
I'm not bashing the idea just to bash the idea, I'm speaking from a lot of experience. Please don't make it harder for your party.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Blunt answer - Your character will not pull their weight and will be a liability. In a world without pedestrian crossings and smooth pavements and braille, blind is a staggeringly debilitating handicap.
What do the other players think of the idea? You need to ask them now if you haven't already, to avoid stress at the table when someone says "Look, Humble Giant, your character's a liability. You need to retire them and make a new one."
There are blind individuals in the real world capable of things of which you are not. From mountain climbing to fencing to giving piano recitals with the proficiency of maestros. Any delusions about how a blind character is only going to "hold back" a party arise from reducing the game to a poor imitation of what it once was with the focus now being fights and the expectation that every character regardless of class has to be as capable as others in the party when it comes to fighting and biases about what the blind in the real world can and can't do.
Can you provide some sources for fencing and mountain climbing? Yes, it's not as though a blind person is completely helpless in the face of the world, but there's a reason just having really bad vision (20/40 with correction or 20/400 before correction according to the quickie Google results) disqualifies one from serving as a combatant in the modern armed forces. As has been noted, handwaving the blindness so that functionally the character is identical to one with standard vision is an option, but if you actually want the mechanical disadvantages to be in play, then it is objectively a massive handicap.
Well, there's the minor detail of how it's one of the pillars of the game, and in particular the one that allows the most participation from all party members at once. That minor detail is probably worth some consideration.
And where exactly are we hiking/kayaking? Because yes, if we're heading out into the wilderness or some other place where help cannot readily reach us if something goes wrong, I would have some significant concerns about bringing a blind person, particularly if they're going to attempt to operate independently. I've been out canoeing on rivers and the Great Lakes, and we had a few near misses or bad moments, including someone (who may or may not have been me) running into a branch, making the canoe flip 90 degrees for a moment, and getting the people in it tossed out into the river. Yes, in controlled circumstances with additional help and safety measures the obstacles can be worked around, but oddly enough neither "controlled circumstances" nor "safety" appear prominently in any of the published adventures I'm familiar with.
Honestly, if we're getting into the point where all this rhetoric is being trotted out, it might be time to just stop. Otherwise we're just going to go through the same old dance of people tossing increasingly hostile posts back and forth until the threads get locked. Within the RAW of the game, having the Blinded condition permanently active on one PC is objectively a significant handicap to most if not all pillars of the game- while attempts can be made to compensate for it, it is an objective fact that being unable to observe one's surroundings severely hampers their abilities in both exploration and combat, and not being able to see expressions and body language are impediments to social interactions as well. It is not absolutely impossible to tackle this in D&D, but you need a DM and other players who are all willing to work with the handicaps and additional complexities this presents, and it is in fact perfectly acceptable for this to not be something a group wants to deal with.
If someone wants to play Blinkin' from Men in Tights, take Monk, and be all "I heared that comin' from a mile away" when they use their reaction to catch an arrow flying at them, then I just hope everyone at the table is having fun. But there is no practical RAW way to both make permanent Blindness a mechanically active and relevant characteristic and then work around most or all of its effects, short of using Ersatz Eye to outright remove the condition.
Obviously I don't want to be a liability for the party,
If you don't want to be a handicap for the party, then don't make a blind character. If you are blind in real life and want to adventure, then YES! go for it!
If you just want to play a blind character, don't. No matter what you do you will be nerfing your party. The majority of spells and abilities in the game require a target you can see. 90% of the attacks against you will be at advantage. You will almost always fight at disadvantage. Cures and buffs mostly need a target you can see.
Blind Fighting only goes to 10 feet.
I'm not bashing the idea just to bash the idea, I'm speaking from a lot of experience. Please don't make it harder for your party.
Would you tell a blind individual to not join you and others were you going hiking or kayaking or something because the individual will just "nerf" the group?
It's extraordinary how those who constantly invoke rhetoric about the need for inclusiveness in the game are the first to show how senseless and insensitive they can be.
You are trying to throw a real life example out when we are talking about game relevance? In real life I would try to help my blind friend as much as I can.
That is not the same thing as a character in D&D.
There are blind people doing all kinds of things in real life. They are pretty awesome. But they also get a LOT of assistance and often perform under controlled conditions.
That is not the same thing as being a character in D&D. You conveniently ignore the points already made regarding needing to see to cast many spells or the penalties involved in fighting. True, you don't have to have a fight, but if you do, the blind character is far less effective than everybody else. Honestly, if you want to play a campaign with little or no combat, then D&D is not the best suited for such a thing.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Thanks all for the amazing ideas so far. Clearly this topic has also turned into quite the discussion point. So let me share part of my interest in wanting to play a blind character, and my two cents on some the issues brought up so far.
I am a self-confessed optimizer, who some might also label as a power gamer. But I also really enjoy role-play and character development. A DM once challenged me, saying that if I really wanted to develop my role playing skills, to try playing a character with a real handicap (not one that can just be hand-waved away). And I don’t even think he meant just a physical handicap, just a character who isn’t optimal.
Over the years, this concept has stuck in my head, especially as someone who doesn’t face any real disability in real life. It fascinates me how people can and do adapt. And how it forces me to take a different perspective on the world. I find that fantasy role playing is one way to explore those different perspectives, like knights in wheelchairs.
I also should acknowledge that I personally think the D&D system generally has a strong emphasis on combat, as do many of the setting specific campaigns written for it. HOWEVER, every game is different and there is no “right” way to play. So when I posted this question, I wanted to explore how someone blind might adapt, both in a high fantasy setting, but also within the rules of the games.
I also should say that I very much agree with those who posted about making sure the other players in the group are okay with it as well. I guess I consider myself fortunate to be part of a more role playing oriented group. But I should definitely get their buy-in first, because playing a blind character would change the dynamics of the game. but our past games haven’t just been about ‘winning’ or completing adventures.
So, back to the question. Playing a blind character is sub-optimal, and objectively a mechanical disadvantage in D&D — yes. But assuming there is no ‘right’ way to play, and that the players and DM are bought in, how might one be able to make it work?
Thanks all for the amazing ideas so far. Clearly this topic has also turned into quite the discussion point. So let me share part of my interest in wanting to play a blind character, and my two cents on some the issues brought up so far.
I am a self-confessed optimizer, who some might also label as a power gamer. But I also really enjoy role-play and character development. A DM once challenged me, saying that if I really wanted to develop my role playing skills, to try playing a character with a real handicap (not one that can just be hand-waved away). And I don’t even think he meant just a physical handicap, just a character who isn’t optimal.
Over the years, this concept has stuck in my head, especially as someone who doesn’t face any real disability in real life. It fascinates me how people can and do adapt. And how it forces me to take a different perspective on the world. I find that fantasy role playing is one way to explore those different perspectives, like knights in wheelchairs.
I also should acknowledge that I personally think the D&D system generally has a strong emphasis on combat, as do many of the setting specific campaigns written for it. HOWEVER, every game is different and there is no “right” way to play. So when I posted this question, I wanted to explore how someone blind might adapt, both in a high fantasy setting, but also within the rules of the games.
I also should say that I very much agree with those who posted about making sure the other players in the group are okay with it as well. I guess I consider myself fortunate to be part of a more role playing oriented group. But I should definitely get their buy-in first, because playing a blind character would change the dynamics of the game. but our past games haven’t just been about ‘winning’ or completing adventures.
So, back to the question. Playing a blind character is sub-optimal, and objectively a mechanical disadvantage in D&D — yes. But assuming there is no ‘right’ way to play, and that the players and DM are bought in, how might one be able to make it work?
I don't think D&D is the best system for handling handicaps like this, it's designed for being adventurers and if you're adding in disabilities, for characters to be relevant there needs to be a balancing upside, else wise your character is going to be a hindrance on the party. For example, Vampire the Masquerade has the ability to make blind/deaf/mute characters (at least in 20th anniversary, not played 5th edition) and the way it handles that allows you to get more benefits else where (in the form of freebie points), that (world of darkness) is also a lot lighter system in terms of combat and isn't compatible with D&D, but just referencing how another system handles such things, there is the ability to build a character who makes up for the disability in another way.
So on top of the question I pointed out earlier ("why can't this be healed via magic?"), You have to add on two more questions, "Why is a blind person working as part of the group/as an adventurer?" and "Why would the group want to work with a blind adventurer?" The answer should be more than, just because it's the character you created and these are questions that need to be answered in tangent with the DM and/or group.
Thanks all for the amazing ideas so far. Clearly this topic has also turned into quite the discussion point. So let me share part of my interest in wanting to play a blind character, and my two cents on some the issues brought up so far.
I am a self-confessed optimizer, who some might also label as a power gamer. But I also really enjoy role-play and character development. A DM once challenged me, saying that if I really wanted to develop my role playing skills, to try playing a character with a real handicap (not one that can just be hand-waved away). And I don’t even think he meant just a physical handicap, just a character who isn’t optimal.
Over the years, this concept has stuck in my head, especially as someone who doesn’t face any real disability in real life. It fascinates me how people can and do adapt. And how it forces me to take a different perspective on the world. I find that fantasy role playing is one way to explore those different perspectives, like knights in wheelchairs.
I also should acknowledge that I personally think the D&D system generally has a strong emphasis on combat, as do many of the setting specific campaigns written for it. HOWEVER, every game is different and there is no “right” way to play. So when I posted this question, I wanted to explore how someone blind might adapt, both in a high fantasy setting, but also within the rules of the games.
I also should say that I very much agree with those who posted about making sure the other players in the group are okay with it as well. I guess I consider myself fortunate to be part of a more role playing oriented group. But I should definitely get their buy-in first, because playing a blind character would change the dynamics of the game. but our past games haven’t just been about ‘winning’ or completing adventures.
So, back to the question. Playing a blind character is sub-optimal, and objectively a mechanical disadvantage in D&D — yes. But assuming there is no ‘right’ way to play, and that the players and DM are bought in, how might one be able to make it work?
“Making it work” is a relative term. As I’ve said, a character isn’t outright unable to function when Blinded, but barring a magic item that outright overrides the condition, there is no RAW way to materially and reliably negate the effects- familiars are gonna poof the first time they take damage and Blind Fighting is restricted to certain classes in ‘24 and has a very limited effective range otherwise. Offhand I couldn’t say how many spell don’t require sight, but frankly I expect pretty much anything not centered on yourself or touch to be out.
Your best bet is probably just to pick some high AC melee build like a sword and board heavy armor Fighter or Paladin and just focus on whacking what’s in front of you while tanking the ranged attacks coming at you with advantage. I can’t think of any other RAW ways to counteract blindness effectively, and if you start homebrewing solutions then there’s a substantial chance you’ll defeat the point of it being a handicap.
What do you do when characters sustain serious injuries?
Useless comment, /ignore
I have been playing D&D for over forty years. I have played in long form campaigns in which combat was secondary to other aspects of the game. And not every character would engage in it. So don't act as if you speak for the game.
We all play D&D in some form or another. There is no need for the gatekeeper-y attitude.
You are not the only one.
There is no gate keeping. I would suggest running World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, Spycraft or something not combat centric if that is what they want. If they insist on D&D, let them know the penalties involved.
Would you tell someone coming to D&D with a history of trauma who would like to try the game but who rather there be little to no violence in it to go away and play something else? What would that make you?
Where is it that I said or hinted at that? I could easily run anything they want.
EDIT: The new PHB has a picture of someone who is wheelchair bound. Should that character "stay home" so as not to "nerf" the party?
That thread came and went months ago. Keep up.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Regarding why they are blind, yes, it would certainly need to be something that was 'easily' cured with magic. Perhaps a curse?
From a party role perspective, it seems that a support character would be most effective. Based on some of the discussion, here is what I'm thinking so far. Comments welcome.
CLASSES
Paladin 6
Include heavy armor and shield proficiency to tank all those arrows you won't see coming.
You can take the blind fighting fighting-style.
Find Steed for a mount when you need to be carried (instead of blindly walking) up that mountain pass, or led to water.
Most important, Aura of Protect just requires you to stand there. You don't even need to take an action to help the party.
Twilight Cleric 5+ (thought it admittedly is a bit unbalanced)
Twilight Sanctuary is another 30ft radius aura and doesn't require you to see or act.
Spirit Guardians seems like a great spell that also emanates from you and doesn't require targeting.
From what I could find on Spiritual Weapon, it allows you to make a melee attack without needing to see a target, though I guess it would still be at disadvantage.
RACE/SPECIES: Dwarf
Whomever suggest the new dwarf in the 2024, it is quite tempting with the tremor sense. Reminds me of Toph from Avatar.
FEATS
Magic initiate is tempting for the familiar spell, if you don't consider that cheating.
It’s not complicated to explain why in tiers 1&2 you can’t be fixed by accessible magic- while Lesser Restoration does remove the Blinded condition, it does not restore missing limbs and the like, so if your eyes were actually destroyed to the point they no longer function it’s fair to say that’s beyond the contextual capabilities of that spell and your best bet is probably the 7th level Regeneration, which is not something you can reasonably expect any old temple to provide at all, let alone gratis. It’s not hard RAW, but the trope that damage to muscle tissue and/or bones or infections are significantly easier to mend than damage or breakdown in other organ systems is quite prevalent in fantasy.
Blunt answer - Your character will not pull their weight and will be a liability. In a world without pedestrian crossings and smooth pavements and braille, blind is a staggeringly debilitating handicap.
That depends. Blindsight would mostly work for sight. Perception still applies unless sight is required, but the DM can still rule the PC knows where people are via perception, just like you know where an invisible character is even though they are invisible.
Yes, but if you have blindsight then you are not blind - you are Daredevil or Toph.
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I'm interested in playing a blind character. Not your stereotypical anima character who wears a blindfold, but can see/sense everything anyway. But with the actual in-game handicap of having the 'blind' condition. And I don't have a class or build in mind yet, so I'm looking for ideas and suggestions!
Obviously I don't want to be a liability for the party, and would like to still have the character pull her weigh in the party. Some ideas including building a character who relies more of auras or other more passive abilities. Spells that don't require sight may be a way to go as well, but a lot of spells would not be usable by RAW. Or perhaps a mounted character to help get around. The blind fighting fighting-style seems like it could be a no-brainer as well. Alternately, maybe the character can 'see' through other means, such as a familiar, or 'arcane eye' spell.
What other ideas can you think of? And how might you build a blind character? Any help would be welcome.
A cleric focused on support might work. Throw around bless and other buffs. Though healing word is out. A peace cleric could be pretty cool for that.
Maybe a dwarf for the tremorsense?
Or a Druid who can see when they wildshape, maybe? Or use a companion. A scribes wizard who can see through their manifest mind (or any wizard with a familiar). Though these maybe aren’t quite in the spirit of what you’re going for.
I'd say the blindsight fighting style is about the best way to go but one issue with magical worlds, It also requires consideration as to why the condition can't magically be fixed with something such as Greater Restoration or Lay on Hand. Another way might be a solution from Star Trek, I'm thinking Geordi la Forge, Where you start with a magic item that gives the character sight while wearing it but would be completely blind without it, something like that could be worked out with the DM. Maybe the magic item has a time limit, so it can only be activated once a day and lasts 8 hours, so it does not entirely mitigate the blindness by being around. There are many ways to go around it within the rules or by homebrew but I think you have to homebrew the condition as to why it can't be cured normally via spells/features that remove the blinded or cursed conditions.
This si the build I did for a blind character: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/109909-rob76s-unused-character-idea-5-ichii-kachikoshi
TLDR is a Monk/Way of Drunken Master
If you haven't, have a read here, it may give you some ideas and or answer a few questions.
CENSORSHIP IS THE TOOL OF COWARDS and WANNA BE TYRANTS.
You apparently didn't read their comment fully, they said "Not your stereotypical anima character who wears a blindfold, but can see/sense everything anyway. But with the actual in-game handicap of having the 'blind' condition."
Blunt answer - Your character will not pull their weight and will be a liability. In a world without pedestrian crossings and smooth pavements and braille, blind is a staggeringly debilitating handicap.
What do the other players think of the idea? You need to ask them now if you haven't already, to avoid stress at the table when someone says "Look, Humble Giant, your character's a liability. You need to retire them and make a new one."
That depends. Blindsight would mostly work for sight. Perception still applies unless sight is required, but the DM can still rule the PC knows where people are via perception, just like you know where an invisible character is even though they are invisible.
The drawbacks is going to be in other situations outside of combat where it isn't likely going to be a huge deal.
The thing is that blindsight is objectively better than sight in more contexts relevant contexts than not, so this "handicap" turns into an upgrade.
Really, while it's not outright impossible, D&D 5e is not built to integrate player characters who come to the table with major handicaps, at least not in a way that makes those handicaps mechanically significant. The usual solutions you see for them that are actually within the RAW scope of the game and practical on an ongoing basis essentially amount to "say the handicap exists and then essentially pretend it's not there from that point on", which arguable verges on tokenism and thus is probably part of the reason why they haven't tried to touch the subject with official material. If a character is blind, then a significant portion of spells are simply off the table, their attacks are all at disadvantage, and anything coming at them is at advantage. That's a lot to deal with on an ongoing basis, and while it's not objectively impossible to play through, you'd need the right DM and right fellow players to run with it. And that's just for the hard mechanical stuff. It also adds a layer of complexity to the roleplay to keep the PC engaged outside of combat when their ability to effectively interact with their environment is so thoroughly curtailed.
To address some of the points on the original post:
Really, if you want to make this concept work, you need to sit down with your DM and hammer it all out, and barring something amounting to a handwave that makes the character nominally blind but functionally the same as a regular PC there's simply no way your character can consistently "carry their weight" the way a regular PC will.
Side note on the point about why Greater Restoration isn't used to fix everything- the spell consumes 100 gp of diamond dust per cast. Not only does that raise the issue of costs, but diamond dust is used as a consumed component in several spells, so on a macro level supply would be a significant constraint as well.
If you don't want to be a handicap for the party, then don't make a blind character. If you are blind in real life and want to adventure, then YES! go for it!
If you just want to play a blind character, don't. No matter what you do you will be nerfing your party. The majority of spells and abilities in the game require a target you can see. 90% of the attacks against you will be at advantage. You will almost always fight at disadvantage. Cures and buffs mostly need a target you can see.
Blind Fighting only goes to 10 feet.
I'm not bashing the idea just to bash the idea, I'm speaking from a lot of experience. Please don't make it harder for your party.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Can you provide some sources for fencing and mountain climbing? Yes, it's not as though a blind person is completely helpless in the face of the world, but there's a reason just having really bad vision (20/40 with correction or 20/400 before correction according to the quickie Google results) disqualifies one from serving as a combatant in the modern armed forces. As has been noted, handwaving the blindness so that functionally the character is identical to one with standard vision is an option, but if you actually want the mechanical disadvantages to be in play, then it is objectively a massive handicap.
"Why must every character engage in combat?"
Well, there's the minor detail of how it's one of the pillars of the game, and in particular the one that allows the most participation from all party members at once. That minor detail is probably worth some consideration.
And where exactly are we hiking/kayaking? Because yes, if we're heading out into the wilderness or some other place where help cannot readily reach us if something goes wrong, I would have some significant concerns about bringing a blind person, particularly if they're going to attempt to operate independently. I've been out canoeing on rivers and the Great Lakes, and we had a few near misses or bad moments, including someone (who may or may not have been me) running into a branch, making the canoe flip 90 degrees for a moment, and getting the people in it tossed out into the river. Yes, in controlled circumstances with additional help and safety measures the obstacles can be worked around, but oddly enough neither "controlled circumstances" nor "safety" appear prominently in any of the published adventures I'm familiar with.
Honestly, if we're getting into the point where all this rhetoric is being trotted out, it might be time to just stop. Otherwise we're just going to go through the same old dance of people tossing increasingly hostile posts back and forth until the threads get locked. Within the RAW of the game, having the Blinded condition permanently active on one PC is objectively a significant handicap to most if not all pillars of the game- while attempts can be made to compensate for it, it is an objective fact that being unable to observe one's surroundings severely hampers their abilities in both exploration and combat, and not being able to see expressions and body language are impediments to social interactions as well. It is not absolutely impossible to tackle this in D&D, but you need a DM and other players who are all willing to work with the handicaps and additional complexities this presents, and it is in fact perfectly acceptable for this to not be something a group wants to deal with.
If someone wants to play Blinkin' from Men in Tights, take Monk, and be all "I heared that comin' from a mile away" when they use their reaction to catch an arrow flying at them, then I just hope everyone at the table is having fun. But there is no practical RAW way to both make permanent Blindness a mechanically active and relevant characteristic and then work around most or all of its effects, short of using Ersatz Eye to outright remove the condition.
You are trying to throw a real life example out when we are talking about game relevance? In real life I would try to help my blind friend as much as I can.
That is not the same thing as a character in D&D.
There are blind people doing all kinds of things in real life. They are pretty awesome. But they also get a LOT of assistance and often perform under controlled conditions.
That is not the same thing as being a character in D&D. You conveniently ignore the points already made regarding needing to see to cast many spells or the penalties involved in fighting. True, you don't have to have a fight, but if you do, the blind character is far less effective than everybody else. Honestly, if you want to play a campaign with little or no combat, then D&D is not the best suited for such a thing.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Thanks all for the amazing ideas so far. Clearly this topic has also turned into quite the discussion point. So let me share part of my interest in wanting to play a blind character, and my two cents on some the issues brought up so far.
I am a self-confessed optimizer, who some might also label as a power gamer. But I also really enjoy role-play and character development. A DM once challenged me, saying that if I really wanted to develop my role playing skills, to try playing a character with a real handicap (not one that can just be hand-waved away). And I don’t even think he meant just a physical handicap, just a character who isn’t optimal.
Over the years, this concept has stuck in my head, especially as someone who doesn’t face any real disability in real life. It fascinates me how people can and do adapt. And how it forces me to take a different perspective on the world. I find that fantasy role playing is one way to explore those different perspectives, like knights in wheelchairs.
I also should acknowledge that I personally think the D&D system generally has a strong emphasis on combat, as do many of the setting specific campaigns written for it. HOWEVER, every game is different and there is no “right” way to play. So when I posted this question, I wanted to explore how someone blind might adapt, both in a high fantasy setting, but also within the rules of the games.
I also should say that I very much agree with those who posted about making sure the other players in the group are okay with it as well. I guess I consider myself fortunate to be part of a more role playing oriented group. But I should definitely get their buy-in first, because playing a blind character would change the dynamics of the game. but our past games haven’t just been about ‘winning’ or completing adventures.
So, back to the question. Playing a blind character is sub-optimal, and objectively a mechanical disadvantage in D&D — yes. But assuming there is no ‘right’ way to play, and that the players and DM are bought in, how might one be able to make it work?
I don't think D&D is the best system for handling handicaps like this, it's designed for being adventurers and if you're adding in disabilities, for characters to be relevant there needs to be a balancing upside, else wise your character is going to be a hindrance on the party. For example, Vampire the Masquerade has the ability to make blind/deaf/mute characters (at least in 20th anniversary, not played 5th edition) and the way it handles that allows you to get more benefits else where (in the form of freebie points), that (world of darkness) is also a lot lighter system in terms of combat and isn't compatible with D&D, but just referencing how another system handles such things, there is the ability to build a character who makes up for the disability in another way.
So on top of the question I pointed out earlier ("why can't this be healed via magic?"), You have to add on two more questions, "Why is a blind person working as part of the group/as an adventurer?" and "Why would the group want to work with a blind adventurer?" The answer should be more than, just because it's the character you created and these are questions that need to be answered in tangent with the DM and/or group.
“Making it work” is a relative term. As I’ve said, a character isn’t outright unable to function when Blinded, but barring a magic item that outright overrides the condition, there is no RAW way to materially and reliably negate the effects- familiars are gonna poof the first time they take damage and Blind Fighting is restricted to certain classes in ‘24 and has a very limited effective range otherwise. Offhand I couldn’t say how many spell don’t require sight, but frankly I expect pretty much anything not centered on yourself or touch to be out.
Your best bet is probably just to pick some high AC melee build like a sword and board heavy armor Fighter or Paladin and just focus on whacking what’s in front of you while tanking the ranged attacks coming at you with advantage. I can’t think of any other RAW ways to counteract blindness effectively, and if you start homebrewing solutions then there’s a substantial chance you’ll defeat the point of it being a handicap.
Useless comment, /ignore
You are not the only one.
There is no gate keeping. I would suggest running World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, Spycraft or something not combat centric if that is what they want. If they insist on D&D, let them know the penalties involved.
Where is it that I said or hinted at that? I could easily run anything they want.
That thread came and went months ago. Keep up.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Regarding why they are blind, yes, it would certainly need to be something that was 'easily' cured with magic. Perhaps a curse?
From a party role perspective, it seems that a support character would be most effective. Based on some of the discussion, here is what I'm thinking so far. Comments welcome.
CLASSES
Paladin 6
Twilight Cleric 5+ (thought it admittedly is a bit unbalanced)
RACE/SPECIES: Dwarf
FEATS
Other ideas welcome.
It’s not complicated to explain why in tiers 1&2 you can’t be fixed by accessible magic- while Lesser Restoration does remove the Blinded condition, it does not restore missing limbs and the like, so if your eyes were actually destroyed to the point they no longer function it’s fair to say that’s beyond the contextual capabilities of that spell and your best bet is probably the 7th level Regeneration, which is not something you can reasonably expect any old temple to provide at all, let alone gratis. It’s not hard RAW, but the trope that damage to muscle tissue and/or bones or infections are significantly easier to mend than damage or breakdown in other organ systems is quite prevalent in fantasy.
Yes, but if you have blindsight then you are not blind - you are Daredevil or Toph.