I'm currently playing in a campaign with a character who has PTSD and claustophobia. The inciting incident that caused this was a near death situation in my character's teens, where he was working as an apprentice in a sorcerers's workshop, and said workshop being caught on fire. My character almost got burnt alive inside the room and couldn't get out, he was saved due to the intervention of other mages. After he got out, the sorcerer placed all the blame on him for the accident and everyone believed that to be the case.
In this campaign (many years later) there was a scenario where my character entered a relatively small, windowless room alone (it was a shrine) and I decided to immediately get out of there. I have also decided that he can't sleep in a room unless there is a window open and struggles to breath in rooms with closed windows (and would struggle a lot to enter windowless rooms). My questions are:
1. Is this realistic? I have tried to research a bit about claustrophobia, but I have not find any exact definitions of what "close space" means (which is understandable). Since I don't suffer neither from clastrophobia nor from PTSD, it's hard for me to estimate what would realistically trigger a reaction in my character or not. (Since my character is fictional, it is of course impossible to say exactly which way my character should react, I just don't want his reactions to be over the top or exaggerated). 2. Is this viable from a role playing perspective, or is it something that will just bog down the game? This is subjective of course, but I have considered that it limits what my character can do. I want to find a balance between roleplaying my character and "going with the flow" of the group, without my character's flaws to be a big nuissance for the others. 3. Is it viable to add mechanical aspects to my character's fears? Like adding the frightened condition to someone who casts a fire spell on him?
I can't comment on much here but I will say you shouldn't add mechanical aspects to this. It should stay rooted heavily in roleplay - the bogging down the game will come if you start attaching values, disadvantages, conditions, and other negative mechanics to your roleplay.
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
As for realistic, I’m not sure, but I believe it’s reasonable for your character in this context.
The bigger question to mind my is No. 2 of whether it will bog down the game. Honestly, the fact that you’re worried about it tells me it’s not likely to do so. But the best answer will be from the other players, different tables have different tolerances for this kind of thing. I’d tell them, out of character, about what you’re doing. Then ask them to let you know if it gets to be too much. And also pay attention to the way they respond, in case they are getting annoyed, but are too nice to say anything.
And I agree completely with Vanzoren, don’t do anything mechanical.
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Hello everyone
I'm currently playing in a campaign with a character who has PTSD and claustophobia. The inciting incident that caused this was a near death situation in my character's teens, where he was working as an apprentice in a sorcerers's workshop, and said workshop being caught on fire. My character almost got burnt alive inside the room and couldn't get out, he was saved due to the intervention of other mages. After he got out, the sorcerer placed all the blame on him for the accident and everyone believed that to be the case.
In this campaign (many years later) there was a scenario where my character entered a relatively small, windowless room alone (it was a shrine) and I decided to immediately get out of there. I have also decided that he can't sleep in a room unless there is a window open and struggles to breath in rooms with closed windows (and would struggle a lot to enter windowless rooms). My questions are:
1. Is this realistic? I have tried to research a bit about claustrophobia, but I have not find any exact definitions of what "close space" means (which is understandable). Since I don't suffer neither from clastrophobia nor from PTSD, it's hard for me to estimate what would realistically trigger a reaction in my character or not. (Since my character is fictional, it is of course impossible to say exactly which way my character should react, I just don't want his reactions to be over the top or exaggerated).
2. Is this viable from a role playing perspective, or is it something that will just bog down the game? This is subjective of course, but I have considered that it limits what my character can do. I want to find a balance between roleplaying my character and "going with the flow" of the group, without my character's flaws to be a big nuissance for the others.
3. Is it viable to add mechanical aspects to my character's fears? Like adding the frightened condition to someone who casts a fire spell on him?
I can't comment on much here but I will say you shouldn't add mechanical aspects to this. It should stay rooted heavily in roleplay - the bogging down the game will come if you start attaching values, disadvantages, conditions, and other negative mechanics to your roleplay.
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
As for realistic, I’m not sure, but I believe it’s reasonable for your character in this context.
The bigger question to mind my is No. 2 of whether it will bog down the game. Honestly, the fact that you’re worried about it tells me it’s not likely to do so. But the best answer will be from the other players, different tables have different tolerances for this kind of thing. I’d tell them, out of character, about what you’re doing. Then ask them to let you know if it gets to be too much. And also pay attention to the way they respond, in case they are getting annoyed, but are too nice to say anything.
And I agree completely with Vanzoren, don’t do anything mechanical.