D&D General Braille for various species?

[Kobold Stew]

Sigh.

I get how easy it is to attack on the internet. And it can be fun, too. But you've been asked a question, and you keep dodging it. I don't feel this is constructive any more.

It's clear you are not even reading the post you are responding to:
* "e.g." does not indicate an assumption; it points to an example from a setting, that we both know could be easily replicated.
* if you don't want to use WOTC 5e published materials, then please indicate why and what you would consider a fair substitute.
* And yes, I did explicitly make an assumption. Please (please!) feel free to challenge it -- it was something specifically designed to give your argument the benefit of the doubt. I am pretty sure that ANY OTHER ASSUMPTION strengthens my case.

If you are unable to counter against two orders of magnitude, I am quietly confident that there is no need to proceed further.

I would of course welcome an honest and substantial answer. But no more sniping. It's just not needed.

Yes, I brought up the prevalence of spellcasters,<snip>

 

[TheCosmicKid]

But you've been asked a question, and you keep dodging it.

"Why not?" is my answer. There's nothing dodgy about it. There exist real, actual published campaign worlds in which clerics are rare or even nonexistent - to say nothing of homebrew settings. As far as I can tell, there's nothing wrong with that. So if a DM wants to run a campaign in a low-cleric environment: why not?

I would of course welcome an honest and substantial answer. But no more sniping. It's just not needed.

I'm incredulous that I'm being required to defend what I figured was a throwaway statement of the obvious - that not all D&D worlds are built on the same assumptions - and furthermore being cast as the bad guy for doing so. You don't want sniping? Start by dispensing with this kind of comment.

 

[Umbran]

Is it? Why would third-level clerics be at all rare?

I don't think you can make general statements that D&D worlds "would have" some particular set of demographics. There is a base question for each world: How many spellcasting clerics are there? That is answered by the GM, not the game rules.

Then, once you've answered that question about how many you want, then you can justify why. Simplest answer - the gods don't take just anybody, and only a minority of those they do take gain XP at any significant rate. PCs are exceptions, not the norm.

 

[Sunseeker]

You know what I find funnier than all the assumptions about the availability of clerics, or their lack of availability?

The prevalence of literacy among the common folk.

Like I'm sitting here watching people have the same old arguments about spellcasting and nobody is even remotely questioning literacy rates?

Braille is a NEW invention, like ridiculously new. It was invented in 1824.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I don't think you can make general statements that D&D worlds "would have" some particular set of demographics. There is a base question for each world: How many spellcasting clerics are there? That is answered by the GM, not the game rules.

Agreed.

Now of course every table operates with unique assumptions, and DM fiat can make what's published for a setting no longer true.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Lesser Restoration removes the "Blinded" condition. I don't interpret that as curing all forms of blindness.

 

[Satyrn]

So I could see it going either way: dwarves might use their standard rune forms, or they might invent a touch-specific alphabet.

I'm gonna continue stumping for my idea: The dwarven alphabet was long-ago designed to be legible by both vision and touch, because reading in the dark would be an important weapon in underdark survival. Indeed, maybe their alphabet developed from a touch-specific to dual-purpose and it happened so long ago, in fact, that modern dwarves are baffled that human and elven alphabets aren't tactile. But, I guess that's what comes from living on the surface, flooded with sunlight. Even them so-called "wise" elves forget the importance of other senses beyond sight.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

I'm gonna continue stumping for my idea: The dwarven alphabet was long-ago designed to be legible by both vision and touch, because reading in the dark would be an important weapon in underdark survival. Indeed, maybe their alphabet developed from a touch-specific to dual-purpose and it happened so long ago, in fact, that modern dwarves are baffled that human and elven alphabets aren't tactile. But, I guess that's what comes from living on the surface, flooded with sunlight. Even them so-called "wise" elves forget the importance of other senses beyond sight.

If that's the case, it might resemble Decapoint (also invented by Braille - what a guy) more than the quasi-futhark runes that dwarves always seem to use.

 

[abe ray]

Any race invent a variant Braille typewriter?

 

[Satyrn]

Any race invent a variant Braille typewriter?

Some gnome somewhere probably has.



And then it exploded. (The typewriter, not the gnome; she survived the blast, but was left blind by it )