D&D 5E Aspurgers/autism effects?

[Scruffy nerf herder]

How would you fine people play a person with aspurgers and/or autism?
along these lines:how would you fine people BUILD a person with aspurgers/autism?

What is it like for you? Do you have sensory issues like many others on autism spectrum (myself included)? What about other symptoms?

The DM could approve a character with hyperacuity who sometimes benefits from their weird sensory issues and other times doesn't, e.g. contextual perception bonuses.

A class such as the wizard or artificer might be ideal as of course people on the spectrum tend to have intense focus on their special interests? E.g. you and I could talk about Aristotle until the Sun blows up and I wouldn't even mind.

You can also RP what it would be like as a character in D&D who is uncomfortable with eye contact, isn't usually in on the social mores, etc.

 

[Scruffy nerf herder]

yeah my wife is from a very quiet non confrontational family and it was a big adjustment for her to understand he was not going to ignore it when she contradicted her own rules or wanted to argue from an emotional place but didn't state her facts correctly. He is better as an adult but his internal volume monitor doesn't work well. he'll get really loud sometimes and people will think he's mad but it's just the more he get's into what he's talking about and the more engaged he gets the louder he gets.

The way you express yourself in writing really reminds me, not in a bad way but a good comforting kind of way, of a friend on the spectrum whom I was very fond of. She also sounded a little different when she spoke but was still eloquent like yourself.

 

[Unwise]

I've DM'd an NPC gunsmith with significant high-functioning autism (and OCD) before. The only mechanical difference was that he needed to make save vs stun whenever he (or somebody near him) took thunder damage. He just could not handle the noise. He had magic items that cast silence for him, so he could concentrate on his work properly. He would not be near firing guns without a silence spell.

He was seen as villian as he presented as a psychopath. Completely uncaring about the suffering of others due to his Great Plan. In reality, he was obsessive (OCD) and just never stopped to think about others. He also could not recognise emotional displays in others, pretty much at all. It took an insightful PC to realise that he was more oblivious than evil (still pretty evil though). They eventually managed to reason with him and he modified his plan to make it less unintentionally evil.

Players have a bad habit of assuming that every NPC with a disability or difference is decent, by virtue of their misfortune/difference. It took them a while to work out that a paraplegic can still be downright evil, or the prince disinherited and persecuted for being gay can also be a sadist.

 

[abe ray]

In my youth I had minor preconition abilities based upon hallucinations caused by insomnia I had based upon my Asperger’s syndrome, could it apply to dnd?

 

[NovaShy]

Old thread but I don't care. Just wanted to comment on the fact everyone seems to think people like us can just, Roleplay Asbergers. I have it, but I wouldn't know the first thing on how to roleplay it. It's one thing to live it and another to try and act it. Thats why Actors on tv Usually go to school, on how to Act even though they know how to be happy and sad. As for how to roleplay Asbergers, it's a bit different for everyone. I myself have a hard time reading emotions, or I misinterpret things and take things offensively. Social skills are a little wonky, but I'm not rude and people tend to have fun around me. That being said, I get easily socially drained Very fast. So perhaps, your character goes to a party and they're good for an hour. But then you feel like you want to leave, all the noise is commotion is starting to overwhelm you and its time to go. That being said, combat might go the same way. A lot of loud noises, commotion, intense stuff. Your character needs to be determined to push through your own brain wanting to withdrawel. After combat, collapse away lol. That stuff is tiring and you feel pooped now. However, asbergers isnt a major negative. It comes with positives. I tend to see things differently then most people. Where most see a necromancer as evil, I see it as an individual with a unique power and want to know more about him and if he's good or not. I dont label anyone immediantly, I get to know them first, learn their side of the story before I judge them. That includes party members and npcs. I dislike most paladins because they are high and mighty that seek to banish "evil" without a second glance. I don't abide by that. Even if its a demon, undead, or witch, that doesn't mean their evil. Their actions do, in which humans are almost just as evil. Species itself doesnt define that junk.. Anyways, I got off topic I think lol. The best thing I would suggest is to look up a list of Asbergers traits/ side effects. See each one and think of how your character would respond to this or that effect. How it would apply in a situation, and keep a notepad of all that. Sorry for the long post, and I know this is late, but I saw all those posts saying, "You lived it, you should know." Like its that easy. Lol, normies am I right?

 

[abe ray]

Any “weird” feats that a autistic pc SHOULD have or could have as a bonus feat?

 

[Faolyn]

No? But if you play Level Up, one of the Human gifts is pretty much perfect for Asperger's/ADHD.

 

[abe ray]

Any new thoughts about Asperger’s syndrome/autism or similar conditions?
I personally like to read, so maybe people might take up my epic feat:bookworm? (see my thread of the same name)

 

[Libertad]

Limitless Heroics did this along with a smorgasbord of other neurodivergent traits and disabilities. The book had writers and consultants who are doctors, mental health professionals, and people who had the real-world traits, so they took painstaking efforts to be both accurate and respectful. I've been planning on doing a mini-Let's Read of the traits associated with autism, and while other projects keep getting in the way I'd say they overall did a good job:

Limitless Heroics: Including Characters with Disabilities, Mental Illness, and Neurodivergence in Fifth Edition (Full Edition) - Wyrmworks | Inclusive Gaming | DriveThruRPG.com

Limitless Heroics: Including Characters with Disabilities, Mental Illness, and Neurodivergence in Fifth Edition (Full Edition) - When you play a tabletop role-playing game like 5e, you want to be the hero. The world is different for you having been

www.drivethrurpg.com

 

[abe ray]

What “color” of magic would define an autistic pc/npc? This is a related idea to this thread.