D&D 5E Aspurgers/autism effects?


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One issue we'd have with the question is that Asperger's and the autism spectrum isn't one thing - there's a spectrum.

At one end, most folks would not note anything amiss in casual contact, and may categorize it as personality quirks on long contact. At the other end, the autistic person cannot function in society. There's a whole collection of different behaviors and aspects that one may have... or not have. The autism spectrum doesn't neatly generalize into a specific representation in game.
 

One issue we'd have with the question is that Asperger's and the autism spectrum isn't one thing - there's a spectrum.

At one end, most folks would not note anything amiss in casual contact, and may categorize it as personality quirks on long contact. At the other end, the autistic person cannot function in society. There's a whole collection of different behaviors and aspects that one may have... or not have. The autism spectrum doesn't neatly generalize into a specific representation in game.

But isn't D&D build on blunt artificial blocks of mechanics? Wouldn't handling the autism spectrum as anything else single it out as something outside the natural human condition?

Blunt mechanics or pure flavor seems like the way to go to best integrate it into the system.
 

Were I going to play a character on the spectrum, I would talk to my brother, a psychologist, who has specialized in diagnosing and treating autism, amongst other things.

If I didn't have him as a resource, I would read and listen to the accounts of people with autism. I certainly wouldn't look at big-/small-screen fictional depictions. I'd want to tread very carefully in my depiction.

I probably should talk to him about this anyway, now that I'm thinking about it. As a DM, I try to create diverse and inclusive worlds, and that should include neurodiversity.
 


I'm neurodivergent myself (ADHD), and I often ask myself how my particular brand of divergence would be modeled by D&D rules. Here's my advice and suggestions, for what they're worth.

Whatever you do, resist the urge to make this a "racial" or cultural thing. Being autistic isn't a "subrace" or a "profession," and implications to the contrary will always be offensive. However you choose to address the topic, it must span all cultures, races, and backgrounds.

Also resist the urge to write new rules. The existing rules are plenty to build any kind of character upon--including neurodivergent ones:
  • Many of the feats in 5E can be excellent stand-ins for particular types of neurodivergence. If you rewrite the flavor text a bit, the Alert and Prodigy feats can describe the insomnia, anxiety, and hyper-focus of being attention-deficit. Keen Mind could be reskinned to describe someone with a photographic memory, Observant could describe someone with heightened awareness or anxiety. I'm sure there are more.
  • The Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws presented with the character backgrounds are just suggestions, you should feel free to write your own to describe how your character views and reacts to the world at large. Work with your DM and fellow players, and tread carefully when you get to Flaws.
  • Your choice of proficiencies and skills could reflect your character's habits and mannerisms. Your character might have very different reasons for learning how to deceive others, learning how to be unseen, or learning how to play a musical instrument. Choose the skills, tools, and languages that best describe your character, not necessarily the ones that give you the best stats. (This is good advice for all characters, actually.)
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. The goal is to play the character you want to play, without being disrespectful of yourself and your fellow players. If you do that, everything else will fall into place.
 

Glad to hear that I'm not the only tabletop gamer out there on the spectrum! I never thought about creating a player on the spectrum. I would probably prerequisite, low charisma and high intel. Giving them an aversion to loud noise and bright light would be interesting. While I was at it, I would probably add a little magic to the character since it is in a fantasy setting. Sounds like a fun character build to me. Please let us know if you create one and how it turns out!
 

Giving them an aversion to loud noise and bright light would be interesting.
This reminds me, my partner’s sibling who is autistic says they can hear electronics, and tells me this is fairly common with autistic people. That might be an interesting trait to translate to a fantasy setting - for example, maybe an autistic adventurer could hear a subtle thrum of magic that other adventurers either can’t hear or tune out.
 

This reminds me, my partner’s sibling who is autistic says they can hear electronics, and tells me this is fairly common with autistic people. That might be an interesting trait to translate to a fantasy setting - for example, maybe an autistic adventurer could hear a subtle thrum of magic that other adventurers either can’t hear or tune out.
Almost like a Detect Magic. Would be in touch or at least aware of the Weave and where it is stronger and weaker. And perhaps even when power is being gathered or tapped.

For balance I would put this along with something else into a feat in 5E.
 


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