D&D 5E Blind Characters in 5e

[Tales and Chronicles]

One could flavor your Warlock as being blind already, but the only reason why they can see perfectly fine or whatever is because they are looking through their patron's eyes as it views the world through your warlock eyes.

Take the Chain pact to see through the eyes of your familiar with darkvision or such.
Then take all the ''eye'' invocations: devil's sight, eyes of the runes master, ghostly gaze etc.

That would be an awesome character. Could be played many ways: the creepy guy who traded with the devil for sight, or the joyful guy who always positive because he sees the world through the eyes of its faerie dragon or pixie's heart sight.

 

[DND_Reborn]

If I understand correctly . . . Tasha's Cauldron will introduce a new fighting style granting blindsight, and a feat that allows any character to take a fighting style.

According to the SRD, "A creature with blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight, within a specific radius."

That really opens up the door for some cool character ideas. Can't quite do a blind Zen archer (unless he's shooting reeeeeallly close), but a blind monk or swordsman type works great.

Plenty of precedent for a blind bard, whether a poet or a musician.

Blind warlock has potential, especially if it was a trade for magical power.

For any wizardy character, probably want to set up a new cantrip that allows you to read by touch.

I like the idea that a spellcaster might know a few spells that you really shouldn't cast blind, but sometimes does anyway. Every party needs a blind guy throwing fireballs.

So, you want every attack from more than 10 feet away to have advantage on hitting you and have disadvantage when attacking anything more than 10 feet away???

Not something I would want to have, personally, but if it works for you--have at it.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I might have to tweak my design from last spring:

The Blind Monk

 

[Jaeger]

If I understand correctly . . . Tasha's Cauldron will introduce a new fighting style granting blindsight, and a feat that allows any character to take a fighting style.

According to the SRD, "A creature with blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight, within a specific radius."

That really opens up the door for some cool character ideas. Can't quite do a blind Zen archer (unless he's shooting reeeeeallly close), but a blind monk or swordsman type works great.
...

Tasha's Cauldron Blind Fighting has a radius of 10 feet.

It is a situational ability that can give you advantages in certain circumstances. Also with relevant warlock/Druid/Drow abilities etc.

But It is crippleware for creating a 'blind swordsman' Fighter RAW in 5e.

I've been thinking Blind Drow Swordsman. Being able to innately cast Darkness is both a good strategy for a blindfighter and one that explains how he got into this line of work. It would also presumably mean being able to trade away sunlight sensitivity with the vision, which both makes it easier to commit to the handicap for the power gamer in me and is evocative of how this character came to be dwelling away from his sun hating brethren.

Naturally he should become a samurai.

Blind Fighting's 10' radius does not even remotely offset the disadvantages in combat of willingly giving your character the blinded condition at level 1.

As you only have a 10' radius to see the world through. The PC literally cannot "see"/Locate enemy combatants beyond 10'. Think permanent fog of war outside 10' radius...

So if you slay the Orc next to you but 3 others will be charging the party, you have no way to react to, or "see" them (other than guessing) until they are within 10'.

That is a huge disadvantage in a sustained combat with other PC's if you are also Blind.

The 10' radius is an even bigger disadvantage out of combat. Your character can only react to the game world in a 10' radius. Needless to say, that is a HUGE disadvantage, that IMHO during regular roleplay renders the PC virtually unplayable.

RAW the Traditional 'blind swordsman' trope is not possible in 5e.

It is something one would have to workout with your GM as a houserule.

As a DM the only way I think it can really work in a game is if the player picked the fighter or barbarian class, and it was understood that none of the druid/Wizard/Warlock workarounds to 'seeing' would be taken or pursued.

Then if the player took the Blinded condition at level 1, I would give them 'Blindsight' with a radius of GM Common Sense. I would rule it as a type of Eldritch Echo Location.

The fact that the PC still cannot literally 'see' is still a big in-game handicap, that would more than offset the situational advantages they would occasionally get due to being Blind, but having Blindsight.

And I would also take into account the views of the other players at the table for this as well.

Depending on what type of campaign I was running, I would have no issues if a player wanted to give it a go.

.

 

[Teek]

Tasha's Cauldron Blind Fighting has a radius of 10 feet.

It is a situational ability that can give you advantages in certain circumstances. Also with relevant warlock/Druid/Drow abilities etc.

But It is crippleware for creating a 'blind swordsman' Fighter RAW in 5e.




Blind Fighting's 10' radius does not even remotely offset the disadvantages in combat of willingly giving your character the blinded condition at level 1.

As you only have a 10' radius to see the world through. The PC literally cannot "see"/Locate enemy combatants beyond 10'. Think permanent fog of war outside 10' radius...

So if you slay the Orc next to you but 3 others will be charging the party, you have no way to react to, or "see" them (other than guessing) until they are within 10'.

That is a huge disadvantage in a sustained combat with other PC's if you are also Blind.

The 10' radius is an even bigger disadvantage out of combat. Your character can only react to the game world in a 10' radius. Needless to say, that is a HUGE disadvantage, that IMHO during regular roleplay renders the PC virtually unplayable.

RAW the Traditional 'blind swordsman' trope is not possible in 5e.

It is something one would have to workout with your GM as a house rule.

As a DM the only way I think it can really work in a game is if the player picked the fighter or barbarian class, and it was understood that none of the druid/Wizard/Warlock workarounds to 'seeing' would be taken or pursued.

Then if the player took the Blinded condition at level 1, I would give them 'Blindsight' with a radius of GM Common Sense. I would rule it as a type of Eldritch Echo Location.

The fact that the PC still cannot literally 'see' is still a big in-game handicap, that would more than offset the situational advantages they would occasionally get due to being Blind, but having Blindsight.

And I would also take into account the views of the other players at the table for this as well.

Depending on what type of campaign I was running, I would have no issues if a player wanted to give it a go.

.

You can attack thing you can't see just with disadvantage and you can still get a general jist of where everything is just like with invisible creature the only downside is like you said if they are outside of your 10ft you have disadvantage but else then that I can still be a blind man and use a ranged weapon but even better I could be a samurai bowman and use fighting spirit to offset the disadvantage with my advantage so the attack is now normal.

 

[Jaeger]

You can attack thing you can't see just with disadvantage and you can still get a general jist of where everything is just like with invisible creature the only downside is like you said if they are outside of your 10ft you have disadvantage but else then that I can still be a blind man and use a ranged weapon but even better I could be a samurai bowman and use fighting spirit to offset the disadvantage with my advantage so the attack is now normal.

No you can't.

Blindsight: A creature with blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight, within a specific radius.

Outside of 10' you do not know what is there. Permanent fog of war. Rules as written.

Nothing in the rules about a PC detecting invisible stuff without an ability or item with a defined radius. The "see invisible" spell is the only exception.

Nothing in the rules about shooting at what you can't see with only disadvantage. That is only for targets out of range of the weapon that you can see.

But blindsight can only "see" in a 10' radius.

Blindsight is only for certain situations.

Still crippleware for a archetypical 'Blind Swordsman' PC.

 

[Dausuul]

Nothing in the rules about a PC detecting invisible stuff without an ability or item with a defined radius. The "see invisible" spell is the only exception.

In the rules:

"You can't hide from a creature that can see you clearly, and you give away your position if you make noise, such as shouting a warning or knocking over a vase. An invisible creature can always try to hide. Signs of its passage might still be noticed, and it does have to stay quiet."

The invisible creature can try to hide, which means a) it has to actively do something, and b) it can fail. If it fails, or if it does not try, its position is given away. Furthermore, the Combat chapter makes it clear that "hide" is an action. An opponent that does not take that action--typically sacrificing a round's worth of attacks--does not hide.

And on top of that, even if you do hide, it won't last long:

"If you are hidden — both unseen and unheard — when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses."

I'm not a fan of 5E's stealth rules, I think they lead to silly outcomes and should be scrapped, but if you're going to insist on RULES AS WRITTEN... that's what the rules say.

Nothing in the rules about shooting at what you can't see with only disadvantage. That is only for targets out of range of the weapon that you can see.

Also in the rules:

"When you attack a target that you can't see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you're guessing the target's location or you're targeting a creature you can hear but not see."

 

[jgsugden]

Someone mentioned the key supplement to the blind PC - something used on Critical Role - that allows the PC to function more normally outside combat ... Find Familiar. With the familiar on your shoulder, it allows you to see and hear through the familiar. So, the PC build discussed above (Vuman with Magical Adept for Find Familiar and Blind Fighting Style at 1st level) is a concept that is easily approachable for many.

On the other hand, playing a PC with different capabilities that actually is impacted by those different capabilities can be an experience worth having as well.

 

[Flamestrike]

No you can't.

Yes you can.

You can attack creatures outside your blindsight radius just fine (at disadvantage) unless that creature takes the Hide action and is successful. (or is hidden from you already) which the creature can do at will (as an Action) relative to you.

Being unseen does not = hidden. You have to actually Hide to do that, or else the game defaults to you knowing (roughly) the location of all nearby creatures.

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

But being Blind can be a Flaw. When your Flaw causes you a problem your DM should give you Inspiration. Next round you spend that Inspiration to cancel your Disadvantage. Your Flaw is still causing you a problem because if you were not blind you would now have Advantage. Your DM should grant you Inspiration again. Repeat....

Thus it's only going to be a net problem in Round 1 of the fight.