Bonus for blind character

[DonTadow]

I played a blind character one time. He was a blind half-orc monk. My DM made me do listen checks once every few rounds to see if i could detect the the player. He didn't give me any extrat feats or skills. His reasoning was that if i pick a blind character than I should be smart enough to pick feats like blind fighting and such . He did give me a +2 circumstance bonus on my wisdom modifer, but everything else was on my own.

Unfortunately that character became the butt of many ajokes in my game session. My party went out for a night of winching and described a beautiful halfling woman to me. I paid the money and found out hte next day that it was a cruel joke and I had slept with a kobloid. I was so upset I ran out of the inn with no pants on by mistake. I was arrested and thrown in the town jail for a month, thus retiring that character. (there was no way to live that down)

 

[Storyteller01]

Don't play 3.5, so I don't know, but does having an animal comapnion give an empathic link?

If not, check into that. Even if you don't use the beast master 'see through eyes' take, you can use it to reduce or negate the DC checks to certain skills.

MGP's Quint. Paladin has some nice stuff on this. Green Ronin has a Shaman that gains a spirit familiar (evil ideas blooming).

 

[Sejs]

No one is saying that going blind turns you into Daredevil.

I am.

Being blind turns you into Daredevil.

This includes the hot ninja babes package deal, and having Ben Affleck play you in the movie about your life.

 

[Coredump]

I'd equate it with a player of a blind character putting Skill points he might have placed in Spot into Listen instead. A blind person doesn't have any advantage over a sighted person at becoming the world's best listener simply by virtue of being blind.

Except....

Experiment set-up. There is a yard-stick hanging from an electromagnet, there is a specific place to hold your hand. (it is around the stick, you just have to close your hand to grab it) You push a button, and then a 'random' time later you hear a buzzer, see a red light, and the stick drops, you have to grab it.

You can run the experiment with only the light, and with only the sound. Most people are much faster with the sound. (That is a physiological, neural pathway, kinda thing)

But now use both, and you are *still* slower than with just sound. You are so used to using sight that the same person, with the same 'points in listen' is better off listening while 'blinded'. This does not mean his hearing actually gets better, it means he gets better at using that sense. (and fewer distractions.)

Why do people so often close their eyes when trying to listen to something...

 

[diaglo]

... and having Ben Affleck play you in the movie about your life.

wow... then your life must really suXX.

they could at least find someone who can act to play ewe.

bahhh

 

[Mark]

This does not mean his hearing actually gets better, it means he gets better at using that sense. (and fewer distractions.)

Hence, they put more points into the one Skill than someone with more options.

Why do people so often close their eyes when trying to listen to something...

Because sometimes they ask questions for which they have already determined there is but one answer?

Anyway, beyond the mechanics there is another thing to consider. For every moment during play that you are dealing with the artificially created disability of this character, you could be dealing with some aspect of the game that is fun for the whole group. You're allowing one player to make a choice outside of the rules that will profoundly effect every player in your game. All of their plans will have to revolve around this one player choice to a degree well beyond that of any normal character aspect. All in all, this one player is asking you to build something into the game, something that the designers could have but chose not to have as a game feature, that automatically requires all of the players and the DM to spend an inordinate amount of game time dealing with him and his character. Considering the longterm ramifications for the whole group, is it really fair for you to grant this player's request to disable his character?

Just one more thing to consider...

 

[Celebrim]

Don't play 3.5, so I don't know, but does having an animal comapnion give an empathic link?...Even if you don't use the beast master 'see through eyes' take, you can use it to reduce or negate the DC checks to certain skills.

Except that empathic link has to my knowledge never let you see through the eyes of your familiar, and in fact (at least in 3.0) it explicitly mentions that this is not what happens.

Green Ronin has a Shaman that gains a spirit familiar (evil ideas blooming).

I've got that book. Use it alot. Same thing is true.

I'd be very hesitant to give a player any extra benifit for being a blind character if blindness could be so easily overcome by being able to see through the eyes of an ethereal companion. That said, you can't see through the eyes of a spirit familiar, so its not an issue.

 

[diaglo]

Just one more thing to consider...

that deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball.

 

[DonTadow]

Hence, they put more points into the one Skill than someone with more options.





Because sometimes they ask questions for which they have already determined there is but one answer?

Anyway, beyond the mechanics there is another thing to consider. For every moment during play that you are dealing with the artificially created disability of this character, you could be dealing with some aspect of the game that is fun for the whole group. You're allowing one player to make a choice outside of the rules that will profoundly effect every player in your game. All of their plans will have to revolve around this one player choice to a degree well beyond that of any normal character aspect. All in all, this one player is asking you to build something into the game, something that the designers could have but chose not to have as a game feature, that automatically requires all of the players and the DM to spend an inordinate amount of game time dealing with him and his character. Considering the longterm ramifications for the whole group, is it really fair for you to grant this player's request to disable his character?

Just one more thing to consider...

It doesn't say it's not in the rules to have this type of trait on the character. However, I see your point. I wouldn't concentrate too much more on thsi character's flaws than I would any of the other character's flaws. You should deal with it quickly and decisively. Don't go off on some convuluted rewriting of the rules. Teh only thing I'd do is replace some of his dex based abilities with wisdom instead

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

HEIGHTENED SENSES MYTH – Many people are under the impression that when a person loses one sense that the others become better developed. This is only a myth—there is no scientific evidence of heightened abilities. Those affected, however, may appear to have better hearing or sense of touch, but what is really happening is that they have learned to use and rely on these other senses out of necessity, therefore, they attend more readily to these stimuli than those with all senses intact.

Luckily, D&D has nothing to do with science, and everything to do with portraying myths