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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bagpuss" data-source="post: 9148914" data-attributes="member: 3987">Which is unfortunate, because when fantasy wheelchairs are introduced there are often real issues with verisimilitude and game balance.Wheelchairs are introduced to be inclusive, so folks in wheelchairs can have a self insert type character into the fantasy setting, which is clearly a good thing. The two examples I've seen of wheelchairs introduced have been for D&D (<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KVW9Hv0QDPB6IiWbVY6RVi13S3W3bGuy" target="_blank">on version 3.0 now</a>) and Cyberpunk Red (<a href="https://rtalsoriangames.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/RTG-CPR-Cyberchairv1.1.pdf" target="_blank">a spider chair</a>). In both cases it does raise some issues of verisimilitude and there are some questionable choices they have made rules wise.VerisimilitudeThere are at least two main issues I see mentioned with regards to verisimilitude. In a setting where you have magical/sci-fi healing why would anyone willingly decide to remain in a wheelchair? Thing is this is about representing people in the real world in a fantasy world, it is pretty easy to come up with some fiction as to why a character can't or won't accept magic or technology that would mean they don't need a chair. Most magical healing doesn't fix a condition someone is born with, and magic that can (like wish) is prohibitively expensive, maybe that's why they are an adventurer. In Cyberpunk maybe they have a rare condition where their body rejects cyberware, the damage is to a location that makes the usual connection methods impossible, etc. Or maybe, they choose to be this way for some personal reason.  Whatever the reason coming up with one that makes sense in the setting should be possible between the player and the GM.Another issue is how does and adventurer in a wheelchair cope with difficult terrain, be it stairs, rocks, cliffs, whatever?Wheelchair users in the real world face all sorts of issues, which is why we have laws to allow for accessibility to buildings and facilities. Those laws are unlikely to appear in a fantasy setting, and certainly not in the caverns and tunnels adventurers often visit. So usually when these fantasy wheelchairs are introduced they have some magical means of getting round stairs, in Cyberpunk Red it is a walking spider chair. The point is in a fantasy setting coming up with a believable reason terrain doesn't prove the problem it would in the real world isn't too difficult, the issue is the solution often causes problems with rules balance and different verisimilitude problems.Rule BalanceI think a there have been issues with balance on introducing "combat wheelchairs" the fact that the D&D chair is on version 3.0, shows that some attempts at balancing has been done since the initial rules at least. Still they do raise questions and issues of their own.Here's the text on dealing with Stairs from the D&D 3.0 versionAscending & Descending StairsBy tapping your fingers or hand against the beacon stone twice, the chair is alerted to assist in helping you go up or down stairs. The chair begins to hover 2ft off the ground and you guide it forwards or backwards on the stairs, tapping the stone another two times to ascend, or just once to descend. The chair can only be activated at stairs as it sends out a small wave of magic to detect where the hazard is. It will only hover in this manner until it detects that it has reached the end of the stairs where it will lower back down to the ground. You then continue to guide or push your chair as normal.A chair’s beacon stone is also affected by anti-magic fields, rendering the user unable to navigate stairs whilst within the effect’s range. However, there are upgrades available to assist in these situations that do not require magic to function.This ability also applies to ascending and descending surfaces such as ladders.So some questions immediately appear to me, if it is hovering does it set of any pressure plates or traps on the stairs? If it can handle ladders why not cliff faces? Magic detects hazards in front of it, what about larva, or traps, if it can hover up stairs, why doesn't/can't  it hover all the time?The Cyberpunk Red chair shares similar problems.The Spider has 4 Option Slots for installing Cyberarm, Cyberleg, or Cyberlimb Options. Options installed into the Cyberchair always count as if they were paired. Installing an option into the Cyberchair costs the same as installing it into a Cyberlimb.The Spider Cyberchair, along with any options installed within it cannot be rendered inoperable by EMP effects, like Microwaver pulses, or Non-Black ICE Program Effects.So the chair and all components get shielding for free, where as other people have to pay for their cyberware to get shielding, also it says the cost is the same as installing into a Cyberlimb, but the chair user doesn't have to pay the humanity cost for a cyberlimb. Also some have said since the chair is not cyberware they don't have to pay the humanity costs for the options either. Which is clearly an advantage with no drawbacks, then when controlling a chair the character has a Move of 5 which means you can dumb stat Move which means chair users can be significantly better than non-chair users. There is no reason not to use a chair even if you can walk normally, as all it gives are benefits.So it isn't like there aren't problems with these efforts to be inclusive, which people have shouldn't be assumed to be coming from a hateful place for pointing out.I've only seen one case online of someone trying to exploit the rules these chairs offer to just be better, not because they wanted representation. So it's not like it is causing a massive balance issue and I think most of these all these issues can be negotiated and resolved between a player and a GM, and is probably much better handled at an individual table level, than by official rules, as each person will have a different view of why they want representation, and what they consider a balanced solution.</blockquote>

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