Playing a Blind character

[Tsyr]

JoeBlank's thread inspired me to post this, but I've been working on it for a while now.

I'm thinking heavily of playing a blind human fighter/druid (Thinking three levels of druid, the rest fighter)... and no, restore sight won't fix it (Restorative magics of that level are basicly eliminated short of epic-level type stuff around here)...

I seem to recall at one point seeing an Improved Blindfight feat... does anyone know if I'm insane, or if it really exists?

Likewise, if you were a DM and a player wanted to play a blind character, would you let him: A) Take Listen as a fighter skill (In exchange for another skill), and B) Take the "Blindsight" feat from Sword and Fist more than once, adding 5' to it each time? My DM is normally pretty agreeable to changes like that if they make for a cool character, but I want other opinions first.

Likewise, would you let the character use Zen Archery as a feat? (Since it's all about "knowing where your target is", instead of really aiming...)

 

[Wormwood]

I really don't mean to sound like a jerk, but if someone wanted to play a crippled character why should they get superpowers to compensate for their self imposed handicap?

Essentially, a 'blind' character with Blindsight isn't blind.

Moreso a 'blind' Druid with access to Scent and bat-type forms.

Naturally, if you want to model a Daredevil/Blind Fury character, then blindsight is the way to go...but as a DM I would balk at anything more than the Blind-Fighting feat.

Maybe I'm just sensitive to years of Hero/GURPS/Storyteller merit & flaw abuse.

 

[Tsyr]

I don't want superpowers to compensate for it at all... (Well, insomuch as I'm not considering Blindsite a superpower, as its an established feat and a (fairly) common ability in DnD)...

I'm actually well expecting this character to be signifigantly below specs in terms of combat ability. Our DM has said this is going to be a very roleplay heavy game, so this doesn't bother me, and I shouldn't be a burdan on the rest of the party.

I'm deliberatly stopping the druid short of wildshape, also.

Basicly, what I'm not asking for ways to get superpowers or anything. My questions really are these:

Would you have any problem with a blind fighter dropping, say, Jump from the list of class skills (Since lets face it, a blind person isn't gonna be doing a whole hell of a lot of jumping, at least not outside of the range of his staff ), with Listen?

And am I totaly off my nut in thinking I saw an "Improve Blindfight" feat? I could swear I did... maybe in Dragon or something.

I'm not really sure I'm even going to go the Blindsight route, for the record. It kinda cheapens the whole concept. But it would eliminate the whole "Can only move at X% of your maximum movement rate" and such stuff from being blind.

 

[Ferret]

I'd say yes to al but not allow unlimited stackings ofg Blindsight, and rather have a new feat made.

 

[Tsyr]

And the "Zen Archery" thing was just idle musings, I'm not intending to use a bow at all... I shoulda put a smiley face on it.

Done

 

[Tsyr]

Oh, and for the record I'm not modeling him after Daredevil at all (Thought didn't even occour to me until someone brought it up)... I got the idea from a Warner Brother animated movie called "Quest for Camelot", which has a blind staff-wielding fighter who lives in the woods and displays minor bits of druidic power from time to time (Has an animal companion, and can occasionaly do minor magicy-things with nature... though never when it would matter at all )

 

[Wormwood]

Arms & Equipment Guide:
Blindfold of Blindsight
60' Blindsight
9,000gp



Improved Blindsight is spell in Savage Species (5th level, 60' radius).

Sorry about the rant before.

 

[Tsyr]

Bah. Magic items.

Bah I say!

 

[Privateer]

I played a blind figher a while back. In return for being practically useless with ranged weapons, the DM in question gave me the ability to choose the feat "Blindsight, 5 foot radius" (or somesuch) from Sword and Fist without the prerequisite 19+ wisdom. It allowed me basic melee combat abilities, would have negated invisibility if they were nearby (although it never came up), and it provided fun bluffing opportunities ("I... I can't see anything! Please, you people over there, who certainly aren't bandits, could you help me?") And whenever the DM said, "Okay, you come up to the altar, and you see blah blah blah," I could give him grief

Wormwood: he would have killed for that magic item. Too bad I played ol' blind Nalom before the Arms and Equipment Guide was even a sparkle in WotC's eye...

Edit: Also, although the campaign didn't progress that long, I was also going to be allowed to take a slightly variant Blind Master PrC, from the 3e Tower: http://www.d20variations.com/thetower/pc-blind-master.html

 

[Nightfall]

The only experience I had with a blind character is, as I stated earlier, with an Unseeing Ratman/Slitheren from Warrens of the Ratmen. That one was a monk/some OA Pr-class guy.