D&D 5E Would you allow switching shield proficiency for Agonizing Blast as a DM?

[GMforPowergamers]

In this case, wouldn’t the GM just say “Ok, you get the Blind-fighting fighting style for free”, then call it a day?

I don't even know if you need that... "You don't take combat penalties, you can't read or make out colors or signs, and only magical darkness (it's magic) blinds you" seems fine to me.... it is the equivalent of trading reading and making out details like colors for Darkvision that 90% of character have anyway

 

[Vaalingrade]

In this case, wouldn’t the GM just say “Ok, you get the Blind-fighting fighting style for free”, then call it a day?

That's the point. People are concerned stuff like this is going to make characters too powerful because they seem to paint the players as power-grubbing junkies who can't possibly want interesting things to do without doing so with the express intent to be more powerful.

 

[jmartkdr2]

That should be allowed too, but that's not what I was quoting when I made my remark.

Are you telling me that you wouldn't want that if you were blind?

Or to swap out your useless appendix (yes, I know. I don't want any 'well acktually'-ing here) for an extra liver for maximum drunkness?

None of my IRL blind friends are gun enthusiasts, either.

Actually, they also hate Daredevil as a character. Being blind sucks, and any media that downplays that annoys them. But that's a tangent off a tangent, so I'll stop there.

 

[lingual]

None of my IRL blind friends are gun enthusiasts, either.

Actually, they also hate Daredevil as a character. Being blind sucks, and any media that downplays that annoys them. But that's a tangent off a tangent, so I'll stop there.

Using Daredevil as an example of a "blind" character is sort of insulting to blind people - in my admittedly uneducated opinion. Hell he doesn't even need braille to read.

Having a "blind" character who mechanically functions as a character with 20/20 vision and dark vision is a pretty unimaginable way to represent a "blind" character.

As a player, taking on a weakness or non-optimal fluff/style which actually weakens your character is a lot more challenging and engaging than just having some counteracting mechanical fluff which completely negates the first.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Some people want to play Daredevil and don't want to actually High Roleplay a disability. Can we at least recognize that?

 

[jgsugden]

There are different approaches here. If you're going to play a character that is blind, but has abilities that allow them to effectively not be blind, you should remember that you're not playing a blind character.

An example where a PC that was blind played in a way that negated their blindness, but was respectful in that the player did not play up the blindness as true blindness is Shakasta from Critical Role fame. This wizard used their familiar to allow them to see (and hear) via the familiar rather than deal with the impacts of the blindness. I did not have any problems with how Khary Payton played that PC. Well, except for the irreverant reverance towards Estelle Getty.

 

[Quartz]

Would you as a DM allow the player to swap shield proficiency for Agonizing Blast on level one?

No, because you're swapping a defensive ability for an offensive one. Plus the player is already swapping it out for the ability to do more damage by using a two-handed weapon or two weapons.

 

[Mannahnin]

Some people want to play Daredevil and don't want to actually High Roleplay a disability. Can we at least recognize that?

Or Zatoichi.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

None of my IRL blind friends are gun enthusiasts, either.

Actually, they also hate Daredevil as a character. Being blind sucks, and any media that downplays that annoys them. But that's a tangent off a tangent, so I'll stop there.

I know a blind person who hates characters like daredevil, but I also know a couple that love them.

It seems very similar to racism in media, as far as I can tell. Some folks are annoyed by media that downplays how much it sucked to be a certain ethnicity in a certain era. Other want to enjoy things without having to relive the BS they deal with IRL.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Yeah, I for one absolutely hate for example the 'it's portraying slavery as bad, so it' okay to have slavery be the single defining trait of a worrying amount of the campaign world so you can fight it!' trope or the 'all these brown people are sad and will remain sad because that's what being brown is'. I'm not (usually) sad and I don't want slavery in my escapism, thank you.

I feel like (but can't confirm) that there's probably blind people who don't appreciate 'being blind sucks, let me enumerate this in exacting detail in game mechanics and paint blind people as especially incapable' either.