Had this conversation with someone who chose to no longer be at my table after meeting a blind NPC
Another player who was at the table during the incident sent me this meme after the problem player in question (they had a history) left the group chat.
Felt like sharing it here because I'm sure more people should keep this kind of thing in mind.
I don't see why anyone would take issue with it, but one of the coolest things about powerful magic is that nobody needs to be disabled. You can heal them with magic! I know I'd love to get a fantasy healer to heal some of my old wounds. But even in D&D magic comes with a price, and more powerful spells consume very expensive reagents. So it's understandable that there would still be injured and crippled people.
Ive played a one armed barbarian before. He touched a cursed item that was slowly Turning him into a demon, so he chopped off his arm.
The DM said I lost Ambidexterity for that, Which I accepted. I later found out that I derailed part of his plan to make my character evil & work as a minion for the Big Bad.
It also means that people may have disabilities but won't be held back by them without removing that aspect of their life. And it could be ruled that the differently-abled aspect is something not even magic can take away because it's so intrinsic to the character
I can absolutely see magic not being able to correct genetic or congenital conditions. It can make sense for developmental delays aswell. But something like missing a limb from a traumatic injurie or blindness due to macular degeneration... There is no reason a mid level adventurer or powerfull character would not just use magic to heal or fix it.
Maybe an injurie by a powerful lich, or since kinda of cursed weapon that makes it impossible to fully heal with anything short of a wish spell...
Poor people on the other hand, should absolutely have debilitating injuries and disabilities that will never be fully fixed due to magic being expensive.
*You may be reincarnated as a half orc. If unhappy with new body, consult with your local druid. Full price is charged for all reincarnations. Ensure your soul is happy to come back or permanent death may occur. No refunds
See Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson (although it has a lot of required reading to reach it, being a novella set between books 3 and 4 of the Stormlight Archive.
As a DM I would probably assume the player was fucking with me (because that's the mood in my friend groups)
But my response would be something like 'fine, but realize not every adventure will be wheelchair accessible, you could hardly take a wheelchair into a goblin cave. The world is not naturally kind to disabled people and this world will not be adjusted for you character'
Well, I very rarely play DnD, but it very much depends on the DM and the quest.
EDIT: Hey, guys with downvotes, good stories are a thing, roleplaying is a thing. If your whole session consists of combat and preparation for it, or magic and preparation for it, then it's your own particular regrettable situation.
And "rarely play DnD" means literally DnD itself, like third edition or Pathfinder. Tabletop RPGs - rather often.
A world in which magic can cure all ills has integrity problems. (I mean, it was funny in the W.I.T.C.H. series when Cornelia's little sister was dreaming and her dreams were affecting the world around everybody else. I don't accept critique for liking that series, be it comic books or animated.)
What if someone wants to be a cripple? Wouldn't healing them ruin their self esteem? There should be wounds and scars that cannot be healed no matter what.
Why would anyone want to be crippled? I'm all for accepting things as they are, but I've never met anyone who would rather have less ability as opposed to more. I'm hard of hearing, and I'd do an awful lot to get my normal hearing back.
It’s not just about being crippled. The spell „Resurrection“ closes all mortal wounds and restores missing body parts. It will also uncircumcise the Jewish priest, removing all his powers.
omg, imagine a scenario where someone is trying to get people to kill him and resurrect him b/c some accident blew his bits to bits and he's willing to be killed to get them back
Because some people just want to. It's the same thing as choosing your character's nationality, sexuality, race, face features etc. Let people play what they want.
I never implied that people shouldn't play what they want and even said in my first post that I don't see why someone would have issues with it. In my last response I thought you were talking about real life, since the conversation has been going back and forth between games and real life. Do whatever the fuck you want with your character. Why would I care?
What if someone wants to be a cripple? Wouldn’t healing them ruin their self esteem?
Your earlier comment was not "what if someone wants to role-play a cripple?" If it was meant to mean that, I don't understand the relevance of healing hurting their self esteem. Whose self-esteem? The player's, or the character's?
The response made sense by querying why would a character want to be crippled, not why a player would find it interesting to do so.
I meant that if a player wants to be crippled and someone heals their character out of it, then the player might not be encouraged to continue playing with that character. Also there's a second bottom where it might disrupt their interactions with other characters or in the worst case completely erase their persona.