Disabled and neurodivergent D&D character ideas
You’ll have to ask your DM before you use some of these, as they have a few differences in how they play. I’ve tried to balance them out so there are equal disadvantages and benefits, and make them competent and able adventurers.
• wheelchair user or amputee: they should have the guild artisan background with a proficiency in tinker’s tools, so that they can make themselves a cool prosthetic or a souped-up wheelchair. You can decide specifically what you want the prosthetic or wheelchair’s capabilities to be (ex. Wheelchair user has a base speed of 20ft but a certain number of times per long rest it can turbo boost 75ft and they cannot move through difficult terrain without assistance, or using their boost. The user has disadvantage on dex saves but advantage against being knocked prone, and they cannot move when they use their action to make an attack with two hands until the next turn. A character with a prosthetic hand has disadvantage on dex checks using the hand but advantage on strength with it as well as one casting of burning hands with it per long rest. An unarmed strike using the hand causes 1d8 bludgeoning.)
•PTSD or other disorders that include triggers: when the character encounters their trigger, they must make a wisdom saving throw (set the DC based on how severe the trigger is) or be paralyzed for one round. They have advantage on all other saving throws against fear. During a long rest, roll a d20. On a 1, they suffer one level of exhaustion from nightmares.
•Bipolar disorder, or other disorders including mood swings: at the beginning of each day, roll a d20. On a low roll, the character is depressed for one day, and on a high roll, they are manic. On a 1, they suffer one level of exhaustion and take 1d10 psychic damage. On a 2, they take 1d8 psychic damage. On a 3, they take 1d6, and on a 4, they take 1d4. On a 20, they gain 1d10 temporary hit points and gain 2 rages, equivalent to those of a first level barbarian. On a 19, they gain 1d8, on an 18 they gain 1d6, and on a 17 they gain 1d4.
•depression: at the beginning of each day, roll a d20. On a 1, suffer one level of exhaustion and take 1d10 psychic damage. On a 2, take 1d8 psychic damage. On a 3, take 1d6, and on a 4, take 1d4. They have advantage against being frightened, charmed, or intimidated due to apathy. They have disadvantage on charisma checks and a -2 to initiative.
•autism spectrum disorders: a character with autism has disadvantage on charisma checks, but advantage on saves against being charmed, frightened, intimidated, or confused. They have a number of special interests equal to ½ their level (min 1, max 4). They have disadvantage on intelligence checks for knowledge about social ettiquette, societal structure, etc, but advantage on intelligence checks about their special interests. If a creature has a wisdom score of less than 11, that creature has a hard time understanding them when they try to convey complex ideas, due to their unique thought processes.
•Deaf/HoH: a character that is Deaf or Hard of Hearing can speak any languages granted to them by their race/class/background, but successfully understanding them requires a DC 5 wisdom save, or DC 10 if they are in a loud environment, due to the slightly garbled nature of their speech. They either have disadvantage on or automatically fail perception checks made to listen, depending on the severity of their hearing impairment, but have advantage on perception checks to spot. They are resistant to thunder damage, and are not affected by (or have advantage against, again depending on severity) spells that require the target to hear the caster. They have disadvantage on stealth because they cannot hear themselves. These effects are negated if they are sharing senses with a familiar that is sharing their space.
•Blindness: a blind character has 30 ft blindsight and advantage on perception checks to listen, due to their keen ears. Rather than having to see a creature to target them with a spell or attack, they must be able to hear them, as well as have line of sight if the attack travels in a straight line. They are immune to fear and intimidation effects if the cause is something that must be seen, such as a frightening monster or a fearsome display of strength. Their speed is reduced by 10 and they cannot move through difficult terrain. They have disadvantage on dex saves to dodge spell effects and their AC is lowered by 2 when they are suprised. These effects are negated if they are sharing senses with a familiar or similar that is sharing their space.
Schizophrenia/psychotic disorders: a character with psychotic symptoms has grown used to mental instability. They are resistant to psychic damage and immune to the effects of the spell Dissonant Whispers. They have advantage against fear effects but disadvantage on perception checks due to all the distractions in their minds. They have a -2 to passive perception.
Asthma: asthmatic characters have to make a DC 10 constitution save when dealing with effects like fog cloud, or with heavy amounts of dust, every time they begin their turn in the area. On a fail, they suffer a level of exhaustion. These characters have a keen sense of smell and can tell when they have entered a room or area containing undead, dead bodies, or some kind of sickness.
Amputee variant: by paying 1500 gp or a magic item of Very Rare or higher rarity to a skilled wizard, this amputee is granted a magical limb. It appears to be made of smoke, silver, or radiant light. As an action, if the limb is a hand, it can be detached and used similarly to casting Mage Hand. The character has disadvantage on athletics checks and strength saves using the limb, such as holding on to a ledge if it is a hand or arm, or making a jump if it is a foot or leg. They have advantage on dexterity checks and saving throws using the limb, such as sleight of hand if it is a hand or arm, or stealth if it is a foot or leg. It can become solid or spectral at will, granting the user the ability to reach through doors to unlock them from the inside or block an attack with it as a reaction, granting them a +2 to AC for one attack using nonmagical bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage.
AD/HD: when a character with attention deficit problems does a task that involves focus, make a DC10 wisdom save. On a success, they hyperfocus and gain their proficiency bonus on checks to complete the task. On a fail, they cannot focus and take a -2. Their wandering attention gives them a proficiency in perception, but saving throws to maintain concentration have a +2 to the DC.
Anxiety Disorders: characters with anxiety are vulnerable to psychic damage and have disadvantage against intimidation and being frightened. Hypervigilance grants them a base passive perception of 15 instead of 10.
Im really happy people are reblogging this, i want disabled characters to become as common as disabled people, and i hope everyone who would feel less alone reading and playing these to see them :)
