Okay, here’s my blog post about “paralyzed tiefling”, written from a personal, practical experience perspective, using simple HTML tags and a conversational tone:
So, I wanted to make a cool character for my D&D game, right? I had this idea for a Tiefling, but not just any Tiefling. This one was going to have some serious history, some baggage. I decided to make them paralyzed. I have no experience of doing this before, so I just jumped in.
First thing I did was, you know, think. A lot. I’m sketching the image in my head, and start to consider what caused the paralysis? Was it a battle? A curse? Some kind of birth defect? Thinking, Thinking, Thinking… I eventually settled on a backstory involving a nasty encounter with a magical trap. It seemed to fit the overall vibe I was going for.
The Build
Next up, figuring out the mechanics. I start to playing around with the character. I need to consider below things:
- Stats: How do I represent the paralysis in terms of, like, Strength and Dexterity? I didn’t want to just dump them to zero, because that felt… boring. I ended up lowering them significantly, but gave them a boost in, say, Charisma, to represent how they’ve adapted to relying on their words and presence.
- Skills: Obviously, Acrobatics and Athletics were gonna be rough. But I started thinking about what skills they would be good at. Maybe they’ve become amazing at Persuasion, or Deception, because they’ve had to learn to talk their way out of situations.
- Equipment: They use some sort of mobility, like a wheelchair, or crutches. This can involve magic equipment or other devices.
I start to make a table and list, then write down all the things above to make it more clear.
The Roleplaying
Then the playing part! This, for me, was the really fun bit. Here’s how that panned out:
- Movement: I had to constantly think about how they’d get around. Describing them maneuvering their wheelchair through crowded streets, or needing assistance to climb stairs… it added a whole new layer to the game.
- Interactions: Other characters reacted to them differently. Some were pitying, some were dismissive, some were genuinely helpful. It led to some really interesting roleplaying moments.
- Combat: This was tricky, but rewarding. I had to be super creative with how they contributed. Instead of charging in, they’d use spells that could control the battlefield, or support their allies. Positioning became super important.
I jotted down notes during and after each session, focusing on how the paralysis impacted the gameplay and the story. I realized that limitation makes game more fun!
Finally, I’ve got a fully-fledged character! It’s not just about the stats and the backstory, it’s about the experience of playing them. It made me think about the game, and the world, in a completely different way. I’d totally recommend trying something like this. Take a limitation, and really run with it. You might surprise yourself with what you come up with!
