One of my players wants to create a Drow Oracle for an upcoming game, and I had some questions about how some of the racial features and the Oracle features interact.
First, the issue of light blindness. Before she even decided she wanted to play a drow she was considering the Clouded Vision curse. As such, the question occurs as to whether light blindness is a sight based drawback, and whether Clouded Vision would serve to contradict that drawback. This is a matter that seems, from what I can gather, to be unexplored and as such would have to follow regular rules without letting flavor get into the mechanics. An extension of this question is whether blindness negates this drawback (and light sensitivity as well).
Seeing me scratching my head over that one, she graciously decided to change her curse to avoid rules complications or GM headache. She decided on tongues, and promptly asked whether Drow Sign Language was affected by her inability to understand or speak languages while in combat. Basically, she's asking whether wiggling your fingers around is 'speaking'. I scratched my head some more.
My current ruling is that drawbacks are drawbacks, and that her character will have to suffer these drawbacks without circumvention. She has no problem with that ruling - but I do. I like my reasons - game balance and whatnot - but I still find myself scratching my head.
So, any insight on how these rules interact?
I would rule you get both. Your still light blinded, and have clouded vision on top of that. As you level you gain ways around it but in light nothing says it bypasses the light blindness.
I would rule you get both. Your still light blinded, and have clouded vision on top of that. As you level you gain ways around it but in light nothing says it bypasses the light blindness.
Agreed.
Further, the exact nature of the interaction between the curse the PC is left the imagination of the players and GMs. But, as RAW and RAI, I concur that the effects are cumulative.
I would give my players that ruling, but also suggest they develop a detailed description of the impediment and them. For example, I read of one player explaining his "haunted curse" as mischievous faeries. So tiny sparks and glimmers were always dancing about his Oracle. A Gnomish Oracle of Lore with the Clouded Vision curse could actually have fine eyes, but an over-whelming obsession to keep on wildly over-sized prescription glasses. Personally, I would find it amusing if a Drow Oracle cursed with Tongues signed only in rude and inappropriate hand gestures.
That being said, take a look at the feat "secret signs" found in the Campaign Setting. It allows the PC to have taught the party members her own secret language. Maybe that jibberjab coming out of the cursed Oracle's mouth is something she has taught to the party members.
Regardless, I would not rule the limitations of the curse any more harsh than the rules allow, unless that is what the Player wants.
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Personally, I think the Oracle Curse, particularly the Tongues curse, should be read by intent, i.e., "when you're in combat, nobody can understand you, except possibly the party members who may have taken your curse-tongue as a language". Any way you need to interpret that to make it work in your situation, I think that's supposed to be the effect.
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One of my players wants to create a Drow Oracle for an upcoming game, and I had some questions about how some of the racial features and the Oracle features interact.
First, the issue of light blindness. Before she even decided she wanted to play a drow she was considering the Clouded Vision curse. As such, the question occurs as to whether light blindness is a sight based drawback, and whether Clouded Vision would serve to contradict that drawback. This is a matter that seems, from what I can gather, to be unexplored and as such would have to follow regular rules without letting flavor get into the mechanics. An extension of this question is whether blindness negates this drawback (and light sensitivity as well).
An oracle with clouded vision can still see 30 feet and isn't actually blind, so she can be affected by light. When blinded, you can't see, so you can't see with darkvision either. Blindsense and blindsight would work as normal.
Seeing me scratching my head over that one, she graciously decided to change her curse to avoid rules complications or GM headache. She decided on tongues, and promptly asked whether Drow Sign Language was affected by her inability to understand or speak languages while in combat. Basically, she's asking whether wiggling your fingers around is 'speaking'. I scratched my head some more.
Drow sign language is a language. When in combat, the oracle can't understand any other language than the one selected. I would think if you can't understand a language, you can't communicate your own ideas with it. Certainly, nothing stops the oracle's party members learning Ignan, Celestial or whatever to understand her.