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I am trying to picture a deaf oracle in the game. I can't seem to figure out if they can have intelligible speech/verbal communication. Sure they can still cast. But if sign language is the word, there will be some large amount (if not the whole lot) of NPC's that can't "speak" sign. I can see how your party would be more tolerable to your inability to communicate normally, but for the rest of the game, IDK.
I mean, if able to talk as normal and only one skill to read lips, to be as good as anybody else, the benefit of silent casting would seem more playable than if you can't even speak from birth.
I'm deaf and I can confirm that I can speak English well. The main obstacles are that it took me somewhat over a decade of speech therapy and it can take up to two decades from what I hear. Also, you can't hear yourself, so you can't correct your own mispronunciations and it's easy to accidentally speak too loudly or too quietly.
Mine had a slate around his neck...he could write.
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I'm deaf and I can confirm that I can speak English well. The main obstacles are that it took me somewhat over a decade of speech therapy and it can take up to two decades from what I hear. Also, you can't hear yourself, so you can't correct your own mispronunciations and it's easy to accidentally speak too loudly or too quietly.
How well does lipreading really work? I've heard conflicting things.
Are you able to sit around a tabletop and play with other players who are all speaking? Or does your group use ASL or some such? (Or do you play online PbF games?)
You cannot hear and suffer all of the usual penalties for being deafened. You cast all of your spells as if they were modified by the Silent Spell feat. This does not increase their level or casting time.
A deafened character cannot hear. He takes a –4 penalty on initiative checks, automatically fails Perception checks based on sound, takes a –4 penalty on opposed Perception checks, and has a 20% chance of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components. Characters who remain deafened for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.
I don't see anything in deafened that would prevent or impair your ability to use Diplomacy, or speak in general.
Yes, many deaf people in RL sound different due to not being able to how themselves/other pronounce a word, but it doesn't prevent them from learning spoken language. Especially since the character probably didn't go deaf until being chosen to be an Oracle. Sort of like how Beethoven was able to continue composing after he became deaf.
Also, as far as I know, Sign Language is a valid language (even in PFS) for a Linguistics point, as is Lip Reading. There is even multiple version you could learn, Sign Language, Drow Sign Language, and Flail Snail Sign Language are examples.
What does a deaf PC (or other creature) need to do in order to read lips?
Any PC may learn to read lips with a rank in Linguistics as if they had learned a new language. When reading the lips of a speaking creature within 10 feet in normal lighting conditions, the reader need not make any skill checks. In situations of dim lighting, extreme distances, or to read the lips of someone trying to hide their words from the reader, the reader must make Perception checks (DC determined by the GM based on the situation). A lip reader may only understand spoken words in a language it knows.
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Lipreading doesn't work well without context. Even if you've mastered it, you can get maybe one word in three. The problem is that too many words look the same when you can only look at how your mouth moves. For example, "colorful" and "I love you" are indistinguishable without sound. With context, I can generally figure out what someone is trying to say... maybe 2 out of 3 times, maybe 4 out of 5. I don't try it all that often.
I wouldn't be capable of the former, and I currently play over Skype. I've used forums in the past, and they worked well.
Yeah, I remember playing a game as a kid where you said one thing (like Elephant Juice) and it looked like you were saying something else (I love you).
Well, if the GM allows any 3.5 Ed. content, you could always take a single level in the Mindbender PrC to gain the telepathy ability. That's not a 1st lvl solution, though, so I don't know what you'd do until then aside from signing to PCs who had all taken sign language as a bonus or Linguistics-granted language. Of course, if the majority of the party were deaf...
Lipreading doesn't work well without context. Even if you've mastered it, you can get maybe one word in three. The problem is that too many words look the same when you can only look at how your mouth moves. For example, "colorful" and "I love you" are indistinguishable without sound. With context, I can generally figure out what someone is trying to say... maybe 2 out of 3 times, maybe 4 out of 5. I don't try it all that often.
I wouldn't be capable of the former, and I currently play over Skype. I've used forums in the past, and they worked well.
We had a deaf player in our group a while back. 1) he could speak quite well 2) the GM was a linguist in the army and was fluent in 9 languages, including sign 3) I date a interpreter. We got along pretty well, but even so, there were some words none of us could come up with a sign for. As ASL goes...we made stuff up.
I'm deaf and I can confirm that I can speak English well. The main obstacles are that it took me somewhat over a decade of speech therapy and it can take up to two decades from what I hear. Also, you can't hear yourself, so you can't correct your own mispronunciations and it's easy to accidentally speak too loudly or too quietly.
I've never gamed with someone who lacked one of the abilities that the rest of us take for granted. What have your RPG experiences been like? You said you play over Skype. Is that easier or harder than face to face? I had a wretched stutter when I was young, and that made RPGs difficult, especially as no one but me DM'd for the first few years!
I have a major hearing loss, but I do not use ASL. Lip reading is huge for me. As Red pointed out its about context. When I don't have my hearing aid in Im deaf and lip reading only helps a little, with my aid suddenly im hearing way better then I should.
a deaf oracle if played right could be a lot of fun. just make sure the Group with the dm agrees on what being deaf is.. its really interesting to see what people think when they have never met someone who is. A deaf or hard of hearing person will get what they need across to anyone no matter what.
I'm deaf and I can confirm that I can speak English well. The main obstacles are that it took me somewhat over a decade of speech therapy and it can take up to two decades from what I hear. Also, you can't hear yourself, so you can't correct your own mispronunciations and it's easy to accidentally speak too loudly or too quietly.I've never gamed with someone who lacked one of the abilities that the rest of us take for granted. What have your RPG experiences been like? You said you play over Skype. Is that easier or harder than face to face? I had a wretched stutter when I was young, and that made RPGs difficult, especially as no one but me DM'd for the first few years!
It's been easier, especially with three players on three different continents.
DM allowing, you might also style it as significant hearing loss, giving you all the mechanical penalties, but it doesn't severely impact general communication efforts. You just throw in a few "WHATs?" or "Pardons?" from time to time. Gives me an idea for a crotchety old man that always implores the party members to "Speak up!" "What was that, sonny?" Could lead to fun misheard shenanigans.
Epic charades game.