How would you build / play a character in a wheelchair?


Advice

Liberty's Edge

Just curiosity here, but how would you build and play a character who was physically disabled in such a way that he could not walk without magical or technological assistance, and as such their mobility were restricted to a chair on wheels? Would the chair be a gnomish construct that could move with levers/pedals, or would somebody else have to push it? I'd like to hear your thoughts.


Probably requires either a ton of DM Fiat, or none at all.

Are you looking for a mechanical tradeoff from this, or just a roleplaying one? For instance, at one table I played a Strix who was 'lame' and only ever moved on the ground at a 10' speed because he almost never used his legs-- you could just handwave it as being crippled and just leave it at that, and whatever you chose to substitute (contruct legs, etc) and just handwave the rest.

For mechanical gains, there's always the Oracle's Lame Curse.


Halfling with improved familiar and an earth elemental. I have a blaster with this build in mind.

Sovereign Court

I'd play him in some game other than Pathfinder.

Besides being a huge hassle, it simply doesn't make sense in a world with healing magic.


Well, I would make sure that the character knew Knowledge: Engineering whatever else I did, and make sure that the GM accepted that they were capable of recreating and repairing whatever device the character uses.


Curious why the chair with wheels and not a mount? My first instinct was go cavalier and have them never get off the mount (easier to do with halflings or other small size characters), but without some sort of homebrew clockwork mount, not sure that actually answers the question.

The Exchange

Floating Disk! Now the problem starts, how do you get your familiar to cast floating disk. Wands would work...hmm maybe as a wizard make a wand that has 12 hour duration for floating disk, get your imp familiar to UMD it. Your imp is permanently invisible, so you appear sitting on a disk, but you can still move by getting your imp to move the disk (with you on it) around.


at higher levels I'd use a magic carpet


Double lame. Call it a defect so it cannot be cured and non oracles can get the subtle benefits.

Because they cannot use their legs they get a skill bonus for engineering, possibly. Moving the chair with their arms gives them a strength bonus when using their arms.


I should rename defects handicaps. I see that now.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Seth Dresari wrote:
Just curiosity here, but how would you build and play a character who was physically disabled in such a way that he could not walk without magical or technological assistance, and as such their mobility were restricted to a chair on wheels? Would the chair be a gnomish construct that could move with levers/pedals, or would somebody else have to push it? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Have you actually tried riding a wheelchair on anything other than modern paved sidewalks?

Liberty's Edge

LazarX wrote:
Seth Dresari wrote:
Just curiosity here, but how would you build and play a character who was physically disabled in such a way that he could not walk without magical or technological assistance, and as such their mobility were restricted to a chair on wheels? Would the chair be a gnomish construct that could move with levers/pedals, or would somebody else have to push it? I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Have you actually tried riding a wheelchair on anything other than modern paved sidewalks?

I have, and it ain't pretty. It's not impossible, but man, oh, man, it's tough going "cross country".

MAD HAMISH (Discworld)

For the Latin Day competition last year, some students made me a set of rotating blades for my chair. (Think Ben-Hur chariot race.)

Liberty's Edge

The feat Craft Wondrous Item requires caster level 3. Floating Disk is a first level wizard spell, with a duration of 1 hour per level. Based on the rules for item creation, it should then cost (at a minimum):
1*3*2000 gp = 6000 gp
to enchant a chair with a permanent Floating Disk spell, which means your character should be able to buy such a thing for 12000 gp plus the cost of a masterwork chair.

Scarab Sages Contributor

just constantly have on two peg legs (reduces your movement speed to half, iirc) and reskin it - I know a friend of mine did that for PFS.


Research a floating disk variant that you can ride and
Direct.

Edit: call or second level. All else the same except it's travels in the direction you point.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
UllarWarlord wrote:
just constantly have on two peg legs (reduces your movement speed to half, iirc) and reskin it - I know a friend of mine did that for PFS.

He was doing it wrong... reskinning of that degree is not allowed for PFS.


They could go a different way, and use charm person to get a humanoid to push the chair, and pull it out of potholes.

Liberty's Edge

Theconiel wrote:
LazarX wrote:
Have you actually tried riding a wheelchair on anything other than modern paved sidewalks?
I have, and it ain't pretty. It's not impossible, but man, oh, man, it's tough going "cross country".

Have a three-wheeled chair, and give each wheel independent suspension. You could also have a gimbal inside the chair to keep it stable and relatively upright. And also a mounted crossbow, because why not.

Scarab Sages

However else I'd manage it, I know I'd either make the character a Void Wizard with an Intelligence of 20, a Strength of 3, and a custom item that generated magic mouth spells at will, or a high-level Courtier with Favored Enemy (Fear Itself).


Sythesis summoner would be fun.

Also very comic book style. I think Chales xavier when possessed by his son once pulled this.

Dark Archive

I would roll a Tiefling Cavalier who engages in very dangerous forms of larping on the side. Maybe with a small, fey-like familiar. Eventually, I'd give him robot legs.

I would also do everything in my power to avoid Thieves. Especially the lucky ones.

Dark Archive

But to be a bit more serious, the Bloatmage prestige class costs you movement speed in exchange for greater magical power and a thick hide. Get yourself some sort of magical flying device (or a mount, preferably with Ant Haul) and have at it. You're not quite crippled, and the 'flavor' doesn't kick in until later levels, but it's one if the rare few ways to play a physically disabled character without houserules.


A summoner with a throne eidolon.


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I wouldn't. Despite some of the cute ideas here, this system is not made for such a character.

Liberty's Edge

Maybe for a wheelchair character, I could start by experimenting with an NPC.

Shadow Lodge

Why not just go Bran Stark i.e. get a pony, high ride skill and whatever.


Pathfinder Adventure, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Alchemist Archetype: Construct rider.

Get creative with your descriptions of what the construct you ride looks like.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Zwordsman wrote:

Sythesis summoner would be fun.

Also very comic book style. I think Chales xavier when possessed by his son once pulled this.

Charles Xavier also lives in a world where smooth floors, paved roads, handicapped access, are a lot more common. When he actually started appearing on the field it was generally in the following ways.

1. Astral Projection

2. A floating suspensor chair made with Shi'ar technology.

3. That brief period when he had working legs in a cloned body after his original body had been corrupted by a Brood Queen infestation, and the only way to save him was to transfer his mind to a cloned body... again using Shi'ar tech.

I have a brother in a wheelchair. Trust me on this, they're not offroad vehicles. And that's with modern materials... wooden wheelchairs such as what you would find on Golarion... I wouldn't even want to think about it.


LazarX wrote:
UllarWarlord wrote:
just constantly have on two peg legs (reduces your movement speed to half, iirc) and reskin it - I know a friend of mine did that for PFS.
He was doing it wrong... reskinning of that degree is not allowed for PFS.

I don't play PFS so I don't know - why would it be disallowed in PFS?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
MeanMutton wrote:
LazarX wrote:
UllarWarlord wrote:
just constantly have on two peg legs (reduces your movement speed to half, iirc) and reskin it - I know a friend of mine did that for PFS.
He was doing it wrong... reskinning of that degree is not allowed for PFS.
I don't play PFS so I don't know - why would it be disallowed in PFS?

PFS does not allow reskinning.

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