How are Starfinder Society GMs supposed to incorporate Vlaka Deafblind characters?

[Clebsch73]

I'm considering playing a Vlaka with the Deafblind Sensory Diversity option. I've seen some discussion about how such a character could function, but I assume some instructions have been given to Starfinder GMs about the challenges and how to make sure a Deafblind Vlaka character can participate.

Here are some of the things I wonder about.

Communication: We have tech devices that can translate sound into text and a Vlaka can read text using something like Braille, so I can see special set of gloves plus a comm unit with the appropriate program could allow a deafblind person to function without need of another PC with the appropriate tactile sign language ability to constantly be at the deafblind PC's side to translate.

A video scanner could do something similar with visual text.

My question is whether any of this would be PFS legal if there is no specific item in any rule book for this?

Telepathy could circumvent much of this, of course. Telepathy Node augmentation is 200 credits, so that could be a useful augmentation to get once one has the credits.

So for example, if a GM is running a scenario with the usual VC briefing and a new, first time playing PC is a deafblind Vlaka, how does the VC convey the information to the PC? Would a tactile sign language interpreter be provided?

Then once the party begins to attempt to address the mission objectives, how would they communicate with the deafblind PC, particularly if none of the other PCs has tactile sign language ability?

When it comes to combat, I get that a deafblind Vlaka gets scent as a precise sense out to 90 feet. As precise sense is defined, this should allow all the normal combat options as far as knowing where allies and opponents are for targeting purposes (although I struggle to conceive how this could be possible with just scent). But the deafblind PC would not be able to hear any words spoken by either allies or agents. The deafblind PC can use sign language to express words, but what if none of the other PCs possesses the ability to read such signals?

So my basic question is what instructions Starfinder GMs have been given as to handling some of these issues? If I create a deafblind Vlaka, I'll, of course, find out how some handle this, but if there are some guide you can share, I'd love to be aware of them going in.

[HolyFlamingo!]

From Lorespire, the official organized play website:

Quote:

BLIND CHARACTERS:Characters that are blind from birth or are otherwise permanently sightless cannot detect anything using vision. They automatically critically fail any Perception checks based on vision, are immune to visual effects, and can’t be blinded or dazzled. However, such characters do not have the blinded condition.

Blind characters who either cannot or choose not to remove their blindness hone their other senses. They are not off-guard to creatures that are hidden from them (unless they’re off-guard to them for reasons other than the hidden condition), and they need only a successful DC 5 flat check to target a hidden creature. Normally, such characters cannot remove their blindness later; if they somehow do, they lose these benefits.

DEAF CHARACTERS: Characters that are deaf from birth or are otherwise permanently without hearing cannot detect anything using hearing. They automatically critically fail any Perception checks that require hearing and are immune to auditory effects. However, such characters do not have the deafened condition.

Deaf characters who either cannot or choose not to remove their deafness gain additional benefits. They have enough practice to cast spells and activate magic items without issue, but if they perform an action they are not accustomed to that involves auditory elements, they must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost. They gain the Sign Language feat for free at character creation, and they can take the Read Lips feat even if they do not meet the prerequisites. Normally, such characters cannot remove their deafness later; if they somehow do, they lose these benefits.

In addition, basic assistive devices (such as hearing aids) are given out for free during character creation. Source.

[Chocolate Milkshake]

HolyFlamingo! wrote:

From Lorespire, the official organized play website:

Quote:

BLIND CHARACTERS:Characters that are blind from birth or are otherwise permanently sightless cannot detect anything using vision. They automatically critically fail any Perception checks based on vision, are immune to visual effects, and can’t be blinded or dazzled. However, such characters do not have the blinded condition.

Blind characters who either cannot or choose not to remove their blindness hone their other senses. They are not off-guard to creatures that are hidden from them (unless they’re off-guard to them for reasons other than the hidden condition), and they need only a successful DC 5 flat check to target a hidden creature. Normally, such characters cannot remove their blindness later; if they somehow do, they lose these benefits.

DEAF CHARACTERS: Characters that are deaf from birth or are otherwise permanently without hearing cannot detect anything using hearing. They automatically critically fail any Perception checks that require hearing and are immune to auditory effects. However, such characters do not have the deafened condition.

Deaf characters who either cannot or choose not to remove their deafness gain additional benefits. They have enough practice to cast spells and activate magic items without issue, but if they perform an action they are not accustomed to that involves auditory elements, they must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost. They gain the Sign Language feat for free at character creation, and they can take the Read Lips feat even if they do not meet the prerequisites. Normally, such characters cannot remove their deafness later; if they somehow do, they lose these benefits.

In addition, basic assistive devices (such as hearing aids) are given out for free during character creation. Source.

That excerpt doesn't seem to address OP's question, if I'm reading it right. Also, I looked up the hearing aids and it looks like RAW they're for flavor and don't actually grant hearing to a deaf character.

[moosher12]

Actually hearing aids do remove natural blindness and deafness. Just probably not the effect from a field effect.

GM Core pg. 22 wrote:

A blind character can't detect anything using vision, critically fails Perception checks requiring sight, is immune to visual effects, and can't be blinded or dazzled. You might give this character the Blind-Fight feat for free.

A character with impaired vision might take a –2 to –4 penalty to vision-based Perception checks. Spectacles or other corrective devices and augmentations might reduce or remove this. Such devices are commonplace and accessible throughout the universe and can be found in most settlements or created on demand at UPB printing kiosks. They usually cost 5 credits and are available in a variety of forms. If the device is an augmentation, it doesn't count toward a character's implant limit. Likewise, if it's an armor upgrade, it doesn't occupy an upgrade slot.

A deaf character can't detect anything using hearing, critically fails Perception checks that require hearing, and is immune to auditory effects. These disabilities typically don't restrict their ability cast spells or use magic items, but if they perform an action they're not accustomed to that involves auditory elements, they must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost. It's best to give them the Sign Language feat for free, and you might give them Read Lips as well. You might give one or more other characters in the group Sign Language for free as well.

A hard-of-hearing character might take a –2 to –4 penalty to Perception checks that are hearing-based. Like spectacles, corrective devices and augmentations for hearing are commonplace and accessible across the universe and can be found in most settlements or created on demand at UPB printing kiosks. Such corrective devices usually cost 5 credits and are available in a variety of forms. If the device is an augmentation, it doesn't count toward a character's implant limit. Likewise, if it's an armor upgrade, it doesn't occupy an upgrade slot.

But as the passage HolyFlamingo! had posted:

HolyFlamingo! wrote:

if they somehow do, they lose these benefits.

I believe this clause would alike apply to the vlaka. Which is to say, if a deafblind vlaka lost their blindness via an eye implant, they'd be treated as a blind vlaka, if they lost their deafness via an ear implant, they'd be treated as a deaf vlaka, and if they lost both their deafness and blindness, they'd be treated as a hearing/sighted vlaka. So as a result, hearing aids and eye augmentations, such as with even Pathfinder's magical hearing aid and magical prosthetic eye, which both of which definitely can cure the effect, would not fix the problem, as they'd just remove the benefits of being deafblind, along with the penalty, anyway.

But, vlakas have precise scent. This isn't a vague sense like a human's scent, or an imprecise sense like a bloodhound's scent. This is a precise sense, like a human's eyesight. A deafblind vlaka operative can shoot someone in the head with the same ease as anyone else, within sense range of course. This scent's accuracy is strong enough to tell exactly where something is, and likely, to determine the shape of something. I don't think it is a stretch to say a vlaka might be able to "smell the shape" of sign language within range.

But as for support items, I think if Paizo was to release a support item uniquely for deafblind vlaka, it might be a specialized nebulizer that can translate text and words to a smell that can be interpreted as a scent aspect of the vlaka language. But sadly there isn't yet a 2e item to address this. I'm currently checking if 1E had anything.

[moosher12]

Found some stuff

Vlaka use haptic touchscreens to interpret text. So a comm unit app that transcribes scanned text and spoken word to their comm unit while they have a finger on the screen would do well to get the idea across.

This is a tidbit from Interstellar Species;

Someone said wrote:

Vlakan communication has been shaped by the fact that vlakas may be deaf, blind, deafblind, or hearing/sighted, and thus it uses multiple senses whenever possible. Traditional written Vlakan is grooved so it can be read by touch as well as sight— in an era of technology, this grooving is replicated on haptic touchscreens and often supplemented with audio description. Vlakan sign language has two variants, visual and tactile, with the touch-based variant dominating within close circles and other intimate settings. The visual variant is used for more formal group occasions, where vocal description can be provided for the blind. Most vlakas, especially if raised on Lajok, sign and speak simultaneously and interchangeably. Those who explore with mostly non-vlakan crews sometimes even teach a variant of basic signed Vlakan to their crewmates once they feel they have formed an intimate enough circle.

The two senses that almost all vlakas share are scent and touch. While touch is used primarily in tactile sign language, scent is a crucial form of non-verbal communication. Scents are incorporated into everything on Lajok from construction materials to clothing, though their complexities are typically not noticed by those without a vlaka's keen sense of smell and knowledge of how to interpret the various layers of a particular scent.

In all forms, vlakan communication has two primary modes— terse and direct, typically used when stakes are high (and often useful in cutting through the minutiae of a diplomatic situation), and symbolic and metaphorical, with a heavy reliance on scent and touch as descriptors. The latter is less well-known outside of the vlaka community, and vlaka explorers have been amused to find “Vlakan poetry” on other worlds that is in truth nothing more than a to-do list or mundane scouting report.

So essentially, sounds like all a vlaka needs is a comm unit application that can transcribe text and speech. The entire vlakan alphabet is basically braille. Basically, they won't need any special equipment or anything, that's just be part of the benefits of having armor that comes with a comm unit installed. And to hope that any transcription apps, Starfinder's equivalent to Google Translate, are free apps. I remember having to work with a deaf person before. Google Translate was a useful tool for just that reason.

[NoxiousMiasma]

I suspect basically all vlaka-made comms have both audio transcription and text-to-speech capabilities, just from how normalised the lack of senses is for vlaka. I bet when they leave their homeworld for the first time they often get offended at how many cultures make communits without what is, for them, such a fundamental function.

And yeah, precise scent means that it's as acute as human vision within the listed radius. A deafblind vlaka can't see subtler bits of body language, but they can smell the changes that emotional responses cause in biochemistry. They can't see the stairs, but they can tell they're there from how the scents of the space are placed. There was a cool bit of fiction in another thread of a deafblind vlaka giving a description to a security officer, but now I can't dang find it!

[Clebsch73]

Has anyone played a deafblind Vlaka in SFS games or has any SFS GM had a deafblind PC in a game? If so please share how communication issues were handled or not handled well. Thanks.

[Christopher#2411504]

Clebsch73 wrote:

Has anyone played a deafblind Vlaka in SFS games or has any SFS GM had a deafblind PC in a game? If so please share what how communication issues were handled or not handled well. Thanks.

At this point the question is really: "How much of a problem do you want it to be?"

The Vlaka description is clear they have the necessary audio/touch/smell interfaces as standard in their normal cost com units. So it is not a problem for reading or navigating spaces.

You probably want to avoid a blind sniper gunslinger, since you only have that much Precise Sense Range. But otherwise, what issue is left to adress?

[Clebsch73]

I'm worried I'll begin play in a game where the GM has not considered the details and what rulings were made about communication.

Is the Comm unit translation option well known? Is it something PFS GMs have been briefed on in some way?

Does one need to purchase anything to have it?

If one is in combat, does a deafblind PC need to have something they can touch to "hear" shouted warnings or can a player claim such touch elements are incorporated into gloves or other worn devices?

While precise scent can identify where things are in a 90 foot range, some things, like color or sound would seem to be problematic for interpreting a battle field. Is it the player's job to role play this uncertainty? Does the GM consider it when describing a situation?

Part of the problem is the irrationality of claiming someone's sensitive scent sense can translate chemicals floating in the air which could arrive from various places can somehow suss out where things are located, particularly without the aid stereoscopic sensors like two eyes and two ears provide for sight and hearing. I can think of ways of justifying this but my way may be different than the GMs way and this could lead to questions of "Does the deafblind PC know about x."

I know I'll learn the answers to these questions by experience, but I'm curious what others have encountered. It will help me in making character creation decisions to know what to expect.

So I'm most interested in comments from people who have played a deafblind Vlaka or have GMed a PFS scenario with a deafblind PC.

[moosher12]

Well if the GM has not considered it, that's why the player can do homework, approach them at an early stage, and explain what is out there to use. If you're sitting down.

If it's not well known, just refer them to the document. You can find it on the Vlaka race entry in the Starfinder 1E Archives of Nethys as your cited source.

https://www.aonsrd.com/Races.aspx?ItemName=Vlaka

If navigating the cite manually, it'd be races>vlaka>vlakan communication

All you need to say is that their comm unit covers these sorts of things.

It would take all of five minutes to say, "Hey, I'm using a deafblind vlaka. An Archives of Nethys passage says that their comm units cover a lot of transcription roles." if they want proof, just open your phone and find the link.

Mild other note. Noses are stereoscopic. Or at least have the theoretical capacity to be with enough sense precision. You have two nostrils, not one. They'd only be completely incapable of stereoscopic sense if you only had one nostril. For us being human, it's hard to picture scent being so precise because it's simply an alien thought to us, but bare in mind, a deafblind vlaka has a sense so precise it makes a bloodhound's sense of smell seem dull in comparison.

Another approach I suppose could be using their touch sign language to prod their body when their comm unit receives orders.

As for me, I haven't run for a deafblind vlaka, nor have my players chosen to run a vlaka, let alone a deathblind vlaka. But I am a GM, and my interpretations are roughly how I'd allow a player to run one in my games, at least.

[Driftbourne]

In a home game, this is something you can work out with the GM in advance or at session zero, but in organized play, I think a lot of it comes down to the player. As a GM for organized play, I often don't know what characters the players have until 5 minutes before the game starts. Sometimes people sign up in advance, so I know what their character is, then they get to the game and decide to play a different character. So none of my game prep for organized play is based on what the characters are.

How a player wants to deal with roleplaying a deafblind vlaka, I feel, is up to them. It helps a lot if they are prepared to demonstrate or discuss their character during introductions. Describing in character how your character walks into the mission briefing room filled with strangers, establishes communication, and introduces themself to the other PCs. This lets the GM and other players know how to deal with your character. How you describe entering and sensing what's in the room gives a GM something to work with to adapt to describing the game to your character is a huge help.

Rule wise "precise sense with a range of 90 feet" covers combat and "Vlaka text is grooved, so it can be read by sight and touch, with modern technological devices also integrating audio descriptions and smells as appropriate alongside their haptic touchscreens." so a comm unit covers communication. Plus, the rules HolyFlamingo! posted above are enough rules to hand-wave most situations, if a player isn't into roleplaying, having a deafblind character.

That's how I see it from the GM side, although every GM is different. I'm out of time to go deeper into how I see the player side right now, but playing a character that perceives the world differently is something I find interesting. Most of my research into how to roleplay senses abilities I don't have is on google looking for real-life examples, not in rule books.

[Driftbourne]

So I had some time to look into how the deafblind communicate

Google brought up these:
Tactile Sign Language (Hand-over-Hand): The deaf-blind person places their hands over the signer's hands to feel the shape, movement, and location of signs.

Tactile Fingerspelling: Letters are spelled directly into the palm of the person's hand.

Protactile: A newer, touch-based language that does not rely on ASL or visual cues. It involves touching the person's body (back, shoulders, arms) to communicate, allowing for faster, more natural interaction. DeafBlind people are creating a new language The Protactile sign/word for dog would work for vlaka too.

Print on Palm (POP): The speaker uses their index finger to "draw" capital letters on the palm of the deaf-blind person's hand.

Braille and Technology: Utilizing Refreshable Braille Displays, computers, or smartphones that output text in Braille, often used with screen-reading software like JAWS or TalkBack.

Object Cueing: Using specific objects to represent daily activities to aid understanding, often used in conjunction with other methods.

Although not related, the first thing that comes to mind when I read Object Cueing is the Inca Quipu, a record-keeping device fashioned from knotted cords. I think this would be interesting to adapt into a form of string braille. Quipu.

The vlaka ancestry page mentions haptic touchscreens. These are likely more common in Starfinder for everyday use, not just for deafblind vlaka. One real-life use being developed is touch feedback for touch screens in cars so the diver dosen't have to look at the screen. Tanvas Haptic Touch Screen. Starfinder's version is likely way more advanced.

Protactile is much more of a 3d language than Braille. Instead of or in addition to Haptic Touch Screen, I think for the Starfinder, hardlight screens or projectors would work better.

Out of time again, I still need to take a look at having a heightened sense of smell, which gets interesting, some sources suggest scent is considered vastly higher than 4-dimensional.

[moosher12]

Protactile sounds like it can fit the description of Vlakan touch-based sign language. "Vlakan sign language has two variants, visual and tactile, with the touch-based variant dominating within close circles and other intimate settings." Especially since it's described in the book as "intimate"

I was musing. What if you had various prodding nodes installed in armor. Small solenoids with rubber prods built in an array around your back and shoulders. It prods you as your communication partner would prod you when conversing naturally. And the best part is, since it's direct, it requires no need to dedicate a hand to a touch screen which might be hard to read through an air-tight glove, and alike prods you directly, instead of outside touches being blunted by your armor.