Attack of the Combat Wheelchairs!

I see this topic is trending in the TTRPG social media community again.

It may well have changed by the time this article goes to press so to speak. Wizards of the Coast could screw up and cause an even bigger controversy or we could find another topic to scream at the top of our lungs over. Alignment, anyone? AI art, maybe?

I don’t remember if I’ve talked about this subject yet. I know it’s fairly touchy amongst Old Grognards and dedicated younger players alike. One would think it’s not that big of a deal from the outside of the hobby. Somebody wants their character in a high fantasy world to be wheelchair bound. Cool. Why are we freaking out about it?

Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.

Seriously, why are people freaking out about this on social media?

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Yes, being in a real life wheelchair is very serious. Many would say it sucks. Many people in the real world have no choice but to be in a wheelchair.

If someone came to me at the start of my fantasy campaign, and said they wanted their character to be wheelchair bound, I’d allow it. For some players, having such a character might do them a world of good. The player who spends a great deal of time in the spotlight with a physical character might be a bit more humbled having to rely on other skillsets.

Players who are in a wheelchair wanting to portray their character in one as well are more than welcome to do so if that’s what they want to do. Otherwise, if they want to experience walking, running, etc through their character, that’s fine too. It’s all a matter of how they want their escapist fantasy to be.

DMs and GMs barking about this is so senseless.

Having a character in a wheelchair is no different than making a blind Elf or Mechanical Dwarf. Every character has their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Ableism, racism, or any other form of bigotry has no place at the table. If other players can’t handle it, they’re welcome to leave. DMs/GMs who can’t handle it can find a new player.

It’s better to find out these things at the start of a new campaign. If the group you find yourself in on any aspect of this discussion makes you uncomfortable, it’s the best time to leave. If someone else’s character choices are so upsetting to cause a screaming argument, one or both of you would be leaving my table.

Other GMs might see it differently. That’s their call. They’re going to deal with it in their group in a manner that they see fit. This is the final conclusion of most TTTRPG arguments on social media. Not everyone handles things the same way or at all. The same can be said of Safety Tools, LGBTQIA character relationships, homebrew character ancestries or any other number of arguments.

We have to take this seriously.

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Again, this is my opinion, others’ mileage may vary. I feel like I have a social responsibility as a GM to take my players character requests seriously as long as they’re statistically balanced. If someone wants their character to have a wheelchair that flies and shoots lasers in my fantasy campaign at first level, that ain’t happening. If they want a regular wheelchair and maybe even a companion to push them around in it, that’s fine. It’s hurting anything. It makes for damned interesting characters.

I have worse problems with players who want characters with all kinds of broken backstories about being princes from another planet so they can start the game with this cool gold gauntlet. Whether psionics should be allowed in Old School Essentials games is a bigger concern. (No thank you, btw.) A player wanting their character to be differently abled? Pfft. Go ahead as long as you’re willing to accept the extra challenges it might present.

But, but what about magical healing and stuff.

Does magical healing work if a character was born paralyzed from the waist down? Can the character’s family afford to try it on the off chance it doesn’t work? Would anyone in that character’s family have even considered it?

What parent wouldn’t want their child to walk again? I’d think they would want to try every wizard, cleric and charlatan they ran into if it meant no wheelchair or crutches. Or maybe it’s a curse and for whatever reason curse removal spells have had no effect so far.

Maybe the character lost their limbs serving their lord and kingdom. Maybe a stray Fireball or Disintegrate spell was to blame. Maybe healing that damage comes with a certain degree of complications for the character.

The other question that once came up while I was playing a Cleric was, “Why not raise anyone and everyone from the dead?” For one, the god of Death did not look kindly on it. For another, the family had already been grieving for any given length of time. Last, maybe the dead person didn’t want to come back. Just because we have the magic for something doesn’t mean we have to do it.

If halfway through the campaign, a wheelchair bound character wants to use a Wish or Miracle to heal their character, okay. That’s the PC’s choice. If they can find access to the spell, fine. It’s no different than Reincarnating a dead player character.

I would also like to point out some games have very unforgiving critical hit/hit location tables. The same games are a lot less forgiving when it comes to healing in many cases. Some of those characters might see a wheelchair as a chance to get back in the fight during a fantasy campaign.

This is a tough subject, and sometimes these discussions are healthy.

I’ve said before I don’t know everything. I don’t know everything. Maybe you have a different opinion.

As always, do what works best for you and your table. The main thing is just to approach the subject with dignity, humility, and authenticity. Work it out like intelligent, well-mannered adults. It’s all good from there.

Thanks for being here. I appreciate you. If I’ve royally screwed this up, please contact me through the regular social media channels or jeffsgamebox@gmail.com. Please embrace the things that bring you joy without inflicting suffering on others.