Message:Matt Mercer’s Critical Role has incorporated the combat wheelchair as official canon.
D&D now offers a Combat Wheelchair. When I was sent a link to this, I thought it was satiric farce.
Do I care if a PWD plays my game -- never crossed my mind.
Do I need to make sure my underworlds are ADA compliant -- never crossed my mind.
I felt the purpose of immersive play was to be removed from human limitations. We play a hero who may have some of our personality but none of our physique.
I'm not intrinsically opposed to this. Would be sort of cool in say, Era Ten, where you have an Alien Four vibe. Yet to say you could Delve in a wheelchair, as other than a levitating Satrap, goes beyond my expectations of fantasy role-play.
More I read the rulez, I can't help but feel dismay; this is Wholly Fugging Stupid?!?
===From Developer's Errata===
Combat Wheelchair Version 2.0 Update Log
Rulings previously stating it takes full movement to get the chair and user up from the prone condition have been corrected to reduce this to only half movement.
Original design of the chair having an Armour Class has been removed. No hits can damage the chair apart from Critical Hits. This makes the rulings cleaner and more simple and also better reflects the durability of the chair.
Specification that the chair can be used in lieu of a mount, making it take the classification of being a mount. This means the chair can be used in mounted combat - it has also been specified that a player can attach their polearm/lance to the chair’s armrest in order to keep the weapon stable and aimed whilst they maneuver the chair. This addition comes at no extra cost as it’s something the player and party can help them do.
The rules now specify that the chair can be used/moved around using only one hand via the Beacon Stone. Additionally a hand holding a weapon can still move the chair using either the Push Rims or Beacon Stone. The Stone has been established to be sensitive only to the touch of the chair’s user.
Clarification added that users who are Spellcasters can cast spells on their chair and both user and chair benefit from the spell’s effect. This is because the chair is considered an extension of the person using it.
When the chair is damaged and needs repairs, the Mending cantrip can now be cast to fix any repairs that are clean breaks in two.
Druid’s Wildshape and transmutation spells that change the user’s form (i.e. Polymorph/Shapechange) are now accounted for when the user is in the chair.
Create Magic Item downtime (from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) has been accounted for so that users with mobility limiting disabilities can imbue the chair with Transmutation Magic and enable the chair to move by itself, guiding it with a thought (non-concentration telepathy).
It is now specified that users can add small Mundane Items like lamps, bedrolls, packs, and small chests, etc. to the chair at no additional cost to affix them other than the price they paid to buy the items.
25ft movement ruling removed from the Ascending & Descending Stairs section.
Update to Parting Ram upgrade: Provides half-cover - +2 to both AC and Dex saves. The ram covers half of the user’s body, much the same as a low wall provides half-cover.
Update to Crush & Ram: Applies to Small and Medium creatures. Crush and Ram deal extra damage if using the Swift Feature - additional 4 bludgeoning damage.
Update to How Tough is the Chair?: Accounts for fall damage to the user and chair.
Update to Thunder Trip: Specified that the DC for the Dex save of the spell is DC 14.
Background: Paralympian added
Added: Skill Proficiencies, Languages, and Equipment to Combat Wheelchair v2 book layout PDF’s Background
OpenDyslexic version of the Paralympian Background has been added to the folder
Removed the Author’s Note saying the Paralympian Background is for use with the Combat Wheelchair - this allows for non-wheelchair using disabled characters to use this background
Yours,
IronRed
14-Jan-2021