Adhd? [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Adhd? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
cpn_creepo
08-04-06, 04:35 PM One of my PCS wants to play a charector who is ADHD, and I was wondering what kinds of bonuses/negatives he should get, other than a penalty for concentration checks. Any help would be appreciated.
AaronDireBear
08-04-06, 04:44 PM Sugar and coffee (khaff in some settings) have double the effect.
Haste is treated as extended when cast upon them.
Slow only works for half as many rounds.
Bulletproof_Condom
08-04-06, 04:47 PM ADD is easy. He should be made to play any sort of handheld game like a PSP or a DS during the entire session, such that his attention is never on what's going on in-character unless it's his turn.

For ADHD, just do that but have the character confused whenever the player isn't paying attention. Maybe replace the attack part of the confusion table with pointing at something and asking what it does.
Aliquid
08-04-06, 05:05 PM One of my PCS wants to play a charector who is ADHD, and I was wondering what kinds of bonuses/negatives he should get, other than a penalty for concentration checks. Any help would be appreciated.There would be no bonuses and no penalties for such a character.

If he wants to play ADHD, then all he has to do is make sure he role-plays and develops his character accordingly.

Examples:

Don't put any ranks into search (he would get bored before he found anything)
Don't put any ranks into hide (he wouldn't be able to stand still)
Don't put any ranks into move silently (he would fidgit, and forget to be quiet)
Don't put any ranks into any skills that require focus or paying close attention to something
If he has a task that takes longer than a few rounds, get distracted and do something else (role-play)
If an interesting side-quest comes along, take it! and immediately forget the main quest (role-play)
Lose things regulairly, even something like a sword or shield. You put the sword down when you need a free hand to do something... and then you go on, leaving the sword on the ground. (maybe do a random roll each day to see if and what is lost)
Interrupt the activities of others at inappropriate times (role-play)
Callahan
08-04-06, 05:10 PM One of my PCS wants to play a charector who is ADHD, and I was wondering what kinds of bonuses/negatives he should get, other than a penalty for concentration checks. Any help would be appreciated.
he takes the Inattentive flaw:
http://d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm#inattentive
(or any two skills that you feel are effected by ADHD, such as Concentration)
and gains one free feat.
Brandish
08-04-06, 06:10 PM I think this entire thread is absurd.

ADHD is an example of a modern classification for a mental disorder and has no place in a medieval style fantasy setting. Is Freud a wizard in your campaign setting or something? Treating the mind and its maladies in that amount of detail shouldn't occur because characters in such settings live in a world with very real souls and spirits - far better proof/causation for what ails a person. There are consequences to imposing modern psychology into a setting that doesn't warrant the field at all.

There is no such thing as normal - everyone is a little bit crazy.
Bob Loblaw
08-04-06, 07:09 PM I think this entire thread is absurd.

ADHD is an example of a modern classification for a mental disorder and has no place in a medieval style fantasy setting. Is Freud a wizard in your campaign setting or something? Treating the mind and its maladies in that amount of detail shouldn't occur because characters in such settings live in a world with very real souls and spirits - far better proof/causation for what ails a person. There are consequences to imposing modern psychology into a setting that doesn't warrant the field at all.

There is no such thing as normal - everyone is a little bit crazy.

Why? Just because something wasn't diagnosed until recently, doesn't mean that it didn't exist. Quite often people with mental disorders were thought to be possessed by demons. It doesn't mean that they actually were. The same can be said about a fantasy setting.

I would just take the Inattentive Flaw mentioned earlier and a couple of Traits. Maybe I would change the names of the traits, but I would find two that match what I want out of the character.
Aliquid
08-04-06, 07:33 PM Why? Just because something wasn't diagnosed until recently, doesn't mean that it didn't exist. Quite often people with mental disorders were thought to be possessed by demons. It doesn't mean that they actually were. The same can be said about a fantasy setting.

I would just take the Inattentive Flaw mentioned earlier and a couple of Traits. Maybe I would change the names of the traits, but I would find two that match what I want out of the character.I don't think Brandish was saying that ADHD didn't exist historically. I think he was trying to say that ADHD doesn't fit in a fantasy setting.

It would feel out of place. Just like letting the PCs create gun powder, or suddenly having someone walk up to the players with an MP3 player... it would just feel wrong. It wouldn't feel "fantasy".

It actually would fit more appropriately in the setting if the character actually was possessed by demons.... Demons which caused the character to act the same way as someone with ADHD from our world ;)
Silverthumb128
08-04-06, 07:47 PM Does he want to play a character that has a disease, or a character that is omfg teh random lawl?
Whisper_Swiftblade
08-04-06, 07:48 PM well to be honest, it will not make much of a difference. I say this keeping in mind the personality of one of my best friends who has attention deficit disorder (and is an excellent role-player by the way), and to be honest from all the people I know who have it (and there are quite a few) I have seen that if it is something they care about they have no trouble paying attention, the times when they have trouble are not during a battle, or when they are sneaking into a building but when they are doing mundane things they consider boring like math.
in short it is just like I said in the first sentience of this post the difference wont be huge, the biggest problems you might incur will probably be things like forgetting to pick up milk, not lisining to the wizard when he is explaining something boring, and getting sick of lisining to the BBEG's monologue and attacking him before he is finished.
The Ubbergeek
08-04-06, 08:36 PM Low Wisdom score and the flaw mentioned.
Brandish
08-05-06, 03:00 PM Suppose you were to go ahead with green-lighting something like ADHD that, in my opinion, is out of place in D&D ... I would suggest that no rules be applied to it.

Generally, when I'm DMing a PC who wants to saddle his or herself with something extra like a mental problem, it should all be handled as ROLEplaying and not ROLLplaying. Rules bog things down, make other players jealous or frustrated, etc.

Thats just me.
Deacon Liadon
08-05-06, 03:07 PM and getting sick of lisining to the BBEG's monologue and attacking him before he is finished.

All PC's do this anyway. I've modified my villainous monologues to fit around it these days.
savant_warlord13
08-05-06, 03:13 PM You obviously know nothing of ADHD. ADHD is why I concentrate so well in Biology class and so poorly in English class. ADHD can be a tool or a hindrance. My ADHD lets me focus on tasks I enjoy, such as DNA analysis, and hinders concentration on menial tasks, such as the interpretation of literature.

I suspect that a spellcaster would enjoy spellcasting.
savant_warlord13
08-05-06, 03:15 PM Low Wisdom score and the flaw mentioned.
ADHD does not reduce perceptiveness.
RoCkEtInToXiCaTe
08-05-06, 03:44 PM ADD, or ADHD is like having overbalance. Most people can do a little bit of everything fairly well. ADD people (Like me) can spend all day doing D&D stuff or something we love, but if it's something we don't enjoy it gets really hard to concentrate because we think of things we'd rather be doing, like D&D things.
BlaineTog
08-05-06, 04:01 PM You obviously know nothing of ADHD. ADHD is why I concentrate so well in Biology class and so poorly in English class. ADHD can be a tool or a hindrance. My ADHD lets me focus on tasks I enjoy, such as DNA analysis, and hinders concentration on menial tasks, such as the interpretation of literature.See, this is why the validity of ADHD as a mental disorder gets questioned so often: everyone's like this anyway, just to a greater or lesser extent.

@naysayers: oh, let him play his character. It fits just fine. And it's irrelevant if it does't.

@OP: Yeah, I'd say just have him RP it. Stating it is unnecessary.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
cpn_creepo 08-04-06, 04:35 PM	One of my PCS wants to play a charector who is ADHD, and I was wondering what kinds of bonuses/negatives he should get, other than a penalty for concentration checks. Any help would be appreciated.
AaronDireBear 08-04-06, 04:44 PM	Sugar and coffee (khaff in some settings) have double the effect. Haste is treated as extended when cast upon them. Slow only works for half as many rounds.
Bulletproof_Condom 08-04-06, 04:47 PM	ADD is easy. He should be made to play any sort of handheld game like a PSP or a DS during the entire session, such that his attention is never on what's going on in-character unless it's his turn. For ADHD, just do that but have the character confused whenever the player isn't paying attention. Maybe replace the attack part of the confusion table with pointing at something and asking what it does.
Aliquid 08-04-06, 05:05 PM	One of my PCS wants to play a charector who is ADHD, and I was wondering what kinds of bonuses/negatives he should get, other than a penalty for concentration checks. Any help would be appreciated.There would be no bonuses and no penalties for such a character. If he wants to play ADHD, then all he has to do is make sure he role-plays and develops his character accordingly. Examples: Don't put any ranks into search (he would get bored before he found anything) Don't put any ranks into hide (he wouldn't be able to stand still) Don't put any ranks into move silently (he would fidgit, and forget to be quiet) Don't put any ranks into any skills that require focus or paying close attention to something If he has a task that takes longer than a few rounds, get distracted and do something else (role-play) If an interesting side-quest comes along, take it! and immediately forget the main quest (role-play) Lose things regulairly, even something like a sword or shield. You put the sword down when you need a free hand to do something... and then you go on, leaving the sword on the ground. (maybe do a random roll each day to see if and what is lost) Interrupt the activities of others at inappropriate times (role-play)
Callahan 08-04-06, 05:10 PM	One of my PCS wants to play a charector who is ADHD, and I was wondering what kinds of bonuses/negatives he should get, other than a penalty for concentration checks. Any help would be appreciated. he takes the Inattentive flaw: http://d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm#inattentive (or any two skills that you feel are effected by ADHD, such as Concentration) and gains one free feat.
Brandish 08-04-06, 06:10 PM	I think this entire thread is absurd. ADHD is an example of a modern classification for a mental disorder and has no place in a medieval style fantasy setting. Is Freud a wizard in your campaign setting or something? Treating the mind and its maladies in that amount of detail shouldn't occur because characters in such settings live in a world with very real souls and spirits - far better proof/causation for what ails a person. There are consequences to imposing modern psychology into a setting that doesn't warrant the field at all. There is no such thing as normal - everyone is a little bit crazy.
Bob Loblaw 08-04-06, 07:09 PM	I think this entire thread is absurd. ADHD is an example of a modern classification for a mental disorder and has no place in a medieval style fantasy setting. Is Freud a wizard in your campaign setting or something? Treating the mind and its maladies in that amount of detail shouldn't occur because characters in such settings live in a world with very real souls and spirits - far better proof/causation for what ails a person. There are consequences to imposing modern psychology into a setting that doesn't warrant the field at all. There is no such thing as normal - everyone is a little bit crazy. Why? Just because something wasn't diagnosed until recently, doesn't mean that it didn't exist. Quite often people with mental disorders were thought to be possessed by demons. It doesn't mean that they actually were. The same can be said about a fantasy setting. I would just take the Inattentive Flaw mentioned earlier and a couple of Traits. Maybe I would change the names of the traits, but I would find two that match what I want out of the character.
Aliquid 08-04-06, 07:33 PM	Why? Just because something wasn't diagnosed until recently, doesn't mean that it didn't exist. Quite often people with mental disorders were thought to be possessed by demons. It doesn't mean that they actually were. The same can be said about a fantasy setting. I would just take the Inattentive Flaw mentioned earlier and a couple of Traits. Maybe I would change the names of the traits, but I would find two that match what I want out of the character.I don't think Brandish was saying that ADHD didn't exist historically. I think he was trying to say that ADHD doesn't fit in a fantasy setting. It would feel out of place. Just like letting the PCs create gun powder, or suddenly having someone walk up to the players with an MP3 player... it would just feel wrong. It wouldn't feel "fantasy". It actually would fit more appropriately in the setting if the character actually was possessed by demons.... Demons which caused the character to act the same way as someone with ADHD from our world ;)
Silverthumb128 08-04-06, 07:47 PM	Does he want to play a character that has a disease, or a character that is omfg teh random lawl?
Whisper_Swiftblade 08-04-06, 07:48 PM	well to be honest, it will not make much of a difference. I say this keeping in mind the personality of one of my best friends who has attention deficit disorder (and is an excellent role-player by the way), and to be honest from all the people I know who have it (and there are quite a few) I have seen that if it is something they care about they have no trouble paying attention, the times when they have trouble are not during a battle, or when they are sneaking into a building but when they are doing mundane things they consider boring like math. in short it is just like I said in the first sentience of this post the difference wont be huge, the biggest problems you might incur will probably be things like forgetting to pick up milk, not lisining to the wizard when he is explaining something boring, and getting sick of lisining to the BBEG's monologue and attacking him before he is finished.
The Ubbergeek 08-04-06, 08:36 PM	Low Wisdom score and the flaw mentioned.
Brandish 08-05-06, 03:00 PM	Suppose you were to go ahead with green-lighting something like ADHD that, in my opinion, is out of place in D&D ... I would suggest that no rules be applied to it. Generally, when I'm DMing a PC who wants to saddle his or herself with something extra like a mental problem, it should all be handled as ROLEplaying and not ROLLplaying. Rules bog things down, make other players jealous or frustrated, etc. Thats just me.
Deacon Liadon 08-05-06, 03:07 PM	and getting sick of lisining to the BBEG's monologue and attacking him before he is finished. All PC's do this anyway. I've modified my villainous monologues to fit around it these days.
savant_warlord13 08-05-06, 03:13 PM	You obviously know nothing of ADHD. ADHD is why I concentrate so well in Biology class and so poorly in English class. ADHD can be a tool or a hindrance. My ADHD lets me focus on tasks I enjoy, such as DNA analysis, and hinders concentration on menial tasks, such as the interpretation of literature. I suspect that a spellcaster would enjoy spellcasting.
savant_warlord13 08-05-06, 03:15 PM	Low Wisdom score and the flaw mentioned. ADHD does not reduce perceptiveness.
RoCkEtInToXiCaTe 08-05-06, 03:44 PM	ADD, or ADHD is like having overbalance. Most people can do a little bit of everything fairly well. ADD people (Like me) can spend all day doing D&D stuff or something we love, but if it's something we don't enjoy it gets really hard to concentrate because we think of things we'd rather be doing, like D&D things.
BlaineTog 08-05-06, 04:01 PM	You obviously know nothing of ADHD. ADHD is why I concentrate so well in Biology class and so poorly in English class. ADHD can be a tool or a hindrance. My ADHD lets me focus on tasks I enjoy, such as DNA analysis, and hinders concentration on menial tasks, such as the interpretation of literature.See, this is why the validity of ADHD as a mental disorder gets questioned so often: everyone's like this anyway, just to a greater or lesser extent. @naysayers: oh, let him play his character. It fits just fine. And it's irrelevant if it does't. @OP: Yeah, I'd say just have him RP it. Stating it is unnecessary.