Background: Blind from Birth (special background): Your character has been blind from birth, but through intense training, divine inspiration, a freak arcane accident, or raw willpower, you have managed to overcome this handicap. This functions as the status "Blinded" except as follows:
- Targets can gain concealment, but you take no penalty in attacking concealed targets (even totally concealed) that are adjacent to you.
- You take a -10 penalty to perception checks on anything further than 5 squares away. Perception checks made on objects within 5 squares takes no penalty. This effect increases to 10 squares at paragon tier.
- You can flank enemies as normal.
This special background must be taken at character creation, may be taken in addition to another background, but never with another special background.
I think this gives several advantages, but at the same time, several disadvantages. The perception check within 5/10 is limiting, but not handicapping. Always giving combat advantage is rough - even when overcome with Uncanny Dodge. However, invisibility, darkness, and concealment no longer work at all with the character (unless at ranged), which is a stupendous boon. In addition, gaze attacks do not work (but that doesn't really come into play all that often).
I realize you're here looking for PEACH, not necessarily asking for other solutions, but this is a concept that I always find best employed as fluff only. A bit of roleplaying, a bit of hand-waving, you've got yourself a blind character. So I guess that's my PEACH critique; nice try, but it doesn't compare for elegance and effectiveness to simply roleplaying the character as blind with no mechanical change whatsoever.
Some amount of handwavium is fine, but just 'I'm blind guys, but not really' starts to stretch that taffy a bit thin, in my opinion.
I'll note that perception checks take into account all senses; a -10 penalty for the status "blinded" as given by the PHB is because as humans, we rely very much on our sense of sight. More than half of our ability to detect and analyze the world around us comes from our sight. Blind from Birth simply allows to you not take that penalty on close things where you might be able to compensate by some innate sense, hearing, sensitive skin, or something to the likeness.
Why does your blind character get hit with gaze attacks?
There are many types of blindness beyond 'I've had my eyes cut out'. It's entirely possible one could have enough technical function (light passes through lenses into retinas, information is sent along the optic nerve, either doesn't reach brain or isn't correctly interpreted) to qualify for 'hit by gaze attack' but not actually allow sight. Such a character would actually be more susceptible for not knowing where to point zir peepers.
Why does your blind character miss invisible people?
I don't find it remotely unbelievable that magical invisibility would confer a sound-diffusing effect that makes its source's location non-obvious. Blind guy's gotta roll just like the sighted folk to figure out exactly where the invisible foe is.
Why does darkness or smoke hamper your blind character?
The smoke doesn't hamper so much as the crackling of the flames that cause it, or perhaps the blind character is coughing too hard to hear well. It's not hard to come up with explanations. As for darkness, it'd help to be a race with darkvision (or get an item thereof), but really; when's the last time your party was in total darkness for any significant amount of time? Tindertwig, Everburning Torch, Sunrod, Light spell, magic sword, Delver's Light, etc. If you ever do have a situation where you need everyone to be blind, just use a little creativity. Outside? Thunderstorm messes with the blind guy's hearing enough to make him as blind as anyone in the darkness. Inside? The evil baroness' standing Ghost Sound of eerie, cacophonous laughter in the halls of her palace is not only creepy as hell in the darkness for the sighted characters, it's maddeningly distracting for the blind character. Underground? These tunnels are natural echo chambers, and each distant drip of water is magnified a thousandfold.
Why can your blind character make ranged attacks at a target 20 squares away with no penalty?
Insert awesome here. Seriously. Super-hearing, incredibly lucky, guided by the gods, magic bow, whatever. This is the part where you get to be Zatoichi, and is no less believable than most of the exploits people pull in this game.
Some amount of handwavium is fine, but just 'I'm blind guys, but not really' starts to stretch that taffy a bit thin, in my opinion.
I haven't played a blind character or DMed for a blind character run in the fashion I suggest, so this is all theoretical. I just don't see making it work with a little creativity and cooperation on the DM's part to be that much of a stretch, and I find it far preferable to turning the game's mechanics on their head for something that's really just a style preference. As with your view, of course, this is simply my opinion. If you're happy with your solution, then I'm happy for you.
I'll note that perception checks take into account all senses; a -10 penalty for the status "blinded" as given by the PHB
Which is a lazier hunk of handwavium (on the designers' part) than anything I've suggested. They just didn't want to get bogged down in sense-specific penalties, I guess. Still, that doesn't mean it makes sense to take their laziness and run with it. You want to talk about thin taffy!
DM: 'Everyone roll a perception check.'
*dice clatter*
DM: 'Okay, everyone but Cap'n Fogeye: you hear a faint scratching at the door.'
Cap'n Fogeye: 'Wait, why couldn't I hear that? I rolled better than Feydirwyr!'
DM: 'Because your eyes don't work.'
Cap'n Fogeye: '...'
is because as humans, we rely very much on our sense of sight. More than half of our ability to detect and analyze the world around us comes from our sight. Blind from Birth simply allows to you not take that penalty on close things where you might be able to compensate by some innate sense, hearing, sensitive skin, or something to the likeness.
Egh, I'm not even going to get into the Disability Superpower argument. Suffice it to say that I think that blindness is easy enough to simply roleplay in virtually every situation, and any other situation can be easily handled if the DM's in on the game too (making the dark tunnel echoey, etc). It's a fluff choice that's best handled in a fluff way without mucking about with the balance of the game. This is all my opinion, of course, and I hope you enjoy playing whatever solution you settle on.