Many D&D players have played characters who would be termed “insane”, whether or not they set out to do so. Examples of characters with mental illnesses include the serial-killer cleric of Erythnul, the quirky wizard, and the paladin with depression. Mental illness can be a big feature of the character, or just a minor problem. It can strike characters of all races, genders, and alignments, though obviously the race or alignment changes which mental illness the character is most vulnerable to.
DMs can use the following suggestions, too. In fact, with an NPC, monster, or even BBEG, you can go much further than what’s sensible for a PC.
Regarding terminology: Technically, “insanity” is too narrow a term: Most mental illnesses do not include any loss of touch with reality. “Mental illness”, despite the politically correct formality of the term, is the best phrase I can come up with to cover the problems I’m talking about—but even then, “mental illness” doesn’t cover many developmental and neurological conditions! So when I say “mental illness” or “insanity”, just consider it to mean anything which can be treated or monitored by a psychologist or psychiatrist in today’s world, as well as anything of the same nature in the D&D world—for example, magical insanity, various curses, or mundane mental illnesses with extraordinary causes (really, do you think anyone comes away from a stint as Undead completely unchanged?).
A discussion of insanity and mental illness is available in Unearthed Arcana; but if your DM is not using the sanity loss variant, or if you want your character to have a permanent mental illness as part of his personality and backstory, it’s better to define your character’s problem for yourself.
If You’re Considering Playing a Character with a Mental Illness, Remember:
1. Experts Only.
If you’re not a good role-player, if you’re not an experienced DM, or if you’re looking for a character who’s easy to play, don’t give your PC or NPC a mental illness. The roots and results of mental illness are complex, and improperly played, insanity can cause a game to collapse. You’re playing with fire; and whether you’ll end up with a useful tool or a destructive problem is all dependent on how you play.
2. Be Considerate.
Mental illness in our society is quite common, ranging from a child’s ADHD to the homeless guy with schizophrenia. In between those extremes are many people—in fact, most people—in our society. About 60% of Americans will deal with a mental illness sometime during their lives; and this means that chances are good that someone in your group has already done so. When you play your character, remember that someone in your group, or someone in their family, may have the actual mental illness you are mimicking.
Be aware that mental illness can be a way of spotlight-hogging. Don’t take over the game—let the other players have their turns, too. Be sure you will neither unbalance the game nor burden the party with your character’s disability. If your character wouldn’t be able to hold a job in the real world because he’s so overwhelmed by his problems, that’s a good indication he shouldn’t be an adventurer, either. And be prepared to retire your character if he becomes a problem—that’s true for any character, but doubly true for one with a mental illness. You’re there to have fun, not to force your fellow players to accept a character who ruins the game for them, and by extension, ruins the game for you too.
3. He’s a Character—Not a Disease
D&D characters are primarily heroes (or villains). That means that your character should be a full person rather than a representation of the mental illness you’ve given him. It’s just one feature of your character; and though it may overwhelm everything else sometimes, he should have a backstory, a personality, and a life beyond just that mental illness. Say you’ve decided to play someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and you’re writing his description: Don’t just say, “My character…” and then describe his obsessions and compulsions. No—create that character first, personality and everything, and THEN determine how his mental illness affects him. (Some mental illnesses do change the personality, especially those present from childhood. But that doesn’t give you license to create a character who is defined by his mental illness… that is, unless you really WANT to play something copied from a psychology book!)
4. Research Before You Play
Ideally, if you played a character modeled after King Arthur, you would first read a few legends about him; if you played a character from an Oriental setting, you might read up on feudal Japan or ancient China. The same goes for mental illnesses: You need to research them before you play a character who has one. Why? Because, when you rely upon real information, you end up with a more realistic, well-played character with real depth---instead of just the gimmick that, “My character is nuts.”
It needn’t be any great amount of research. A Google search, a psychology text, or a library book will do. In fact, I highly recommend library books written for adolescents because these are usually quite simple and fast to read. (Books written for adults often assume you have some experience with the particular disorder you’re reading about; but many have a first chapter which discusses the disorder thoroughly.) In total, it shouldn’t take you more than half an hour to figure out the main characteristics of the disorder you want to use, and maybe half an hour more to create the character’s personality and background with the mental illness integrated into it.
One resource you really can’t do without is the DSM-IV. This is a list of disorders and their symptoms which is used to diagnose mental illnesses. You can find it at the library; or you can search the Internet with the term DSM-IV and the name of the disorder you’re looking for. Generally, the pages that come up will have a DSM-IV excerpt with the list of symptoms. Wikipedia pages on mental illnesses also usually have a list of symptoms from the DSM-IV and/or the ICD-10 (another list of symptoms and disorders).
5. My Insanity Pet Peeve
There is a difference between schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, and if you play one or the other, don’t confuse them. Schizophrenia does not involve multiple personalities. Rather, it involves hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thought. Multiple personality disorder (now called dissociative identity disorder) involves various personalities in one person; it is usually caused by extreme trauma and does not involve a loss of touch with reality (other than amnesia).
6. Talk to Your DM
Before you play a character with a mental illness, run it by your DM. Don’t just say, “I wanna play a crazy guy, is that OK?” because most DMs will have nightmares about your ruining their games and immediately ban it. Give him specifics: What type of mental illness; how it will affect the character; and whether you want to make any mechanical changes. I don’t advise playing somebody with a mental illness as the first character for a DM—let him see you play a more normal character first, so that he knows you’re willing to RP well and work with him to create your story. Some forms of mental illness may qualify as flaws; but ask your DM before you take an extra feat.
Mental Illness and Alignment
If you’re of the opinion that Insane=Evil, you shouldn’t be playing a mentally ill character in the first place. Obviously, some insane people are Evil; but most aren’t; and some Good people are insane, too. The vast majority of mental illnesses can apply to any alignment; in fact, I can think of only one—Antisocial Personality Disorder (also known as sociopathy)—which requires an alignment of Evil.
Neither does Insane = Chaotic. Again, some insane people are chaotic, but some are Lawful; and some Lawful characters are insane. Some mental illnesses strike more Lawfuls, and others more Chaotics… obsessive-compulsive disorder is much more likely to occur in a Lawful mind; various impulse-control disorders, in the chaotic mind. There are, however, exceptions. In fact, these exceptions could be interesting to explore, since a Lawful mind with an impulse-control disorder would be forever struggling against itself—a fascinating character trait to play, if you can manage it. (For example, some adults with ADHD are actually extremely organized—because if they don’t organize the world around them, they succumb to the mental chaos to which ADHD makes them prone. Unfortunately, this means they have to spend a lot of time organizing...)
One last thing: An evil act committed by someone with a mental illness is usually completely voluntary; and that means your DM won’t (or at least shouldn’t) give your character much slack when it comes to class powers. Only if the character was unaware of what they were doing, or unaware that it was evil, or under mental control or magical influence, can the act be considered involuntary. In that case, an Atonement spell does not require an XP component or (usually) a quest. In all other cases, be prepared to convince that Cleric not only that you’re really, truly sorry, but that yes, you will Get Help.
Mental Illnesses and Non-Human Cultures
Some mental illnesses are more likely in some cultures. The causes are diverse; but essentially this occurs because various sorts of environmental, genetic, and biological influences interact to cause vulnerabilities to mental illnesses. In D&D, magical causes, such as a family curse, can also be a factor.
There are some races in which something which would be insanity in a human is so prevalent that the absence of it can be called a mental illness. The best example is the Derro, who have racial insanity. Indicators of such a race are: An ability modifier which drastically lowers a mental ability score; A race which originates on a plane other than the Prime Material; Extreme (“Always”) alignment tendency (I make an exception for NG, LG, and CG “Always” alignments. Good represents the ideal of human behavior, and is thus not considered insane by the human culture.). Characters of these races are not actually insane by their race’s standards—though, by human standards, they would be. Exceptional characters of these races who are not insane by human standards would be considered insane by their own races.
A note on “Always” alignments: Generally, these only result in what would be called a “personality disorder” in a human. However, remember that for that particular race, that behavior is normal. A CE demon cannot be called “insane” for behaving in a sociopathic manner… though a CE human who behaved in the same way might be called so.
Different cultures also treat mental illnesses differently. Depending on the specifics, and depending on your DM and his world, your character may face anything from execution to a position as a tribal shaman!
Mental Illness and Magic
Because D&D campaigns are set in a magical world, insanity can have more causes and cures than there are available in our mundane world. Some spells directly cause insanity (in the form of a continuous Confusion effect; but your DM may substitute a severe mental illness—see Unearthed Arcana for rules regarding this). Some spells cause hallucinations or delusions, or involve mind-control. Some spells affect mental ability scores.
The magic and monsters in D&D can cause insanity indirectly as well. In the life of the adventurer, there are many traumatic experiences available to cause the nightmares and flashbacks of post-traumatic stress disorder; there are many losses which can cause depression. Being turned to stone for a thousand years, spending time under a mind-flayer’s control, being affected by a magical spell which forces you to kill a comrade, being affected by a dragon’s fear effect… all these will affect a character’s mind, and may (if the character is under enough strain) cause a mental illness. Basically, it’s a matter of what the character can handle—and what goes over that level---and what happens when it does. (Rules for Sanity loss are also in Unearthed Arcana, if you wish to quantify it. You may not want to, though; it takes your character’s mental illness out of your control and puts it in the hands of chance. That may lead to a thoroughly undramatic cure, or else having to deal with the effects of insanity when you can’t afford it.)
D&D insanity of the non-magical sort can be cured in the same way as it is in our world: Therapy, either formal therapy or simply talking with a good friend; support by friends and family; time away in a peaceful environment; or, in the last extremity, care in an institution. (Naturally, you don’t want that last one—it turns your character into an NPC.) Depending on your world, alchemical treatments may also be available.
Clerics can treat many forms of insanity—Unearthed Arcana has rules for insanity and its cure—and Wizards can intervene when the cause is magical. When all else fails, a Miracle or Wish can usually cure insanity; but not always—especially when the cause is a personality disorder or an unusually low mental ability score. Which brings us to…
Mental Illnesses and Ability Scores
Physical ability scores generally don’t have much to do with mental illness (exceptions are noted in the descriptions of various types of mental illness, below). However, mental ability scores are different. Intelligence has to do with thinking, problem-solving, and logic: A very low score can be played as some form of mental retardation. Wisdom involves the perception and interpretation of the world around you: A very low score can cause an illness involving hallucinations or delusions; a moderately low score simply means a lack of common sense (also a consequence of some types of mental illness). And Charisma means interpersonal skills, used either to intimidate or befriend others: Very low Charisma can cause a lack of these skills, and not much interaction with others; moderately low Charisma can mean social clumsiness, rudeness, or some other trouble with interaction.
If your character has a low mental ability score, it means he is more vulnerable to mental illness; but that doesn’t mean he has to be mentally ill (unless his score is actually 0).
For most mental illnesses, it is not necessary to have a low ability score, though a moderately low Wisdom is common. Exceptions are noted below.
In this section, I’m going to list some of the more common mental illnesses. The information I give about them is not by any means comprehensive enough to play a character with that disorder, but it should be enough for you to make a choice about whether or not to do further research.
Addictions; Substance Abuse/Dependence
Substance abuse is the use of a drug, despite problems arising from that use. Substance dependence requires the presence of withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped. Addictions to various things other than a substance can exist, such as gambling or magic. Certain spells, such as Good Hope, create positive feelings to which a PC may become addicted.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Only in mature groups.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Rules for drug addiction can be found in the Book of Vile Darkness; rules for intoxication, in Unearthed Arcana.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Usually Neutral or Evil, but can be Good.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Fluctuate, due to the constant effect of the substance and its withdrawal effects. Addiction to something which isn’t a drug occurs more often in those with low Will saves.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] If a certain race makes and consumes an intoxicating substance, members of that race are usually more likely to have been exposed to, and then addicted to, that substance.
Acute Stress Disorder
Much like PTSD, but only occurs for a short time after a traumatic event. Stops within a month, but can turn into PTSD.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Can happen to any PC who’s just had to go through something overwhelming—torture, the death of a comrade, mental or physical violation, capture, exposure to undead, extraplanar creatures, or demons/devils, or a dangerous battle.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Same as PTSD.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] PCs with higher Wisdom recover faster.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Alzheimer’s and other forms of Dementia
Dementia is a mental symptom of many physical illnesses.
Alzheimer’s is a deterioration of the brain which occurs mostly in the elderly (Venerable age category). Memory loss is the first symptom, followed by difficulties with speech, movement, and abstract thought. The course of Alzheimer’s is progressive, going from mild forgetfulness to complete disability and death. Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease are other diseases which cause progressive dementia. Non-progressive dementia can be caused by a stroke or head injury.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Progressive dementia only in the early stages; non-progressive dementia is fine.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] For NPCs with progressive dementia, reduce DEX, INT, WIS, and CHA by one each year. Non-progressive dementia can be represented by a one-time loss in one or more of these scores. PCs with Alzheimer’s or another form of progressive dementia should remain in the early stages, with forgetfulness being the primary symptom, throughout the campaign.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] See above. In characters of Venerable age, one or more low ability scores can be explained in the backstory by a history of a stroke; any character’s low DEX or mental ability score, by an old head injury. Because INT and WIS actually rise in with, a character in the early stages of Alzheimer’s may have no ability score deficits—his experience in life is compensating for the memory loss.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] The stereotype of the “senile old wizard” is difficult to reconcile with the actual problems of Alzheimer’s, which take away the very mental abilities necessary to cast spells. However, if you wish, it’s possible to play a character like this—just don’t let the disease progress. But remember to be sensitive. Making your forgetful character a laughingstock and then finding out a fellow player has a parent or grandparent with Alzheimer’s could be extremely embarrassing.
Amnesia and Dissociative Fugue
Amnesia can be caused by a physical injury or be psychological in nature. It can be either the inability to remember the past, or the inability to remember new information. Dissociative Fugue is a rare type of amnesia in which the person suddenly moves away and lives somewhere else as a completely different person which does not remember and is not aware that the old personality ever existed.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Being unable to remember the past, either due to amnesia or a dissociative fugue, can open doors for an evil DM. However, if you trust your DM, feel free to create a character with amnesia. One huge caution about amnesia is that you should never, ever use it as an excuse to create a character without writing a background. A character with amnesia still has a personality (in fact, dissociative fugue creates a new personality which does not remember the old!); and that personality will react in some way to not being able to remember the past. Instead of an actual background, then, write about the character’s reaction to his amnesia, how he is trying to survive, and whether or not (and how) the character is attempting to recover his memories.
Being unable to remember new information is not recommended for PCs, since such memory is necessary to gain experience as an adventurer, both mechanically and for character development.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] None. Amnesia is RP-only. However, there are some skills the character may not know he has, and is only aware of once he uses them automatically. This usually means trained-only skills, as well as most magical powers and some class abilities.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] No Modifications
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Anorexia
Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person, in an attempt to control his life, restricts food intake and loses dangerous amounts of weight.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable, if you can deal with the stat limitations.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Apply the penalties for starvation. Subtract 20% from the lowest possible weight for your character’s height and race.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Usually Lawful.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] STR <8, CON <8.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Monks and lawful Clerics are especially prone to anorexia, since their environment praises control (Paladins, who must also be lawful, concentrate too much on physical strength and skills to make anorexia common). In fact, the denial of food can be seen to the religious character as something which brings him closer to his deity. Various magical means of sustenance may or may not be accepted by an anorexic character; but it is possible to play an extremely religious cleric who goes without food entirely, sustained only by his deity’s power. Whether or not this is a mental illness is debatable, since the character is not in danger from starvation, as an anorexic in the real world would be.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
ADHD is technically a neurological condition, not a mental illness.
Common belief that this is a childhood disorder belies the fact that many ADHD children become ADHD adults. Though less hyperactive and more mature, adults with ADHD are still affected by the same symptoms: Difficulty maintaining attention on something that isn’t extremely interesting; hyperactivity; impulsive actions; and chronic disorganization. Some people with ADHD are not hyperactive and, instead, tend to daydream rather than paying attention. Non-hyperactive ADHD can manifest as forgetfulness and disorganization.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable. In fact, ADHD may be more common among adventurers, since the ADHD mind thrives on the intensity of adventuring.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Take Improved Initiative and the Inattentive trait.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Often Chaotic.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] No modifications. However, people with ADHD and WIS<10 are generally more impulsive than people with a higher score. People with WIS>14 (or a good mentor) often try to compensate for disorganization by using lists, planners, and other aids.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Kender have ADHD as a racial trait. Classes which require study, such as the Wizard; and classes which require discipline, such as the Monk and Paladin; are probably not very well suited to someone with ADHD (unless that person is compensating by being extremely organized).
Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Autism is a developmental disorder (not a mental illness) which causes problems in interaction with other people. It is present from birth or begins in the first years of life. Autistic characters have difficulty with speech and nonverbal communication (body language/eye contact), with social skills, and with the understanding of others needed to form friendships. The IQs of autistic people can range from 20 to 200, and their skills range from extremely delayed to extremely precocious (often in the same person; when this occurs, the extremely precocious skill is called a “splinter skill” or “savant skill”). They may move in a repetitive manner (rocking, spinning, etc.). They may be preoccupied with a certain type of object or with learning information about a certain subject. They often insist on a certain routine or environment and are bothered by intense stimuli such as bright light, strong smells, and loud sounds. Asperger Syndrome, a milder form of autism, is diagnosed when there is normal or higher intelligence and no delay in language. People with Asperger’s are eccentric, known for their special interests—topics which fascinate them, in which they usually become experts—and their social (and often physical) clumsiness.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Autism needs to be played carefully; Asperger Syndrome should present no problems. However, beware the trap of playing a “loner” character whose lack of interaction with others leaves you with nothing to do. It’s better to have him interact, but be characteristically clumsy about it.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] The low CHA of an autistic character should provide the necessary deficits; but an additional penalty to Sense Motive, which is based on WIS, is suggested. A character with a splinter skill or special interest should receive a bonus to the relevant Knowledge, Perform, or Craft skill (but ask your DM—in case of a “no”, you may simply use the usual skill points to reflect a special ability or interest).
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Autistic and Asperger’s characters tend towards Lawful, but (especially in the case of Asperger’s) can be chaotic since they do not easily become part of the culture around them.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Autism: CHA <6. Asperger Syndrome: CHA <8; DEX <12.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Obviously, unless you want him to be dropped off at the next inn, don’t create a character whose class depends on Charisma and then give him autism. PCs with autism, especially Asperger’s, are likely to become Wizards because of the combination of high intelligence and intense focus needed to learn magic. Psionics are also a possibility; so is the profession of Ranger or Druid, which involve interacting primarily with the natural world, where the autistic’s low social skills don’t matter so much.
Bipolar Disorder and Cyclothymia
A person with bipolar disorder has both depression (see entry for Depression) and mania in alternating cycles, interspersed with periods of normal mood. Mania is an extremely euphoric mood; the thoughts race, activity increases, little sleep is needed, and the person becomes reckless, impulsive, and grandiose. At its worst, mania causes hallucinations and delusions, and the person will do things which are suicidally reckless or even violent. Depression and mania can cycle as slowly as every six months, or as quickly as every few days (rapid-cycling bipolar disorder). A less severe form of bipolar disorder, cyclothymia, results in swings between dysthymia (mild depression) and hypomania (mild mania—simple euphoria without delusions, hallucinations, or dangerously reckless or impulsive actions).
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Bipolar disorder is not suitable for PCs, since either depression or mania keeps the PC from functioning as an adventurer; cyclothymia is OK.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Determine the approximate length of the manic, depressed, and normal moods; then randomly roll for mood during each time period. Mania increases Initiative and cuts the need for sleep in half; but it also reduces concentration, and effectively reduces Wisdom. Hypomania is a milder form of mania.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] PCs with this mood disorder tend to be chaotic.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] You may decide to reduce Wisdom drastically when the character is in a manic state.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
A relatively uncommon disorder in the real world, BDD causes someone to be convinced that some part of his body (usually quite normal) is hideously disfigured. In D&D, this disorder could be much more common, triggered by the experience or threat of a polymorph spell or some other form of shapechanging, a magical effect that changes gender or appearance, an illusion spell that changes appearance, or the experience of being Reincarnated into a different body. The PC may begin to desperately seek a “remedy” for his “disfigurement”; a character capable of shapechange on his own may either stay away from such magic, or else use it constantly.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable—just don’t make a Druid who is worried about his own Wildshape ability!
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] None.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Wisdom <10
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Any race or class with natural shapechange or illusion powers is vulnerable.
Bulimia
A character with bulimia eats large amounts of food and then, to keep his weight down, induces vomiting, uses laxatives, exercises excessively, or fasts.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] None.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Often Chaotic.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] CON <12.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Depression is not just a sad mood; it’s a lack of energy, motivation, and enjoyment of life. It lasts for months rather than just days. The person sleeps and eats poorly or too much, becomes hopeless and has poor self-esteem. In severe cases, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts are possible. Dysthymia is a form of depression which is relatively mild but long-term; it lasts for years rather than months. Some people with dysthymia have episodes of major depression as well.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Depression is a crippling illness; it generally keeps a character from being an adventurer. However, depression does occur as an adjustment reaction—that is, after some major change in life, usually a loss, normal grief can stay around and turn into depression. In these cases, you may decide to have your PC become depressed. Dysthymia, however, is OK for PCs; it results in a character who is constantly sad, unmotivated, and withdrawn, but is capable of continuing to function.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Dysthymia has no mechanical effects. For major depression, treat the PC as under a constant Crushing Despair effect. You may also wish to apply penalties to initiative. If your character becomes depressed enough to attempt suicide, remember that it is possible to voluntarily fail saves—but that not all characters attempting suicide will do so. In most cases, your DM should give nearby PCs the chance to find your character before he dies. If you decide to have a character commit suicide, beware that fellow players or your DM may have had to deal with a friend who has attempted suicide (or they may even have attempted it themselves)—be considerate.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)
Popularized by the movie Sybil, in which a young woman is treated for multiple personalities, DID is one of the most colorful and controversial of the psychological disorders. It is classed as a dissociative disorder, not a psychotic disorder—the various personalities usually do not lose touch with reality. The personalities may be aware or unaware of each other; and amnesia while another personality is in control is common, though not ubiquitous. DID is often caused by extreme, long-term childhood abuse. Personalities have different functions; they may be different ages and genders; in D&D, they may be different classes, races, and alignments as well.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Unsuitable, unless the personalities have access to the same character sheet. Otherwise, the character is essentially a multiclass character who cannot use skills from more than one class at a time—a real hindrance to the party. If you create a character with DID, discuss with the DM who will determine when the personalities “switch”. Do not create a character with more than two, or at most three, personalities.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] A save DC versus switching personalities in a stressful situation may be useful. NPCs with DID may have different mental ability scores for each personality, but I do not recommend this for PCs. If you do want to switch the mental ability scores, make sure the point buy is the same, and keep separate character sheets for each personality so that it’s not necessary to constantly recalculate modifiers. Switching mental ability scores can be a real asset to the character if done at will (i.e., it may make him too strong), so if you do this, have the DM determine when your character changes personalities.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] The main personality is likely to be True Neutral, with the more extreme alignment tendencies “handled” by alter personalities.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Wisdom <10 thanks to the trauma which created DID.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Classes with alignment restrictions are not recommended for a character with DID. Any character who uses psionic powers is likely to be aware of his multiple personalities, and thus eventually cured of the disorder.
Gender Identity Disorder
Many people do not consider this to be a mental illness, but a lifestyle choice. However, because of the distress it causes to the person involved, this condition is still included on the list of mental illnesses.
A character with Gender Identity Disorder (also called a transsexual) believes that his physical gender is incorrect—that he really ought to be the opposite gender. In D&D, this can be extended to include races: For example, someone who believes that he is an elf, despite his human body. GID is not a delusion; the character is aware of the reality of his physical body; he just sees that his mind does not match it. In a world with shape-changing magic, reincarnation, and curses, there may be more than just a subjective feeling to determine the presence of such a problem, and a much more effective treatment.
Note that if your character takes this illness as a flaw, he loses the associated feat if he gains the ability to shapechange, especially permanently.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] A PC who has been polymorphed into another race or gender is fine in any group, up to the point at which that new race is suitable for the campaign. Play transsexuals in mature groups or not at all.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] No Modifications
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The PC worries about everything—literally. Even something which has a very small chance of happening may cause him to worry. However, his fears are not completely irrational, and he remains in touch with reality.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable. This disorder involves mostly role-playing, though the player must be careful that the character’s constant anxiety does not keep him from being a useful part of the party.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] No mechanical effect.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Lawful characters are a little more likely to suffer from GAD. GAD often results from a fear of uncontrolled events, and the Lawful person seeks control and order both in himself and his environment.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] WIS <12. The lower, the more likely.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Any race immune to fear is also immune to GAD.
Hypochondriasis
The PC is over-sensitive to his own body, and interprets small symptoms as indicative of major illnesses. In D&D, he may be convinced he has been poisoned, affected by a spell, or affected by a supernatural disease when all he has is indigestion, a headache, or a cold.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable. Make sure you tell the party Cleric that you are playing a hypochondriac, or he may waste Cure and Remove Disease spells on you. (With high Wisdom and a good Healing skill, the cleric can usually tell that your character does not actually have a major disease, but the player may not think to have his character check.)
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] None.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Moderately high Wisdom—being extremely alert means the PC will notice his body’s symptoms more; but very high Wisdom would allow him to understand that they are not serious.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Insomnia
A persistent difficulty either going to sleep or staying asleep.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Not recommended for spellcasters; should work out fine for anyone else. Can actually give an RP boost: Sleepless PCs may have the chance to have conversations with whoever is on watch, or else take watch themselves. A PC who can’t get to sleep could see an ambush coming when the enemy would normally expect him to be asleep.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Determine how severe your character’s insomnia is, and either roll percentile dice or save against an appropriate DC. Your character may spend sleepless nights and end up fatigued; but, if your DM allows, he may also receive a bonus to saves against Sleep spells and effects.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] No Modifications
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Any race which does not sleep—elves, for example—probably does not suffer from insomnia. Difficulty getting into a proper trance could be substituted, though.
Learning Disorder
A learning disorder is a difficulty with a specific aspect of learning that isn’t explained by overall low intelligence. Dyslexia (reading difficulty) is the most common; others include difficulty with spelling, mathematics, or written communication. Learning disorders are not mental illnesses.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable, except for dyslexia in classes which depend heavily on written spells.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Dyslexic characters may be given the barbarian’s Illiteracy class feature, with the complication that it takes 4 skill points to learn to read. Otherwise, simply note the learning disorder and give your character a -4 (adjust up or down for severity) on any check requiring the skill in question.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] No Modifications
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Wizards cannot be illiterate. Barbarians always start illiterate, but they are simply untaught, not dyslexic.
Mental Retardation
Mental retardation, also called developmental delay, is diagnosed in anyone who has an IQ under 70, as well as problems in daily life. It is not a psychological disorder, but reflects biological, neurological, and developmental problems.
Mild MR: IQ 50-70. Can finish high school, live independently, and hold semiskilled jobs.
Moderate MR: IQ 35-50. Can achieve a second-grade education and hold unskilled jobs.
Severe MR: IQ 20-35. Can feed and dress self; can speak in two- or three-word sentences.
Profound MR: IQ under 20. Requires full-time care; speaks in single words or not at all.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Depends on severity. PCs with mild or moderate MR can do well, if other PCs are willing to help them along; severe and profound MR disqualifies a character from becoming an adventurer.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] The low intelligence score of a character with MR is all that’s necessary, since the lack of skill points reflects the problems such a character faces in learning things.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Mild to moderate: None. Severe to profound: Usually True Neutral.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Depending on how your INT-to-IQ formula goes, assume mental retardation is likely for a character whose INT is below 6; definitely if it’s below 4. A character with an INT of 1 or 2 is not a PC, and can be assumed to have severe or profound mental retardation.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] An INT-dependent class like the Wizard should not have mental retardation. (Obviously.) Only play a character as though he had MR if his INT score is in the 3-6 range before (not after) racial modifiers; remember, if a low intelligence is normal for a race (such as an orc or a troll), then they are generally well-adapted to it and do not meet the “problems in daily life” criteria for MR.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
The character’s mind tends to “stick” on an obsession, which he can’t stop thinking of. This obsession can be a word, an idea, or a fear. He also feels compelled to do things repeatedly, such as counting, washing, or checking things. He is aware that these things are nonsensical but cannot force himself to stop doing and thinking them.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable. Be careful not to introduce an obsession which will interfere with the party or nullify your character’s usefulness.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Use a relatively high Will save if your character wants to keep from performing a compulsion.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Tends to affect Lawfuls. Chaotic characters, however, are more distressed by OCD, since Chaotics are lovers of freedom and do not like to be compelled to do anything, even by their own minds.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] No Modifications
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Panic Disorder
The PC suffers from panic attacks, and may develop agoraphobia. Some panic attacks have no apparent cause; some have a trigger.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Moderately suitable. A panic attack during battle can be quite crippling, so be sure you know what you’re doing. Agoraphobia is not suitable for PCs, since a refusal to leave one’s house interferes with travel!
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] A panic attack generally lasts a few minutes; no longer than an hour. Depending on how long you want your character’s to last, have him go from shaken to frightened to panicked during the first half of the panic attack, and then back down the scale during the second half. You may choose not to go all the way to Panicked (most real-life panic attacks don’t actually cause the sufferer to run away). Agoraphobia can be treated like any other phobia.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] A low Will save is likely.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Any race immune to fear is also immune to panic disorder.
The PC is extremely frightened of an event, item, or situation. He will avoid the object of his fear at all costs, by any means possible. Common phobias include animals, storms, heights, water, flying, small spaces, blood, embarrassing oneself, or being in a place other than one’s home (agoraphobia). In D&D, fear of magic, the undead, demons, or a type of monster may also be common.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Depends on which phobia, really. Being frightened of cats may be entertaining, but what if your party has to defeat a dire lion, and the party fighter is panicked? Be prepared for these situations. While being afraid of cats is manageable, a fear of blood would not be—it would cripple the party fighter.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] A character with a phobia can make a save to be shaken (or frightened) instead of frightened (or panicked) when he encounters the object of his fear. Adjust the fear level to the severity of the phobia.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] A low Will save is likely.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Any race immune to fear is also immune to phobias.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Caused by trauma, this is possibly the most common psychological disorder among PCs. While a PC who has experienced a traumatic event does not have to have PTSD, a PC with PTSD must have experienced a traumatic event. The primary problems such a PC has include nightmares, flashbacks, problems remembering (or refusal to remember) the event, trouble talking about the event, insomnia, panic attacks, irritability, constant vigilance, automatic response to threats, and being very easily startled. Consider PTSD for a PC with a traumatic background, or for an established PC who has experienced something more than the typical dangers faced by an adventurer. Research also the effects of PTSD on Vietnam veterans.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable. Do avoid the clichéd “my village was raided by orcs” background, unless you can think of a way to make it interesting.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] A PC who is reminded of the event that caused his PTSD can be considered Shaken.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Wisdom <14. The lower, the more likely PTSD is to occur.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Schizophrenia
When you think of “insanity”, you are probably thinking of schizophrenia, arguably the most severe of the mental disorders. A very diverse illness, schizophrenia can involve delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (false sensations), and disorganized thought and action. It is episodic—someone who has schizophrenia can have normal thought processes sometimes, and sometimes be completely out of touch with reality. Since it usually has an onset in young adulthood, adventurers are exactly in the right age range to become schizophrenic.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Probably unsuitable, except in narrow situations. The disorganized thought and delusions of the schizophrenic mind can really interfere with the party’s purposes—the hallucinations wouldn’t be so bad by themselves. A modified or milder form of schizophrenia, involving just hallucinations along with the delusion that they really exist might create a quirky but useful character; still, it takes both a good DM and a capable role-player who knows how not to take over the game!
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Lawful characters are more likely to be extremely distressed by the onset of schizophrenia; but schizophrenia is genetic and can affect anyone.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Wisdom <4. A schizophrenic character who is catatonic or completely disorganized has a wisdom score of 0.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Sleepwalking
Getting up from bed and walking around during the night while still asleep. Sleepwalkers can be safely awakened, but are disoriented for a minute afterwards.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable, unless you have an evil DM. A sleepwalking PC may blunder into danger or trigger alarms set to keep the party safe—but a clever DM can also use him to help the party discover plot hooks.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Roll a percentile die at night to determine the chance of sleepwalking. Your character is either under the DM’s control or yours while sleepwalking—determine this beforehand. Sleepwalkers do not generally do things which are extremely dangerous, though injury is possible in unfamiliar environments.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] No Modifications
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] None
Somatization Disorder
The PC’s psychological distress is expressed in physical symptoms, such as numbness or paralysis in a part of the body, pain, nausea, digestive symptoms, or impairment in balance, vision, hearing, etc.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Can be quite suitable or totally unsuitable—this depends on exactly what kind of somatization occurs.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] Treat as though the impairment were physical.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] Lawfuls much more likely to suffer from somatization disorder. Since they are more likely to believe that calling attention to themselves and their troubles is unacceptable, Lawful characters may subconsciously express such problems in a more acceptable physical manner.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] This is an exception to the rule that mental illnesses usually have no effect on physical symptoms: STR and DEX can both be affected by this disorder when it causes numbness, paralysis, dizziness, or pain.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Over-controlled Monks and Paladins may be vulnerable.
Speech Impediments
Various forms of speech impediments exist, including deficits in pronunciation, an abnormally small vocabulary, or stuttering. A simple vocabulary or a speech impediment does not mean that the character’s intelligence is low—for an example, look at Pikel from the Cleric Quintet (Salvatore), who has normal intelligence and a severe speech impediment. Speech impediments are not usually psychological in origin, though they can cause low self-esteem. Stuttering, while it usually worsens with anxiety, probably has a neurological cause. Selective mutism is a psychological speech disorder in which someone who is able to speak, for some reason (usually trauma) does not speak.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Suitable, if you’re willing to RP it.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] You may impose a penalty on Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Bluff.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] None
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] CHA <14
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Any class which depends on spoken spells should not have a speech impediment, unless you are willing to take Silent Spell as well, or else have a very good explanation (for example, a stutterer who learned magic and found that spells were the only time he didn’t stutter).
Rather than being classic mental illnesses (in which the brain does not function properly), personality disorders are diagnosed when a person’s outlook, way of thinking, and way of life causes distress for him and/or others. Some have argued that the personality disorders are not mental illness at all, but extreme variations of normal personality traits.
The personality disorders are the main exception to “Any alignment can have any mental illness”. Because personality disorders are extreme versions of personality traits, and because alignment is closely associated with personality, some of these disorders occur only within certain alignments.
[color=darkred]Paranoid Personality Disorder:[/color] Chronic mistrust and suspicion of other people, without any good reason to be suspicious.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. PCs often do have a good reason to be suspicious, though—meaning that not every paranoid PC actually has this disorder.
Alignment Suggestions: None, though Lawful people will often be suspicious of people plotting against the party (or some other organization they belong to), while Chaotic people will suspect everyone of plotting against them, personally.
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <8
[color=darkred]Schizoid Personality Disorder:[/color] This stereotypical “loner” cares little about other people, or about having any relationships with them. He takes little pleasure in life and does not have strong emotions.
Suitability for PCs: Not very suitable—not because it’s disruptive, but because playing a loner means missing the biggest part of role-play: Interacting with other PCs and the environment.
Alignment Suggestions: True Neutral or CN; unlikely to be either Good or Evil
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <8
[color=darkred]Schizotypal Personality Disorder:[/color] An eccentric person who behaves inappropriately in social situations, has strange beliefs, and speaks in a disorganized manner.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. If you want to play a schizophrenic character but don’t want to disrupt the game too much, SPD is a good choice.
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <8
Alignment Suggestions: CN.
[color=darkred]Antisocial Personality Disorder:[/color] A pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of others, as well as criminal behavior. Most serial killers have Antisocial Personality Disorder; but this is not necessary—some are simply ruthless businessmen, bullies, or jerks. People with APD can, however, be quite charming and manipulative—when they get something out of it.
Suitability for PCs: Only where Evil characters are allowed, and only when played by someone who can handle playing someone with essentially no conscience. Remember that an antisocial person cares most about himself, however; and that he will not commit an Evil act if he can see that it will not benefit him.
Likely Ability Scores: No Modifications. Likely to have high CHA and INT.
Alignment Suggestions: Always any Evil, especially CE. Consider someone with APD to be cured if he changes alignment away from Evil.
[color=darkred]Borderline Personality Disorder:[/color] This person has unstable moods and does not have a stable self-concept. He tends to be impulsive and to define himself by his relationships with others, which are usually intense, chaotic, and brief. Low self-esteem is common.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable, but be prepared for other PCs to think your character is pretty annoying.
Likely Ability Scores: WIS <8
Alignment Suggestions: Always Chaotic.
[color=darkred]Histrionic Personality Disorder:[/color] This person’s self-esteem depends on what others think of him. His moods shift rapidly; and his behavior is dramatic and often overly seductive.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable—but unlike your character, be careful that you do not demand the spotlight at all times.
Likely Ability Scores: WIS <8
Alignment Suggestions: Always Chaotic.
[color=darkred]Narcissistic Personality Disorder:[/color] Believes that he is extremely important; very high self-esteem. Arrogant; willing to exploit others to benefit himself.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. Be prepared for the other PCs to think yours is pretty annoying—or else funny. Depends on how you play it!
Likely Ability Scores: Likely to have high INT and/or CHA.
Alignment Suggestions: Always Chaotic; usually non-Good
[color=darkred]Avoidant Personality Disorder:[/color] He’s constantly afraid you won’t like him, or that he’ll do something to embarrass himself. Chronically shy and nervous.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable.
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <6.
Alignment Suggestions: None
[color=darkred]Dependent Personality Disorder:[/color] He’ll do anything for anyone—to the point of ignoring his own needs completely. The problem is, he can’t make decisions for himself, or take initiative for himself without someone else to depend on for advice and decision-making.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. Talk to and arrange things with a fellow PC who is willing to help you play out this character’s extreme dependency.
Likely Ability Scores: WIS <8
Alignment Suggestions: Usually Good; sometimes Neutral; almost never Evil (though may end up in a relationship with an Evil character, as friend or partner, and be seduced, sometimes literally, into Evil).
[color=darkred]Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder:[/color] Extreme rigidity in way of life, routine, organization, and social interaction. Usually stiff and formal. Anxious about having his routine disturbed. (Note: Not the same as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.)
Suitability for PCs: Suitable.
Likely Ability Scores: No modifications.
Alignment Suggestions: Always Lawful.
you a psychologist/psychiatrist?
By the way, if anybody spots a mistake, please point it out.
Do you have plans to repost in Regdar's Repository?
Reading it, though, I found myself thinking that most players who's response to "No Evil" as an alignment restriction generally respond with "OK - I'll be chaotic neutral, that way I can do whatever I like!" generally seem to do a brilliant job of playing a completely psychotic and delusional character who acts in a totally random manner, is utterly sociopathic and has no concept of there being consequences to their actions - all without having to go anywhere near research or background information. Amazing how they do that ....
Wonderful post(s), as always, Callista!
Do you have plans to repost in Regdar's Repository?
I submitted it, but it wasn't accepted. I imagine they are worried about a.) offending someone, b.) boring people who don't care about psychology. Or they figure applying psychology to D&D characters is too mature, or too esoteric, or they're so backlogged that they've got a waiting list longer than three weeks. Who knows? But when that guy posted on wanting to play a psychotic character, I figured, what the hey, it might help somebody, and the player's forum doesn't have an editor.
I'd like to do a little more thinking on the subject; somebody who posted on my blog (where I posted the article for the first time) suggested magically-caused and magic-related psychological ailments specific to the D&D world: For example, in a world where magic messes with time and people can see into the future, you could conceivably get PRE-traumatic stress disorder!... One of the ideas I've already had is the possibility of someone who's been under long-term mind-control or possession having part of his personality turned into a weak copy of the guy who controlled him, remaining imprinted on his mind (the cause being that he's integrated the mind-control into his system, and his personality feels incomplete without it). There's something like it in the psionics handbook, I think, but that's a magical effect; an actual psychological disorder would be caused and cured differently. It'd be kind of like constant cognitive dissonance--sometimes he makes decisions he wants to make; sometimes he acts like his erstwhile controller would've acted.
Or you could just go with the general insanity rule, which is covered under derro :P
Aspies are a diverse bunch.Yeah, this is why they're "likely" rather than "definite" ability scores.
However, with the exception of the low muscle tone/fine motor deficiency, the traits that I mentioned are characteristics of all Aspies and/or autistics respectively, at least I think so. Just thought you'd like a first-hand perspective on the stuff (Yes, I am one...)
So am I.
Sweet.
All in all, nice guide, I might just use it
Are we going to see some Down Syndrome or TS in the future?
5. My Insanity Pet Peeve
There is a difference between schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, and if you play one or the other, don’t confuse them. Schizophrenia does not involve multiple personalities. Rather, it involves hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thought. Multiple personality disorder (now called dissociative identity disorder) involves various personalities in one person; it is usually caused by extreme trauma and does not involve a loss of touch with reality (other than amnesia).
You know...that's my insanity pet peeve too.
Closely followed by:
The Mask is not a suitable and realistic (or even fictional) example of insanity. Wacky is not a mental illness. Stop stop stop!
I don't see Kleptomania on there, but given that people already tend to play rouges as having it, it might just be for the best.
Actually, though it's not technically included in OCD, I think actually playing out kleptomania would be quite similar to playing OCD. The difference being that the compulsion/obsession is always stealing (without regards to monetary gain...which eliminates many of our rogue friends from being klepto's).
P.S. Very nice guide...lotsa good info here.
nice guide. I do have one critique:
2. Be Considerate.
Mental illness in our society is quite common, ranging from a child’s ADHD to the homeless schizophrenic
This is (unintentionally, I'm sure) ironic. Do we refer to a person diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia as a cancer?
This is (unintentionally, I'm sure) ironic. Do we refer to a person diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia as a cancer?
Odd, I'll admit...but technically correct. Schizophrenic can be used as a noun in reference to someone w/ schizophrenia.
It's in the dictionary and quite a few medical journal articles.
Odd, I'll admit...but technically correct. Schizophrenic can be used as a noun in reference to someone w/ schizophrenia.
It's in the dictionary and quite a few medical journal articles.
Please refer to the APA Manual of Style, 5th edition for the following:
When possible, avoid labeling people. Be especially sensitive to turning people into their condition: Instead of "a schizophrenic," write "person diagnosed with schizophrenia" or "schizophrenic person."
Please refer to the APA Manual of Style, 5th edition for the following:
Well, look at that. Bastard Webster.
You win.
I often refer to myself as an Aspie--somebody with Asperger Syndrome--just because the full phrase is so cumbersome. Political correctness has probably caused a great deal of carpal-tunnel syndrome!
I figured I made it clear enough that a character with a mental illness shouldn't be defined by the mental illness--it's boring, unrealistic, lazy, and pretty disrespectful. But maybe they wanted the "proper" language, too.
I guess it was that, and the fact that I refer to "insanity" (which is a legal term, not a medical one) instead of "having a mental illness or neurological condition", that got the post rejected from Regdar's. After all, the WizOs have to watch what they legitimize.
Me, I'm already long-winded enough without politically-correct circumlocution.
Pyromania: Obsession with fire. Watching and sometimes starting fire causes euphoria to the "pyro". As a rule of thumb character sets things on fire solely for fun; where setting things on fire for profit is simply arsoning.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable enough. You are obsessed with fire, not firestarting. Of course you start your own fires too, but you don't get the same kind of pleasure pyrophiliacs do. As a DM sprinkle the world with firestarting opportunities and allow for a will save with a relatively easy DC.
Alignment Suggestions: must be chaotic, obsession with fire is actually obsession with destruction and entrophy in it's core. So pyromaniacs are actually paragon CN people.
Likely Ability Scores: any.
IMPOTANT DETAIL: Remember, PYROMANIAC people are just disturbed, PYROPHILIACS are outright psychotic. If you have an image of a pyromaniac in your head, the guy you are thinking about is probably a pyrophiliac.
edit: wanna see my latest burn mark?
Originally Posted by Callista View Post
5. My Insanity Pet Peeve
There is a difference between schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, and if you play one or the other, don’t confuse them. Schizophrenia does not involve multiple personalities. Rather, it involves hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thought. Multiple personality disorder (now called dissociative identity disorder) involves various personalities in one person; it is usually caused by extreme trauma and does not involve a loss of touch with reality (other than amnesia).
I have to point out that it is also very controversial; there is strong evidence that the original multiple personality disorder was a condition almost invented by analysts rather than discovered, much like 'recovered memory syndrome' was effectively invented by the analysts that believed in it. The idea that people can have multiple, totally separate personalities that do not know what another personality has done has now been effectively sunk ... as a number of lawsuits can attest.
well done.I'm an Aspie myself, and I think you did a real good job describing both that and autism (and the all the rest). I'd probably give more details to someone trying to play an Aspie (such as hypersensitivity to different sense impressions and having some social problems occur mostly around NTs), but that would be too long and detailed for this audience (but I soooo love details :D ).
Again, well done. Nice to know I'm not the only female Aspie psychology geek here... although a bit scary (I mean, what are the odds?)
First is the common (in terms of CRPG) flawed protagonist. Like pretty much all the lead chars in a Final Fantasy Game, or Xenosaga type games.
Second is the common (sadly) version you see in RPGs, which ends up being code for "I don't want to be responsible for my own actions, cause, yknow, I've got a mental illness". This is the one that irks me, kinda in lines with the "I wanna play CN" or "I'm a Neutral Halfling Rogue" which are also code words for "I wanna screw with things"
BTW, are megalomania and delusions of grandeur considered to be an aspect of narcissistic personality disorder, or are they independent?
(Also, an (uninformed) quibble: I'm not sure about someone with narcissistic personality disorder always being chaotic though -- could a lawful evil vampire count type be a narcissist? I'm certainly not an expert on such matters, but it seems to me that lawful types could be narcissistic.)
Also, how treatable is mental illness in D&D? What is the effect of remove disease? Are there any herbal medications that could alleviate the symptoms of any of the disorders mentioned?
Overall, great stuff.
Also, how treatable is mental illness in D&D? What is the effect of remove disease? Are there any herbal medications that could alleviate the symptoms of any of the disorders mentioned?
Good question. St John's Wort is supposed to be good for depression (although should not be taken with regular antidepressants as they may conflict), and there are probably other herbal remedies that may be effective.
I think there was a rule in Heroes of Horror that meant you character had to make a Fort save or become sickened on seeing gory scenes (like corpses). Maybe someone with an antisocial personality should automatically pass or get a bonus, as I don't think they would care so much. (I'm not a psychologist though, so forgive me if I'm wrong.)
Those are very good descriptions. I have Asperger's too.
I think there was a rule in Heroes of Horror that meant you character had to make a Fort save or become sickened on seeing gory scenes (like corpses). Maybe someone with an antisocial personality should automatically pass or get a bonus, as I don't think they would care so much. (I'm not a psychologist though, so forgive me if I'm wrong.)
That's a really cool idea.
Kind of built in Traits/Flaws to specific things.
Autism could certainly have a chance for Savantism, with insane bonuses to one particular skill.
Also, I have a question.
What is your opinion on a person roleplaying a character with a disorder that that person has?
I'll use an example to make things a little more clear. Lets say your an Albino Drow (From the Drow of the Underdark book). The Drow, after training you, release you into the surface world. But somewhere along the way you develop dissociative fugue from the stress of life in the underdark and the expectations people have of you. Thats when you create the persona of a normal high elf and integrate into society acting on example of normal elves. This could give you an alignment of lets say, neutral good. But your other personalities alignment is still neutral evil.
How would you handle this for classes and PrCs, feats, and spells that have to deal with alignment or alignment restrictions?
On Dissociative Fugue, do you think it that the new personality created could have a completely new alignment that could directly conflict the characters old alignment?
I'll use an example to make things a little more clear. Lets say your an Albino Drow (From the Drow of the Underdark book). The Drow, after training you, release you into the surface world. But somewhere along the way you develop dissociative fugue from the stress of life in the underdark and the expectations people have of you. Thats when you create the persona of a normal high elf and integrate into society acting on example of normal elves. This could give you an alignment of lets say, neutral good. But your other personalities alignment is still neutral evil.
How would you handle this for classes and PrCs, feats, and spells that have to deal with alignment or alignment restrictions?
Thinking small?
What if a formerly C-E person who had dissociative fugue tried to (or suceeded) become a paliden.
Thinking small?
What if a formerly C-E person who had dissociative fugue tried to (or suceeded) become a paliden.
For THAT kind of thing, there's always the Helm of Opposite Alignment. 4k and one voluntarily failed Will save later, you're LG, and you enjoy it, as per the HoOA's description.
Secondly, I'm currently roleplaying a character with a lame foot, which is more a lump of tissue then a useful limb. Because he was treated like an outcast by his peers and protected from most physical labour, he felt useless and wanted to prove the opposite. Of course he has many more traits, but do you think there could be a mental illness incorporated with this? Or is it just a 'personality disorder'?
however to all those bringing up, pyromania, cleptomania, megalomania, nymphomania, and so on, they can all be sorted under the category of Manias, or obessions.
Practically a Mania is the reverse of a phobia, and we wouldnt want to list all the phobias around do we?
(however a list of manias and phobias wouldnt be such an bad idea, just giving the name and what the object of ones obession/dread is, like Altiophobia: fear of heights)
just my 2 coppars
Also Callista I think you should look into Clinical lycanthropy, an offshot of zoanthropy (Zoanthropy would be rather unplayable i recon) an very intresting condition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_lycanthropy
Retrograde amnesia prevents the retension of declarative memory. These amnesiacs do not "remember [that]" something is true; they won't remember people they meet, or things they did.
However, procedural memory - memory [how to do] - and the ability to add to it, can be retained. An illustrative example:
Say some person, Fred, has retrograde amnesia, and has not, in fact, ever touched a piano before. He goes to see someone to teach him to play the piano. He says
"I'm not going to remember any of this."
The teacher says "Don't worry. Just play."
So they play for a session. He performs as well as any at the end of a session. He then goes home.
Next day someone asks Fred to see the same piano teacher. He has the same reaction he did the first time, he says "I've never played the piano." His friends and family tell him sure sure, just go, please, for us. So he agrees.
He doesn't recognize the teacher, of course, and the teacher introduces himself. He then gives him some lessons. Fred seems to have a bit of a knack for the piano. He doesn't remember having played the piano before, but he's learning as though he had a bit of natural talent. The teacher tells him he did well, and wishes him goodbye.
When the next session comes around, his friends and family urge him to go. He says he's never played before, but he goes anyway.
He gets there, the teacher introduces. Then the teacher does something weird: He says "Just play."
Fred says, "What are you talking about? I don't know how."
"Just play. Come on."
Fred decides to play.
... he's really good - for someone who (thinks he) hasn't touched a piano before in his life. He's so good he startles himself. He is in fact drawing on two sessions of experience, which, let's say, makes him somewhere between novice and amateur.
*~*~*~
I don't know why this is; that this is possible is very meaningful evidence to people trying to decipher memory at the fore, right now.
But the point is, skills can be acquired. You don't need to know [that] to know [how].
A wizard, though, seems right out, as you do need declarative memory. Also, the feasibility of actually becoming an adventurer in this state, is remote. But rather than adventuring, if you stayed in some region, and of course had companions who'd look after you, I could see someone picking up skills, like... that of a rogue or a bard (who couldn't learn lyrics but could learn to play an instrument). A rogue could learn the sleight of hand skills and the awareness skills, though he could only report on his present perceptions.
... Not sure how language acquisition works with this amnesia. Probably impossible, since after the critical period language is learned the way math and science are.
[color=darkred]Antisocial Personality Disorder:[/color] A pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of others, as well as criminal behavior. Most serial killers have Antisocial Personality Disorder; but this is not necessary—some are simply ruthless businessmen, bullies, or jerks. People with APD can, however, be quite charming and manipulative—when they get something out of it.
Suitability for PCs: Only where Evil characters are allowed, and only when played by someone who can handle playing someone with essentially no conscience. Remember that an antisocial person cares most about himself, however; and that he will not commit an Evil act if he can see that it will not benefit him.
Likely Ability Scores: No Modifications. Likely to have high CHA and INT.
Alignment Suggestions: Always any Evil, especially CE. Consider someone with APD to be cured if he changes alignment away from Evil.
I tend to disagree with this one. You describe someone with APD as possibly quite charming, however none examples you give are known for this trait (rutheless business man, bully, jerk...). In fact, one of the characteristics of many types of APD is how 'normal' seeming and often likable the person is.
Also, I disagree with the 'always evil' description. As you said, someone with APD does not necessarily commit every evil act that pops into their heads, they instead do those that benefit them. But, the reverse is true, if they see a benefit in it they have no problem being good, possibly even for prolonged periods of time. Put someone with APD in a situation where being good is the most beneficial choice and they'll generally be good. Put them in a situation where they benefit most by acting evil and that's most likely how they'll act. I think in most situations, though, they'd tend toward neutral.
Well done. Note that I'm not one to give praise lightly (as I'm sure anyone familiar with my rantings here will know), but you've done a really good job here. It's a good thing to see the occasional useful thread on this forum. Consider it bookmarked."...'Evil' implies hurting, oppressing, and killing others. Some evil creatures simply have no compassion for others and kill without qualms if doing so is convenient. Others actively pursue evil..."
My Abnormal Psychology teacher spent 30 minutes explaining the difference between "asocial" and "antisocial." She wanted to make it very clear that Antisocial Personality Disorder represented a very dangerous condition. By the standards put forward in the PHB, I'd say that fits the definition of Evil very clearly.
So what alignment is someone incapable of determining the diference between right and wrong?
I'm not the expert, but my guess is that true amorality would mean true nuetrality.
That said, I have to ask: What about those of us who just want to play weird characters? Those might not be necessarily insane, but are definitely outside the normal as far as attitudes and mindsets are concerned?
Common Example: Gnomish Pyromaniac Evoker.
So what alignment is someone incapable of determining the diference between right and wrong?
Any Evil. Ethical axis determined normally.
But knowing the difference between good and evil, and simply not caring--as in Antisocial Personality Disorder--would probably make you ev I'm upholding my "Always Evil" requirement for Antisocial, because the criteria in the DSM-IV require that the person has a pervasive pattern of ignoring the rights of others. Being neutral with Antisocial tendencies is still possible, but a psychiatrist wouldn't diagnose your character as Antisocial because if he's neutral, then he doesn't constantly ignore others' rights, as an evil person would.
I'm not the expert, but my guess is that true amorality would mean true nuetrality.
That said, I have to ask: What about those of us who just want to play weird characters? Those might not be necessarily insane, but are definitely outside the normal as far as attitudes and mindsets are concerned?
Common Example: Gnomish Pyromaniac Evoker.
Lots of people are eccentric without being actually mentally ill. I'd say you'd be in the "eccentric" category. Though, if you're talking about "pyromania" as in the guy having to exert force of will NOT to start a fire, then you'd have Impulse Control Disorder, Not otherwise specified. If he just likes fire and prefers it as a tactic, then he'd be eccentric, not insane.
First, the roots of my insanity. I was playing a Lawful Neutral Monk, in a party that was either Neutral or Evil. Due to plot, i was also travelling with Satan, though i didnt know it. The party was dungeoncrawling (duh), and i was in front because the Rogue wasnt there that day. Now, since i have a chronic history of not being able to roll higher than a 10 on a d20 [separate problem
], i made a lot of noise going down the hall. I was attacked by this guy who kidnapped people and drained their blood, then painted it on the walls (for good reason). I failed reflex, grapple, and strength checks consecutively, and he picked me up and slammed me into the wall. My party members were still pressing him for information at this point, we were very confused about the wall thing. Now, i was still unable to save myself, so i asked for help freeing myself from my party. Their response was for Satan to hurl a Flaming Longsword at the enemy, in the hopes that the shock would make him drop me. In accordance with my luck of the night, not only did he make the reflex save (and the probabilities of this happening were told before it happened, so the DM wasnt just screwing me), but he basically blocked the sword with my arm. Fight goes on, i cant make the Constitution check to drink a potion of cure medium wounds to heal myself, despite several attempts. The Samurai focus' more on stealing the potions i drop that dont break than helping me, which really irritates me. At this point the enemy flies into a rage, smashes me into a wall and then throws me across the room. He crits. Twice. I die.As i am sitting there, verrry irritated at my party, particularly the Samurai, the fight continues. A Fire Elemental is summoned, and is instructed to attack the bloody wall in an effort to dry it. The theory is that the power of the enemy is coming from the bloody wall.
The wall dries, then splits open. It actually opens a portal to Styx, where the DM was planning on us fighting a boss. But, i just died. I am actually just on the other side of the portal. Here's the creepy thing; from this point on i succeed on ALL of my rolls. I am able to escape Styx, drawing an attack bonus from contact with my ancestors, and for some reason i have no skin. I attack the Samurai in a rage (my own decision, im thinking that i'll die when the portal closes), and make several hits. We kill the first enemy, and the boss emerges from the portal. The portal shuts, and im still alive. We are all hurt (well, not me, i just returned from the dead) so we run away like wusses. I am told to roll a %, and get 50, and am now half-insane and skinless. The reason for insanity at this point is that i have died and gained Forbidden Knowledge of religion and the planes. I also have had to switch my alignment from Lawful Neutral to Lawful Evil, because of the corrupting influences of being abandoned by my party and falling into a river of blood.
Because i have no skin, i've been stealing the skins of enemies to eliminate Dex penalties imposed by the DM; hes cool, though, in that he is spawning monsters like half-dragons, whom when we kill them i get bonus' from wearing their skin.
To make this all more complicated, the Wizard has been granted Time control magic from a genie, though his control is sporadic. It has been discussed that he may involuntarily take the party back in Time to the plane of Styx, where my insane present self may end up stealing the skin of my past self. It hasn't happend, but it could; treat this as a separate complicator.
In a bid for extra abilities, i also crafted a sock puppet that i can talk to. It represents my subconcious mind, and i can talk to it to get insights into situations. It doesnt know anything i dont, but it can optimize what i do. Basically, in gameplay i can ask the DM if i can notice an obvious solution by rolling some kind of check. With my newly developed skin obsession, i may make more puppets out of skin. There has also been talk of having the Wizard make my puppet an Item Familiar for me, to give me more bonus'.
Be advised, i did say our DM is crazy; this kind of thing has happened to every character, in different ways. The way its being run all of this is a product of the initial influence of Satan, and we are all going to be turned into really powerful characters even before being epic. Enemies are weighted accordingly. Of the transformations that have occured, mine is the darkest thus far (the Samurai is normal at time of post).
As a disclaimer, it may not have happened exactly like that rules-wise; im a comparative n00b in the party, i miss things, its probably why he allowed the puppet. And all the bad things that happened happened legitimatly- it was a product of my ridiculously bad luck streak, even with dies i didnt control. 7 7's in a row, and i was crit by a WALL. After my bad luck was pronounced when the enemy grabbed me and was holding me, the DM started calling the probabilities of bad things that could happen to me; they were very fair, no way he was cheating. For example, he said that on a d20 roll if i rolled a 1 when the flaming sword hit me then a coating of grease from an adventure 2 hours earlier (gametime) would still be wet. Guess who was on fire... I assume this frustration contrubuted to my alignment change and to my insanity.
So, in psychological terms, do you have any advice on how to play this character in general?
Specifically:
Can i talk to the puppet as a kind of mental therapy?
Is stealing the skins of my foes and wearing them just insane, or is it also making me more Chaotic? Do i need to develop a Lawful tic in order to remain a Monk?
How feasible is it to play an insane Monk?
And do i feel persecuted by the characters who were with me in that dungeon (Satan has since left us)? Would this animosity affect gameplay, even with the moderating effects of the other party members (Wizard, Cleric, and Rogue- the Wizard is Neutral, the others Evil)
Take a minute to digest it, this sounds like i need serious therapy. I will not give up the character, he's only half insane, so if this sounds ultimately unfeasible then ways to avoid destroying myself through insanity are greatly appreciated.
[color=darkred]Personality Disorders[/color]
Rather than being classic mental illnesses (in which the brain does not function properly), personality disorders are diagnosed when a person’s outlook, way of thinking, and way of life causes distress for him and/or others. Some have argued that the personality disorders are not mental illness at all, but extreme variations of normal personality traits.
The personality disorders are the main exception to “Any alignment can have any mental illness”. Because personality disorders are extreme versions of personality traits, and because alignment is closely associated with personality, some of these disorders occur only within certain alignments.
[color=darkred]Paranoid Personality Disorder:[/color] Chronic mistrust and suspicion of other people, without any good reason to be suspicious.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. PCs often do have a good reason to be suspicious, though—meaning that not every paranoid PC actually has this disorder.
Alignment Suggestions: None, though Lawful people will often be suspicious of people plotting against the party (or some other organization they belong to), while Chaotic people will suspect everyone of plotting against them, personally.
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <8
[color=darkred]Schizoid Personality Disorder:[/color] This stereotypical “loner” cares little about other people, or about having any relationships with them. He takes little pleasure in life and does not have strong emotions.
Suitability for PCs: Not very suitable—not because it’s disruptive, but because playing a loner means missing the biggest part of role-play: Interacting with other PCs and the environment.
Alignment Suggestions: True Neutral or CN; unlikely to be either Good or Evil
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <8
[color=darkred]Schizotypal Personality Disorder:[/color] An eccentric person who behaves inappropriately in social situations, has strange beliefs, and speaks in a disorganized manner.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. If you want to play a schizophrenic character but don’t want to disrupt the game too much, SPD is a good choice.
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <8
Alignment Suggestions: CN.
[color=darkred]Antisocial Personality Disorder:[/color] A pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of others, as well as criminal behavior. Most serial killers have Antisocial Personality Disorder; but this is not necessary—some are simply ruthless businessmen, bullies, or jerks. People with APD can, however, be quite charming and manipulative—when they get something out of it.
Suitability for PCs: Only where Evil characters are allowed, and only when played by someone who can handle playing someone with essentially no conscience. Remember that an antisocial person cares most about himself, however; and that he will not commit an Evil act if he can see that it will not benefit him.
Likely Ability Scores: No Modifications. Likely to have high CHA and INT.
Alignment Suggestions: Always any Evil, especially CE. Consider someone with APD to be cured if he changes alignment away from Evil.
[color=darkred]Borderline Personality Disorder:[/color] This person has unstable moods and does not have a stable self-concept. He tends to be impulsive and to define himself by his relationships with others, which are usually intense, chaotic, and brief. Low self-esteem is common.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable, but be prepared for other PCs to think your character is pretty annoying.
Likely Ability Scores: WIS <8
Alignment Suggestions: Always Chaotic.
[color=darkred]Histrionic Personality Disorder:[/color] This person’s self-esteem depends on what others think of him. His moods shift rapidly; and his behavior is dramatic and often overly seductive.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable—but unlike your character, be careful that you do not demand the spotlight at all times.
Likely Ability Scores: WIS <8
Alignment Suggestions: Always Chaotic.
[color=darkred]Narcissistic Personality Disorder:[/color] Believes that he is extremely important; very high self-esteem. Arrogant; willing to exploit others to benefit himself.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. Be prepared for the other PCs to think yours is pretty annoying—or else funny. Depends on how you play it!
Likely Ability Scores: Likely to have high INT and/or CHA.
Alignment Suggestions: Always Chaotic; usually non-Good
[color=darkred]Avoidant Personality Disorder:[/color] He’s constantly afraid you won’t like him, or that he’ll do something to embarrass himself. Chronically shy and nervous.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable.
Likely Ability Scores: CHA <6.
Alignment Suggestions: None
[color=darkred]Dependent Personality Disorder:[/color] He’ll do anything for anyone—to the point of ignoring his own needs completely. The problem is, he can’t make decisions for himself, or take initiative for himself without someone else to depend on for advice and decision-making.
Suitability for PCs: Suitable. Talk to and arrange things with a fellow PC who is willing to help you play out this character’s extreme dependency.
Likely Ability Scores: WIS <8
Alignment Suggestions: Usually Good; sometimes Neutral; almost never Evil (though may end up in a relationship with an Evil character, as friend or partner, and be seduced, sometimes literally, into Evil).
[color=darkred]Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder:[/color] Extreme rigidity in way of life, routine, organization, and social interaction. Usually stiff and formal. Anxious about having his routine disturbed. (Note: Not the same as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.)
Suitability for PCs: Suitable.
Likely Ability Scores: No modifications.
Alignment Suggestions: Always Lawful.
This is great Callista, you should talk to one of the 3rd party publishers and see if you can get it published in a more polished format!
a Mental Illness would also make a great set of flaws, complete with Will checks to not perform certain activities at the DMs discretion. Such as an OCD character having to finish his ritual before he can engage in combat.
I understand Mental illnesses as well, my wife is OCD and I'm ADD, as are my children.
1) Overall 'low' - the person has over the long term a generally negative outlook, exhibited as paranoia, anxiety, depression or neurosis.
2) Psychotic episodes - psychoses does not mean violence (in fact psychotics are less likely to be violent than otherwise, although those that are violent are VERY violent). In this case it means periodic periods of sensory hallucination. These may be temporary or long time, and include the 'classic' symptom of 'hearing voices'.
3) Creative enhancement - schizophrenics tend to be very creative (not necessarily talented, though). The artist Picasso is thought to have been schizophrenic - he painted some very odd things because that's what he actually was seeing.
On the regard of alignment ...
Most people we could regard as evil see themselves as good, or at least justified in their actions. The man who beats a person to death in a bar-room brawl may see nothing wrong in this as it was "A fair fight" or "Self defence" even though to a bystander it was a savage attack. People can, will and do skew their perceptions of events to match their self image. A Blackguard still thinks he is a Paladin and still thinks he is lawful good ...
gonna bump 'cause im too tired to post anythig nmeaningfull, but also may need some insanity things soon for the game I'm DMing. and no metagaming Monk!
Yeah; because the hint we might do a quest in my own beard wasnt a clue enough!
I really should get round to analyzing some of the more minor disorders, plus a few fictional ones involving magic and such. Preferably before college starts up again and I have to make Will saves versus insanity in calculus class.
I'm thinking about playing a narcoleptic character in a while. I wonder how that'd pan out...
Yes, I am speaking from personal experience.
People with Asperger’s are eccentric, known for their special interests—topics which fascinate them, in which they usually become experts—and their social (and often physical) clumsiness.
Wow, I'm happily surprised to see how many people with aspergers game! I was diagnosed in, I think 3rd or 4th grade.
My special intrest is definitly games. I think participating in events at my LGS has greatly improved my social skills(In person social skills that is).
For the purpose of conversation I wanted to shed a little light on the state of Autism and Aspergers, as determined by the medical body. As a point of reference, I am an Asperger and I am an M.D. In truth, nothing I say should influence what Callista has written as I believe the way she has presented it is perfectly fine (or better) for use with D&D.
First, a common-sense disclaimer. Normalcy is determined by body of society, and as such nobody is either on or off when it comes to mental illness, development, and personality disorders. The whole world is full of people who range from severely influenced to influenced so little as to spend their whole life never having caught the interest of anyone. Anytime you want to sit down and make your character influenced by one of these states, you also have to determine how intense the experiences are going to be. In most cases, light intensity results in primarily roleplaying considerations, while moderate or high intensity results in what we've come to know as the stereotype of that illness.
What is Autism/Aspergers?
In short, it is a system of behavior. One slice of the great big pie of behavior that was given the name Autism/Aspergers.
More accurately, the part of the brain that helps hardwire sensory input/output tends to develop in one certain fashion which results in your average joe, but can actually develop with a pretty wide variety of deviations. The deviations in sensory input/output can be as insignificant as having particularly keen eyesight, as moderate as feeling the rain as insects crawling on your skin, and as serious (or beyond) as interpreting the sound of your mother's voice as stabbing and overwhelming pain. Every person with Autism/Aspergers has this deviation of sensory input/output, and because this deviation can be so varied it results in such a wide range of Autism types. That's why it's a spectrum disorder. In truth, large numbers of people with this sensory deviation never have the kinds of deviation which result in the somewhat specific trend of Autism behavior as a child. They end up falling into a large number of other categories.
As you can well imagine, a baby who cries and feels it's mother's touch as agonizing pain (or any number of other things), is going to develop a little bit differently from the rest of the world. You grow up with different interpretations of the world around you, react differently to stimuli, and even come to logical conclusions that wouldn't hold up for a normal person. This is where Autism/Aspergers comes in. Within a certain range of sensory deviation, you end up with a whole mass of people that behave in a relatively similar manner because their deviations were similar or at least the way they developed cognitive functions was similar. Every one of us with Autism/Aspergers responded and grew up through our sensory deviation in a mildly similar manner, and that was given the name Autism. Later, a slice of the Autism Spectrum was labeled Aspergers.
If you are part of the Autism Spectrum and have poor muscle tone, it is because you developed with a somewhat different set of sensory input for your nervous system. It's perfectly possible to have an Autist with poor muscle tone for that reason, but it is by no means all Autists. Just the same, it is perfectly possible to have an Autist that is overwhelmed by certain stimuli and shuts down as a defense mechanism, but it is by no means all Autists. This is really why it is so damnably hard to communicate with severely affected Autistics. You only have faith that what you're doing, or saying, is actually what they are hearing/ feeling/ smelling/ seeing/ tasting. Not to mention the way they developed mentally as a consequence of this stimuli scramble means they possibly couldn't care less about what you have to say (or any number of social developments). Autism/Aspergers is a seriously fascinating spectrum disorder to me precisely because you have two completely separate but intimately connected filters to work through.
Anyway, the entire point of this post was just to shed some light on Autism/Aspergers from the biological perspective. I hope it was useful to those of you fascinated by such things. Good luck in all of your future roleplaying!
Kudos.
If it wasn't so long a story, I would ask your input on the character Mostin from Tales of Wyre (in my sig under favorite reads). I think he did an absolutely perfect job of representing said topic (particularly a phobia against birds and narcissism) properly and believably in his campaign.
a fighting type could be obsessive about his weapons being clean and sharp. in a mild form, he will have to clean his sword after battle and check it closely for nicks. he may absent mindedly sharpen a dagger while walking.
a paladin could have a compulsion to constantly watch for evil, similar for a ranger and his hated enemy.
someone of any class could simply be a collector taking a small trophy from each enemy killed, I am not referring to weapons here either, more like a tooth, a scale or bit of fur perhaps, and the character becomes depressed if there is no opportunity for a collectable.
now I am not talking severe OCD where the fighter above would do nothing but sharpen his weapons until is is useless.
I did take some abnormal psych years ago, but do not claim to be an expert on this subject, other than I can be a bit obsessive about collecting minis sets.
I am currently playing a PC with Sociopathy that's based on a conglomerate of all my ex-girlfriends. It's going very well.
A sociopath, along with any other member of any other mental illness doesn't usually suffer from all of the traits of their illness. In fact, it's very rare that someone runs the gambit on the traits of their illness.
A sociopath isn't diagnosed because he or she fits all 20 of the top 20 criteria. A sociopath might have very slight cases of four or five traits, or a very pronounced trait or two.
For anyone to actually display every facet of their illness is absurd. It almost never happens in real life. You can and should go through the list of traits for each illness and pick the ones you want to have.
Bear in mind that your character should not disrupt or impact other characters, and that in the end you should respect your fellows when concocting a nut-job.
The traits of sociopathy that I chose for my character are the ones that no one is really affected by except for my character. I also went to great pains to discuss with my other players and GM not just which traits she had, but also which traits she did not so that others would not read into them.
For example, many sociopaths are compulsive liars. My PC would probably completely trash the game if that happened, so I chose not to have that trait for my character. On her description I addressed this so that my peers would not only know what Ket was, but what she was not:
* Deceitfulness: Ket is the antithesis of the notion, and will always attempt to keep her word as much as she can; within the realm of reason. She is integral, and trusts others and lets them trust her. She does not betray her friends, manipulate them, nor undermine them in any way. In this regard she is highly ethical and it is perhaps, her most redeeming trait.
Like I said, I'm just putting that out there.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)
Popularized by the movie Sybil, in which a young woman is treated for multiple personalities, DID is one of the most colorful and controversial of the psychological disorders. It is classed as a dissociative disorder, not a psychotic disorder—the various personalities usually do not lose touch with reality. The personalities may be aware or unaware of each other; and amnesia while another personality is in control is common, though not ubiquitous. DID is often caused by extreme, long-term childhood abuse. Personalities have different functions; they may be different ages and genders; in D&D, they may be different classes, races, and alignments as well.
[color=Navy]Suitability for PCs:[/color] Unsuitable, unless the personalities have access to the same character sheet. Otherwise, the character is essentially a multiclass character who cannot use skills from more than one class at a time—a real hindrance to the party. If you create a character with DID, discuss with the DM who will determine when the personalities “switch”. Do not create a character with more than two, or at most three, personalities.
[color=Navy]Mechanical Suggestions:[/color] A save DC versus switching personalities in a stressful situation may be useful. NPCs with DID may have different mental ability scores for each personality, but I do not recommend this for PCs. If you do want to switch the mental ability scores, make sure the point buy is the same, and keep separate character sheets for each personality so that it’s not necessary to constantly recalculate modifiers. Switching mental ability scores can be a real asset to the character if done at will (i.e., it may make him too strong), so if you do this, have the DM determine when your character changes personalities.
[color=Navy]Alignment Suggestions:[/color] The main personality is likely to be True Neutral, with the more extreme alignment tendencies “handled” by alter personalities.
[color=Navy]Likely Ability Scores:[/color] Wisdom <10 thanks to the trauma which created DID.
[color=Navy]Race/Class Notes:[/color] Classes with alignment restrictions are not recommended for a character with DID. Any character who uses psionic powers is likely to be aware of his multiple personalities, and thus eventually cured of the disorder.
After working on a psion, I'd say that psionic characters are particularly suited to DID.
1) A psion may push his other personality into a psi-crystal.
2) Also a psion with DID may claim that, when manifesting Schism, his other personality is at work. If he does this, he is unlikely to be cured even though being aware.