Limitless Champions: Disabled Fantasy 3D Miniatures
July 15, 2022
Update: Don’t miss the adventures!
We are making a book of adventures that feature these characters and demonstrate how to use them respectfully in a roleplaying game. Follow the Kickstarter to get notified when it launches for an early backer bonus adventure!
And sign up for The Dragon’s Hoard to get weekly inclusive gaming updates, discounts, free gifts, and more in your inbox!
We are making history!
What if your fantasy RPG world included disabled people, just like the real world?
What if that disability representation went beyond wheelchairs and pirates?
We’re creating the largest, most diverse line of disabled fantasy miniatures ever made with 5e stat blocks and cards, which launched in a Kickstarter campaign on May 2, 2023.
Limitless Champions will make history as the largest, most diverse collection of disabled fantasy game miniatures ever created.
Backers at Silver or higher within the first 48 hours get a free alternate STL of Rohna Ginnsley, a bard who uses her multi-armed wheelchair for assistance! (Available to others as an add-on)
Character representation includes:
Alopecia Areata
Amputation
Anxiety/Panic Disorder (represented by a fidget, grounding device, and emotional comfort animal)
Face Differences (Treacher Collins syndrome, Cleft Palate)
Multiple Sclerosis
Quadriplegia
Each character includes:
5e Stat block
Background & Personality
Full color character art
Miniature (Choice of STL, pre-printed mini)
Plot hooks for inclusion in your game
Also included:
Condition markers accessible to visually impaired gamers
Wooden chests with custom artwork
Digital Planner stickers & VTT Tokens (Stretch Goal)
Service Animals (Stretch Goals)
The character collection follows accessibility principles for maximum readability (dyslexia, colorblindness, etc.) and will be available in multiple formats: PDF, ePub, txt, audio, and it will be included in Lair format for all subscribers.
Wyrmworks Publishing prioritizes hiring disabled, neurodiverse, and mentally ill creators for all of our projects, and characters on this project are based on a combination of research and conversations from previous projects, real-world people who commissioned characters based on themselves, and consultation with therapists, advocacy professionals, people whose experiences are represented here, and before the final sensitivity reading and edit, besides playtesting, we will send the manuscript to backers who are represented here for additional feedback.
We’re accepting ongoing applications from a variety of freelancers who are interested in working with us to make lives better through tabletop roleplaying games. If you are a TTRPG creator or artist who would like to work with us, please submit the following.
Become a Wyrmworks Publishing Affiliate
July 15, 2022
Fans, podcasters, streamers, and anyone else who thinks more people should know about Wyrmworks Publishing’s products and wants to join us in helping you make lives better with tabletop roleplaying games, we have an offer for you!
Join the Wyrmworks Publishing Affiliate program, give your fans a discount, and get a commission as our thanks!
Sign up using the form below.
We will review your application. If we feel you are a good fit, we will send you a link to our affiliate contract and promotion graphics.
Once you sign the contract, we will give you a coupon code.
Anyone new who buys one or more of our products using your coupon code gets a 10% off discount, and you get a 10% commission! It’s a win for you, a win for your fans, and it helps get the word out about our products and mission!
And if you want to use our products in actual play shows or similar uses, we can help you with samples or discounts.
Improvements in TTRPG Inclusion
July 15, 2022
When we launched Limitless Heroics, we said, ”Limitless Heroics is more than an RPG book. It’s a petition. Back this project, and you communicate to every game publisher on earth that disabled people exist and can easily be included in their games, that the customers want that representation, and that accessibility and representation are necessary core features for future products.” Some scoffed at that. Others called it virtue signaling. But we truly believe that these small actions have a ripple effect on the industry and the world.
Efforts toward inclusion have definitely improved over the years. Third party products like Ancestry & Culture and An Elf and an Orc Had a Little Baby offer suggestions for better representation and an alternative to the bioessentialism that has had such a prominent role in Dungeons & Dragons throughout its existence. Wizards of the Coast began making changes with Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and took racial representation to the next level with the announcement of Journeys through the Radiant Citadel, and we applaud these efforts and see the leader of the industry providing a positive example for racial representation.
But what about disability representation?
The first well-known effort to better represent disabilities in role-playing games came from the viral Combat Wheelchair, followed closely by the inexplicably controversial ”ramps in dungeons” adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries, but note that the latter, while published by Wizards of the Coast, was only designed to be accessible by its author, Jennifer Kretchmer, not by direction from the company, which is obvious in that that’s the only adventure in the collection that includes any deliberate accessibility. (GURPS and the Hero System also include disabilities, but it does more harm than good.)
Besides a handful of very small games floating around itch.io, Accessible Games produces Psi-Punk and Survival of the Able, and Evil Hat’s Fate Accessibility Toolkit was the first deliberate representation publication by a second tier publisher, and it’s still considered the best of its kind in the industry, and while it’s brilliant, it’s also the best because it’s the only one of its kind until Limitless Heroics finishes production.
But now Marvel has thrown down the Infinity Gauntlet of accessibility with the Marvel Multiverse RPG, including limited but deliberate disability representation. Disney/Marvel by no means leads the TTRPG space, but they’re the first company to enter it in recent years with the potential to challenge WotC on their home turf. While Marvel’s past TTRPG offerings haven’t challenged D&D for dominance, that’s not necessary even now to see more inclusion. (No, I have no illusions that Limitless Heroics influenced this decision.)
As more publishers, especially media companies whose reach extends beyond the TTRPG sphere, implement disability inclusion in their game systems and campaign worlds, the more it becomes expected. Imagine how odd a campaign world of all white characters would seem today thanks to the civil rights movements and the ongoing work of millions to demand racial representation. In the same way, games and other media without a broad range of orientations and gender expressions are becoming increasingly expected.
The more we see accurate and positive disability representation throughout different forms of media, the more it becomes a standard. I look forward to the day when the lack of disability representation becomes noticeable.
Enter the Dragon’s Hoard
July 15, 2022
Our fans are actively dedicated to joining us in our mission to make lives better through tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPG).
We provide what you’d expect from a weekly publisher email: discounts, freebies, and news, but we also provide personal encouragement and opportunities to improve lives by working together. This is also the place for playtest announcements of upcoming products.
Our fans make the world a better place, and we truly treasure them, which is why we call them the Dragon’s Hoard, and we invite you to become a part of this treasure trove by signing up today and immediately getting your own free collection of treasure as soon as you confirm your subscription!
The Kickstarter is done. Sort of. Now what?
July 15, 2022
Hi, wonderful patrons! I know I’ve been quiet lately here on Patreon, and before that, I’ve been talking a lot about the Limitless Heroics Kickstarter, and now that it’s done, what’s next?
Of course, first of all, it’s far from done! If you’ve been watching the conversations in the Discord (Feel free to jump into the conversations!), everyone is busy creating characters, making artwork, writing additional pieces — over 200 magic items and so much more! We set July as the target date and are on track for that, and here’s a Patreon-exclusive teaser draft just for you that I just finished based on a backer submission! (Note: it hasn’t gone through our extensive editorial process yet, so expect it to change.)
GleamForth Wayfinder
Wondrous Item, Legendary
Follow the Gleam, and find your way. Hold me leftward lest you stumble. Let the third eye guide your path. Look to your heart to find your Truths. Center me, and I will bring you home though the darkness envelop you.
This labyrinthine eye provides protection and direction to those who would be lost without it. Unlike most prosthetic eyes, you hold this one instead of inserting it. When held in the left hand, it provides 5′ blindsight. When so held, you cannot use that hand for any other purpose. As an action, you can hold it mid-forehead and cast the find the path spell once per day. Once per day, as your action, you touch the heart of a creature you can reach that is charmed, frightened, or possessed by a celestial, an elemental, a fey, a fiend, or an undead. The creature you touch is no longer charmed, frightened, or possessed by such creatures. When held at the solar plexus, once every seven days, you can cast either plane shift or teleportation circle to your home. Your home need not have a teleportation circle inscribed, but when you acquire this eye, you must declare your home location as the destination of this function.
Pre-Orders Open
If anyone missed the Kickstarter (or knows someone who did — feel free to pass on this link), you can get the pre-order here, and use the coupon code LHPATREON to get $2 off! (Yes, you can share this coupon code along with the link!)
But then what?
We have a long to-do list that keeps getting longer, but picture this: imagine the city version of Limitless Heroics: a campaign city that explores concepts of accessibility where characters can have all the typical urban adventures while encountering what accessibility in its various forms would look like in a high fantasy setting! I’ve already received interested notes from accessibility advocates and universal design firms interested in helping with this and several writers and artists eager to work on future Wyrmworks Publishing projects, and if it’s well received, we can keep adding pieces to create a campaign world with different locations that explore and teach about all kinds of issues, all while having grand 5e adventures! Add in some miniatures based on some of the 50+ characters being designed for Limitless Heroics, and you have something truly unique that helps you improve others’ lives!
Tied to that big project, I have a collaborative project in the works that I can’t discuss yet, but it’s a partnership with at least one well known figure in the D&D space whose name is attached to some official D&D adventures. That one is just in the idea stage right now (We’re both pretty busy at the moment but hoping to get started on it later this year), but when I can say more, you’ll be the first to know! (OK, besides my wife. She hears these things first.)
And, I have some great guests lined up for future Gaining Advantage episodes, so expect more of those soon!
Thanks so much for your support! You’re helping make all this happen!
All the best!
Dale
Limitless Heroics Press Kit
July 15, 2022
Limitless Heroics
Including Characters with Disabilities, Mental Illness, and Neurodivergence in Fifth Edition
Limitless Heroics is the most comprehensive disability compendium ever created for a Tabletop Role-Playing Game. For Fifth Edition, it provides:
450+ Traits: Game mechanics for nearly every trait in existence (plus some fantasy traits, because that’s what you should expect in a world with magic)
78Random tables to choose or generate the traits, their degree of severity, and their frequency
93+ New Magic Items and an online random generator forthousands more! Nearly every trait includes mundane and magic assistive options.
Thousands of real world examples so players can learn more and better represent the traits
Tutorials: Opening articles discuss how and why to implement these options, how to discuss it with your players, and common tropes to avoid. You have all the tools here to run an inclusive campaign.
Our website will have a free random generator to simplify determining character traits, but you’ll need the book for the descriptions and mechanics, or you can use the included tables to choose or roll manually. We talked to dozens of people with diverse traits to make sure our game mechanics represented their experiences. All writers, editors, and artists for this book are disabled, neurodivergent, and/or have mental or chronic illness.
Wyrmworks Publishing believes that representation of disabilities, neurodiversity, and mental illness in tabletop role-playing games helps players normalize interactions in real life by practicing in an imaginary setting. Disabled players who have consulted on the book have expressed joy in being recognized and given an easy way to demonstrate their experiences through game mechanics to help others understand their experiences, how they adapt, and how others can help.
The full book includes descriptions and full game mechanics for each trait. Each trait also includes assistive options, magical assistance, and real world examples.
100% of content creators hired for this book are disabled, neurodivergent, and/or have mental or chronic illness, and the variety of art styles intentionally reflects the diversity of experiences and expressions of these conditions.
Roll for Traits
Players can either roll for a random disability or discuss disability as part of their character concept with their GM, choosing specific traits, Frequencies, and IEs, keeping tropes to avoid in mind.
Game Masters especially who want to include a realistic percentage of disability in a game world’s population may find these random generators useful to provide a varied population. Fantasy worlds don’t need to have the same clusters of traits that we see in real-world experiences, but it’s also beneficial to use real-world clusters (diagnoses, both common and rare, and which vary by region or get organized differently by different cultures) to better understand the experiences of those around us, which again is why the tables allow you to “choose or roll.” Maybe you’ll do a little of both, or maybe you’ll use your first roll to find a real-world experience that includes that trait and learn more about it.
This suggestion also applies to the traits’ IEs and Frequencies. Instead of using tables to determine these, you may choose a frequency that ties into the narrative that you’re telling together, deciding in advance instead of leaving it to dice rolls.
Many people are afraid to represent these experiences in their games for fear of inaccuracy, but absence isn’t necessarily better, so we designed this book to get you started, to provide guidelines so you could feel free to add this inclusion creatively and respectfully.
Chance of Traits
15–20 percent of people worldwide in real life have some form of disability. In a world with less medical, therapeutic, and nutritional science but additional magic threats, the rate of disability is likely higher. GMs should decide the rate in the campaign world, but consider 20 percent to be the base rate. Roll 1d20, 1–4 indicating a disability. Any given population within that world should expect roughly the same percentage with possible variations based on environment and any number of other factors.
Number and Category of Traits
Many disabilities have multiple traits. Choose or roll on the following table to determine the number of traits your character has. If replicating a real-world cluster or more than one in the same character, you can increase or decrease the quantity.
d20
Traits
1–7
1
8−12
2
13−15
3
16−17
4
18−19
5
20
6
Next, determine whether those traits are physical or mental. The first trait is equally likely to be physical or mental. (Roll d20: 1−10 = physical, 11–20 = mental) Subsequent traits are more likely to be in the same category, so add or subtract 2 cumulatively to the roll for the category of each additional trait. (e.g. 4 traits: First roll = 18 (mental), so the next roll would be 1–8 physical and 9–20 mental. Next roll = 10 (mental), so the next roll would be 1–6 physical and 7–20 mental. Next roll = 4 (physical), so the final roll would be 1–8 physical and 9–20 mental.) No matter how the range adjusts, a roll of 1 is always physical, and a 20 is always mental.
Impact Extent (IE)
Each trait can vary in the impact of its expression. Roll on the following table to determine the impact of each trait. See the individual trait descriptions for impact explanations. Unless otherwise stated in the description, any saving throws required by the adverse effects are DC 8 + (IE). Note that the term “impact” and the Extent labels are used for mechanical shorthand to cover a wide variety of traits, but these terms aren’t always appropriate descriptors for their real-world counterparts. Players are encouraged to use more accurate descriptors or just the mechanical number. (e.g. Many neurodiverse traits are not appropriately described as “Acute” or with negative connotations; sensory disabilities, such as visual impairment, may be better described as “Complete” at IE 4.) If a trait causes an additional experience without a listed IE, choose or roll on this table for the new experience’s IE.
Pushing Through and Masking
You can use significant effort and concentration to force yourself overcome the challenges associated with many traits, temporarily reducing the IE penalties of a trait by expending one Hit Die per IE until the end of the encounter or for 1 minute, whichever is longer. This only affects ability checks, not saving throws, and all rolls to maintain concentration while pushing through are made with disadvantage. You also have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks to conceal your trait.
D20
IE
1–9
Mild (1)
10−15
Moderate (2)
16−18
Substantial (3)
19–20
Total (4)
Frequency
Traits can come and go, sometimes appearing instantly and disappearing as quickly. Others appear and disappear gradually over the course of days. Some can disappear for months or years and suddenly manifest again, and some never go away. Choose or roll on the following table to determine the duration of each trait. (Note: This may not be applicable to many traits. e.g. missing limbs don’t generally come and go without magic. Players and GMs should use discretion for this table and see the trait description.)
All trait descriptions assume the effects only occur while the trait is active, unless otherwise noted.
Variant Rule: Plot Arc-Based Timing
For traits with Periodic Frequency or those that change over extended periods of time, instead of rolling for a number of days between changes or saving throws, depending on the trait description, make the change or roll based on the story arcs in your campaign, such as a climactic moment or after a major event when everyone is recovering. The players should decide how trait timing will be handled when implementing this system.
d20
Time
Frequency
1
Roll Twice
A trait may not fit one of these patterns exactly. Roll twice, and decide how they might combine, such as a trait that is Triggered but fluctuates in IE like Chronic or Frequent but only Periodic throughout a given day.
2
Remission
The trait begins absent. It will recur in 1d100 days, taking 1d4 days to reach full effect. On a roll of 95−100, roll again and add the rolls together, repeating for each roll of 95−100. At the end of the time period, the trait gradually disappears over 1d4 days, then roll the same way for the duration of remission.
3–7
Periodic
The trait fluctuates. It will recur in 1d20 days, rerolling cumulatively on a 20, taking 1d100 hours to reach full effect. On a roll of 95–100, roll again and add the rolls together, repeating for each roll of 95–100. At the end of the traits, they gradually disappear over 1d100 hours.
8−13
Triggered
The trait is triggered randomly or by one or more stimuli (or absence of a stimulus, like withdrawal) as determined by a discussion between the player and GM. The trait lasts as long as the stimulus is present plus 1d100 minutes, extended as above unless otherwise noted. (For absence of stimulus, the trait begins after 1d100 minutes and lasts until the stimulus is restored.) Note that some stimuli may be unknown to the character and seem random until discovering the triggering stimulus.
14−17
Frequent
The trait occurs more often than not but has periods of inactivity. Roll 1d20 every morning. The trait is present all day unless rolling a 19 or 20.
18−19
Chronic
The trait is always present, but if the Extent is more severe than mild, roll 1d20 each morning. The trait for the day is 1 Extent less on a roll of 15−19 and 2 Extents less on a roll of 20 with a minimum of mild.
20
Degenerative
The trait starts out Mild and gradually becomes Acute in 300d100 days. Once a degenerative trait becomes Acute, the character must succeed on seven daily DC 10 Constitution saving throws or gain a permanent level of exhaustion.Note: Degenerative conditions even in a fictional character, can be emotionally taxing. This RPG is a game, and such a bleak prognosis may take the fun out of the game, and this would work counter to the goal of this book, so the GM should always give a player the choice to reroll this result for the player’s own mental health.That said, the author's own father struggled with a degenerative disease for decades and lived with its accompanying disabilities, and he lived a heroic life in service to others. Many a tale can be told of heroes who finish their quest and ride off into the sunset, knowing their days are numbered, but that lives are meaningful however long they last.
Variant Rule: Good and Bad Days
In addition to overall trends in Frequency, many Traits have a fluctuating IE. Roll 1d20 after a long rest for each applicable trait.
d20
Effect
1–7
Good Day: All IE-related penalties are reduced by 1 (Minimum 0)
8–17
No change
18–20
Bad Day: All IE-related penalties are increased by 1 (Maximum 4)
Trait Descriptions
Physical Traits
For each physical trait, choose or roll to determine appendage or organ system (50/50 chance for each). Then roll on the appropriate table.
One or both of your ears has a shape that’s unusual for your ancestry. Choose or use the following table to determine the unusual shape and effects. This is a permanent condition.
A substance leaks out of your eyes. Roll on the table below for the nature and effects of the substance.
d20
Discharge
1
Acid
2–6
Blood
7
Ink
8–9
Oil
10−15
Pus
16−19
Tears
20
Venom
Eye Color Difference
Your eyes are colored outside the usual range of hues typical for your people according to the following table.
d20
Eye Region
1–3
Pupil
4−10
Iris
11−17
Sclera (Whites)
18–20
Entire eye
Ocular Diversity
One or both of your eyes are shaped or located outside the range typical for your ancestry. Choose or roll on the following table. Note that this is usually a permanent condition and does not fluctuate, but the player and GM are welcome to determine a magical version that fluctuates based on the Frequency table above. Example stimuli include sunrise/sunset, seasons, or stress.
d20
Ocular Diversity
1–3
Location
4–5
Eyelid Difference
6–8
Bulging
9–10
Sunken
11–13
Oversized
14–15
Undersized
16–19
Pupil Difference
20
Side Placement
Partial Field Blindness/Agnosia
You’re unable to see or recognize certain areas or features. Choose or roll on the following table.
d20
Visual Difference
1–8
Closed Angle Vision
9–14
Open Angle Vision
15–16
Humanoid Agnosia
17–18
Animal Agnosia
19–20
Topographical Agnosia
Humanoid Agnosia
You are unable to recognize a specific part of a humanoid body or distinguish it from others according to the following table.
You have trouble communicating using language, including speaking, understanding, and writing. Choose or roll on the following table. You have 1d6 of the following patterns.
d20
Language Processing Expression
1–5
Dysgraphia
6
Reiterative Agraphia
7
Specialist Agraphia
8
Dysexecutive Agraphia
9
Apraxic Agraphia
10
Lexical Agraphia
11
Semantic Agraphia
12
Phonological Agraphia
13
Visuospatial Agraphia
14
Alexia
15–16
Expressive Aphasia
17
Receptive Aphasia
18
Anomic Aphasia
19–20
Global Aphasia
Memory Loss
d10
Symptom
1–2
Anterograde Amnesia
3–6
Retrograde Amnesia
7
Dissociative Fugue
8–0
Traumatic Amnesia
Pain
d10
Pain Experience
1–5
Chronic Pain
6–9
Hyperalgesia
10
Hypoalgesia
Seizures
d100
Seizure Type
1–40
Focal Aware Seizures
41–60
Focal Impaired Awareness Seizures
61–67
Absence Seizures
68–77
Myoclonic Seizures
78–82
Clonic Seizures
83–88
Tonic Seizures
89–93
Atonic Seizures
94–100
Tonic Clonic Seizures
Focal Aware Seizures. You have a strange feeling for (IE)d20 seconds resulting in one of the following experiences.
Unusual smell or taste: You smell or taste something with no known source. You have a −(IE) penalty on all Wisdom (Perception) checks related to smell and taste for the duration.
Feeling like one random limb is larger or smaller than it actually is: you have a −(IE) penalty on all Dexterity attack rolls; ability checks; and saving throws with that limb for the duration.
7
Perception of colored or flashing lights: You have a −(IE) penalty on all Wisdom (Perception) checks involving vision
8
Hallucination
Sensory Processing Difference
d6
Sensory Processing Pattern
1
Sensory Over-Responsivity
2
Sensory Under-Responsivity
3
Sensory Craving
4
Vestibular Difference
5
Dyspraxia
6
Sensory Discrimination Difference
Sensory Discrimination Difference. You have trouble determining variation in 1d4 subtypes of sensory input. Choose or roll on the following table.
d8
SDD Subtype
1
Auditory
2
Visual
3
Tactile
4
Vestibular
5
Olfactory
6
Gustatory
7
Proprioception
8
Interoception
Sleep Disruptions
d100
Sleep Disruption
1–6
Confusional Arousals
7
Exploding Head
8–17
Hypersomnolence
18–40
Insomnia
41–44
Night Terrors
45–50
Nightmares
51–52
Sleep Aggression
53–55
Sleep Behaviors
56–60
Sleep Enuresis
61–62
Sleep Paralysis
63
Sleep Sorcery
64–86
Sleep-Related Breathing Disruption
87–88
Sleep-Related Hallucinations
89–93
Sleep-Related Movements
94–97
Sleep-Wake Disruptions
98–100
Sleepwalking
Sleep-Wake Disruption Your internal sleep clock does not correspond to your intended pattern. If you cannot follow your internal pattern, follow the rules for Insomnia accordingly.