You experience sudden painful tightening of muscles in your body with little or no warning. This tightness makes the cramped part of your body completely unusable and distracting. This cramp may always be in the same body part or travel around the body, typically in the same region. The cramp lasts (IE)d4 minutes. At the end of the duration, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Strength saving throw or the cramp moves to a different part of the same region of the body, such as lower abdomen to upper abdomen or from calf to shin or from left leg to right leg for another (IE)d4 minutes, after which you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Strength saving throw or continue the process, the DC decreasing by 1 each time. Any action that requires concentration (e.g., maintaining a spell) requires a successful DC 10 + (IE) Constitution saving throw per round to maintain concentration.
When a cramp starts, if you can continuously stretch the affected muscle, which gives disadvantage on all other physical actions except saving throws, you get a +1 bonus to the next Strength saving throw.
You have a reflex action in response to a stimulus that seems unrelated to it. IE 1 may be sneezing uncontrollably when suddenly exposed to bright light or have a full stomach. It’s a nuisance and usually causes a −(IE) penalty to a specific skill or ability or requires a Constitution check to avoid losing spell concentration in the stimulus’ presence. As the IE increases, the inconvenience turns to danger toward you or others. At IE 2, you become unable to cast spells for a round or experience Nausea by certain uncommon stimuli such as discussions or depictions of medical procedures. At IE 3, you become incapacitated by a given stimulus that may be more common, such as the sight of blood. At IE 4, you attack yourself or allies in the presence of certain stimuli. The GM should work with the player to determine the exact nature of the stimulus and response based on the rarity of the stimulus in your life and the destructive nature of the response.
While no assistive methods cover the range of stimuli and responses, individually avoiding situations where the stimulus may appear or proactively preparing for the response helps manage this condition.
Magical Assistance
Any kind of magical assistance would depend specifically on the specific stimulus and response.
Synesthesia
August 3, 2022
(IE) of your senses cross over, so when you sense something that most people only associate with that sense, you may also experience it with another sense. For example, each letter of the alphabet has a color in your mind. Food can taste square or triangular. The sound of an oboe tastes like cinnamon and nutmeg, depending on the pitch, while the sounds of trumpets taste spicier than tubas. Roll on the following table twice for every IE, keeping duplicates, and work with your GM to determine how the first also includes the second. This additional sensory information applies to all forms of the sense, including scrying and magic forms of detection that manifest as the original sense. The multisensory experience improves your memory, giving you a +(IE) bonus to Intelligence checks that depend on recall, including acquired knowledge.
d6
Sense
1
Vision
2
Hearing
3
Touch
4
Smell/Taste
5
Proprioception (movement)
6
Mirror
If you roll or choose Mirror, you instead experience the corresponding sense when you notice someone else experience it but, if applicable, on the opposite side of your body as if looking in a mirror. Besides the Intelligence check bonus to recall an event that you witnessed, the empathy you develop gives you a +(IE) bonus to Wisdom (Insight) checks. You may experience pain when you notice someone else get hurt, and while it causes no physical damage, if you witness someone taking damage, you must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration with a DC 8 +(IE) if applicable.
Real-world Examples
Synesthesia, Mirror Touch Synesthesia
Assistive Options
This condition requires no assistance, as it usually improves the experience of senses, but you may feel isolated or afraid to mention your additional perception to others for fear of their reaction.
Sense Processing Difference
August 3, 2022
You have trouble distinguishing small differences in one of your basic senses. Choose or roll on the following table. You detect the stimulus accurately, but your brain doesn’t process the information the usual way, causing the sensory equivalent of a malapropism (replacement of one stimulus with a similar one).
d10
Sense
1–3
Sight
4–7
Hearing
8–9
Touch
10
Smell & Taste
Sight. You mistake things you see for similar objects, so you have trouble distinguishing goblins from halflings or different kinds of foods, plants, fabrics, colors (unlike Colorblindness, which can’t distinguish contrasting colors), etc. You have a −(IE) penalty on all vision-related Wisdom (Perception) checks to recognize or remember visual details. Because of the way you process visual information, you have a +(IE) bonus to saving throws against gaze attacks and other attacks that rely on sight.
Hearing. You mistake heard words for similar-sounding words, so you might hear, “One ring to rule them all,” as, “One thing in school is small.” You have a −(IE) penalty on all auditory-related Wisdom (Perception) checks to recognize or remember auditory details. Because of the way you process auditory information, you have a +(IE) bonus to saving throws against audible attacks like a harpy Luring Song.
Touch. You mistake textures for similar textures, so you confuse the feel of oil and water, grass and carpet, wool and bristles, etc. You have a −(IE) penalty on all touch-related Wisdom (Perception) checks to recognize or remember tactile details. That includes seeing or hearing about something and imagining its texture.
Smell & Taste. You mistake tastes and smells for similar ones, making it nearly impossible to detect rotting or poisoned foods without other cues. Spicy foods taste similar, whether that spice comes from garlic or chili peppers, so you have trouble cooking foods that require blending flavors like herbs and spices. You have a −(IE) penalty on all smell and taste-related Wisdom (Perception) checks to recognize or remember odor and taste details. Because of the way you process olfactory information, you have a +(IE) bonus to saving throws against smell-based attacks such as a Stinking Cloud spell.
Real-world Examples
Auditory Processing Disorder
Assistive Options
Reducing echoes and background noise, enunciating (clarity, not volume!), improved lighting, and other methods to emphasize distinctions in stimuli will help you, reducing penalties at the GM’s discretion, up to 2 IEs.
Spatial Neglect
August 3, 2022
You fail to recognize one side of the objects that you perceive. This may mean that you only see objects in half of your sensory field, or you only notice half of each object. Roll or choose to determine the type, range, axis, and orientation.
Type. Your neglect is equally likely input or output. Neglect of input includes ignoring half of all of what your five basic senses perceive, including what you imagine, remember, dream, or hallucinate. You have a −(IE) penalty on all Wisdom (Perception) checks on the affected half. Neglect of output prevents you from using your body on the half, either using those limbs or ability to interact with objects on the neglected side, regardless which limb you’re using. You have a −(IE) penalty on all rolls affecting manipulating the neglected side, whether through physical or magic interaction. Spells with somatic components usually need to be modified to work within your physical range, requiring a day for every hour normally needed to inscribe into your spellbook and double the cost due to experimentation materials.
Range. You neglect either the entire half of your field of perception (egocentric; e.g., you don’t notice a map on your left side.) or half of each individual item (allocentric; e.g., you don’t notice the left side of a map, even though the entire map is to your right.) If you have an egocentric range, you have a −(IE) penalty to your Armor Class and reactions to enemies on the neglected side. If you have an allocentric range, you have a −(IE) penalty to your Armor Class and reactions to enemies when the attack comes from the neglected side of their bodies. Depending on your orientation, the player and GM will need to determine how spells can be read from a spellbook, such as writing vertically or diagonally or using an encoded alphabet or language where all letters are symmetrical, or where words are palindromes or written as compound words.
Axis. You neglect half of your perceptive field. Choose or roll on the following table.
1d10
Neglected Half
1–4
Left
5–8
Right
9
Top
10
Bottom
Orientation. Your frame of reference to determine which half you neglect is either egocentric (relative to your field of view) or allocentric (relative to the object’s perceived side). (e.g., If you have an egocentric range but an allocentric orientation, the neglected side remains the same regardless of your head or body position. If you have an allocentric range and an egocentric orientation, the missing half of each object does not change even if the object is tilted.)
As a side effect of all forms of this condition, you have a +(IE) on rolls to hit a target with a displacement feature, although if you have an allocentric range, you have a −(IE) penalty to your Armor Class against one or more of its limbs or tentacles, depending on your axis.
Note that this affects all forms of perception whether natural or magical, including scrying, detection spells, or other perceptive effects.
For those without this trait who would like to implement it in-game, note that you’ll likely more easily implement one of the Egocentric Orientation options, as they’re generally more intuitive to those without this condition.
Depending on the variety of neglect, you depend on your allies to communicate to you what you can’t perceive. If an ally uses their action to verbally guide you, the IE of most actions will be reduced by 1 for that action. This assistance can also be used for bonus actions but not reactions.
Social Interaction Difference
August 3, 2022
You have trouble interpreting the social aspects of language, both verbal and non-verbal, and the feelings being conveyed. This can make you seem insensitive as you miss sarcasm, avoid eye contact, take expressions literally, or don’t attend to the subject as neurotypical people would expect, or you tend to repeat phrases spoken to you as you process them. You have a −(IE) penalty on Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Deception) and Wisdom (Insight) checks. You can use Masking to mitigate these effects. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Special Interest as one of them.
“Weird” and “scatterbrained” are terms I’ve long applied to myself, and I’ve always struggled with social issues: What seems obvious to others commonly eludes me, and it’s hard to explain what’s going on in my head. Only in my forties have I finally encountered enough information on Neurodivergence to realize that these traits likely add up to ADHD and Autism. The revelation has given me new tools to help with my various issues, and it feels like the explanation I’ve been missing my whole life.
– Arkylie Killingstad
Real-world Examples
Autism, Social Communication Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Aphasia, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, Echolalia
Assistive Options
What helps most is patience and respect from your peers, people willing to give you subtle social hints when you need help, and a willingness from others to allow you to communicate with more detail than they expect.
Slowed Movement
August 3, 2022
Most or all movements that you make are reduced by (IE) × 15 percent. You have a −(IE × 2) penalty on all Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity checks, saving throws, and your Armor Class. Spells with somatic components usually need to be modified to work within your physical range, requiring a day for every hour normally needed to inscribe into your spellbook and double the cost due to experimentation materials.
Real-world Examples
Parkinson’s Disease
Assistive Options
You need people to remember that your mind is still as quick as ever, but your body won’t cooperate with your desired speed, and they need to be patient.
Magical Assistance
A Haste spell or something that duplicates its effects can reduce the IE by 2 but also has the accompanying side effects.
Sleep Disruptions
August 3, 2022
You have trouble sleeping, or your sleep is disrupted in some way. Note the rules on p. 87 of the Basic Rules regarding rest and other fifth edition sources regarding exhaustion. As elves and other creatures of fey ancestry don’t sleep, the GM can determine whether they should reroll or whether this affects their meditative condition. If you have multiple traits, you may choose one or more Baseless Emotions as one or more of them.
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
Confusional Arousals. You wake from sleep and act as if under a Confusion spell for (IE)d10 minutes and then return to sleep. You retain no memory of waking up.
Exploding Head. As you awaken from sleep, you hear loud explosions. They startle you, and you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on all Intelligence and Charisma checks for (IE) rounds but have +1 to initiative rolls due to hyperawareness.
Hypersomnolence. While you might seem to sleep fine at night, you still feel Fatigue during the day. You have a −(IE) penalty on saving throws against magic effects that induce sleep, and (IE)d4 times per day, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or become unconscious as if affected by the Sleep spell. (This condition could be ruled to cause characters of fey ancestry to need to sleep when they normally don’t.)
Insomnia. You have trouble falling or staying asleep or both (equal chances of each). When beginning a long rest, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw to fall asleep quickly. On failure, you lose the difference between your result and the number needed in hours of sleep and lose benefits of rest accordingly unless you sleep longer at the end of the long rest to compensate. If your form of insomnia wakes you while sleeping, determine the time you wake randomly by subtracting the loss from the total hours attempted, and roll 1d(difference) to determine how many hours you sleep before waking. If your insomnia is mixed, follow the above, but then roll to determine how many of the lost hours are at the beginning and how many happen after waking.
Night Terrors. When you’re sleeping, you awaken at a random time during the rest and scream for (IE)d12 minutes. Each time this happens, you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have another screaming episode in 1d20 minutes, repeating until success. This will awaken anyone else sleeping near you who can hear and draw the attention of any nearby creatures. If awakened, you will be disoriented for (IE) rounds and have disadvantage on all Intelligence and Charisma checks.
Nightmares. You experience frequent, vivid nightmares. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The dream lasts 1d10 + 10 minutes. After the dream, you must succeed on another DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest. Because of the trauma of these dreams, you experience (IE) Baseless Emotions for (IE)d6 × 10 minutes before a long rest and must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw to go back to sleep after the dream, repeating the saving throw every ten minutes on failure until successful.
Sleep Aggression. You act violently while sleeping. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or begin attacking the closest creature with unarmed attacks 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The episode lasts until you take damage or succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) saving throw, which you can attempt each round. After the attack, you must succeed on another DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or attack again 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest. If your companions restrain you before sleeping, you must succeed on a DC 8 Constitution saving throw or experience Insomnia due to the discomfort of the restraint unless the method allows freedom of movement, such as a cage, and when the episode begins, you attempt to escape the restraint until the episode ends. With IE 1 Sleep Aggression, you remain prone and only attack anyone in bed with you or within your reach if you’re sleeping on the floor or a mat, but at a higher IE, you will get out of bed to attack.
Sleep Behaviors. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The dream lasts 1d10 + 10 minutes. During the nightmare, you act out the dream and perceive the creatures around you as the villains or monsters in your dream. You begin to twitch and moan, which escalates in 1d20 rounds to attacking if not awakened. On a successful DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw, you attack the nearest creature. On a failed saving throw, you are frightened and flee. You can be easily awakened by normal means or when you take damage. After the dream, you must succeed on another DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest.
Sleep Enuresis. You urinate while sleeping (IE)d4 times per week. Without support and understanding from allies, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw once per week or experience 1d4 Baseless Emotions until succeeding, making the saving throw once per day.
Sleep Paralysis. When you awaken from sleep, you are paralyzed for (IE)d4 minutes. Because of the trauma of this experience, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or experience (IE) Baseless Emotions for (IE)d6 × 10 minutes before a long rest.
Sleep Sorcery. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or cast a random prepared spell at the lowest available spell slot 1d4 hours after falling asleep. After the casting, you must succeed on another DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or cast another spell 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest. If you do not have the necessary spell slot available or if you do not have the necessary focus or components within reach, the spell fails, and nothing happens. When the rest finishes, you will have used up spell slots for all spells successfully cast within four hours of the end of the rest.
Sleep-Related Breathing Disruptions. You don’t get enough oxygen while sleeping, either due to apnea, chronic snoring, discharge, or failure to absorb enough. You experience IE 1 Fatigue, and every twenty-eight days, you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or develop IE 1 Hypertension, the IE increasing on each failed periodic saving throw.
Sleep-Related Hallucinations. When falling asleep or waking up (both equally likely), you experience Hallucinations.
Sleep-Related Movements. You move excessively in your sleep, either random movements, leg Cramps, or teeth grinding, which keeps you from getting sufficient rest. At the end of every long rest, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or incur IE 1 Fatigue for the rest of the day.
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.
Irregular Rhythm. In order to achieve the benefits of a long rest, you must instead take (IE) short rests.
Delayed Phase. Your pattern of sleep begins (IE) × 3 hours before or after the time typical for your culture, and in order to gain the benefits of a long rest, you must begin your long rest within one hour of that time.
Non-synchronized Circadian Rhythm. Your internal sleep clock functions as if the day is (IE) hours longer or shorter (equal chances) than it actually is, which adjusts the time your body expects to take a long rest to a new time every day.
Sleepwalking. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a dream 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The dream lasts 1d10 + 10 minutes. You act out your dream, walking, interacting with your environment, but with disadvantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks. The GM should determine the nature of the nonviolent dream. If awoken while sleepwalking, you will be disoriented and have disadvantage on all Intelligence and Charisma checks for 1d10 rounds. An ally can make a DC 8 + (IE) Charisma (Persuasion) check to gently guide you back to bed on success.
Most of these require patience and understanding by your allies most of all. If a party sets up a night watch, the person watching can also monitor you while you sleep and wake you if necessary when noticing behavior relating to disrupted sleep. Earplugs and a sleep mask or an otherwise dark and quiet environment can assist with sleep phase disruptions to allow for sleeping in sunlight and daytime activity.
Magical Assistance
A Sleep spell can help you get back to sleep when you can’t sleep, but it has no duration, so it won’t prevent waking or other traits that occur during sleep.
Sensory Processing Difference
August 3, 2022
Your brain processes sensory information differently than is typical. Choose or roll on the following table. Note that it’s possible and even likely to have more than one pattern of this trait, but avoid contradictory combinations. Because different stimuli affect different people, the player and GM should choose 1d4 specific stimuli for each affected sense.
Sensory Over-Responsivity. You are highly sensitive to sensory input from 1d4 of the five primary senses, feeling overwhelmed by even mild stimuli. This leads you to avoid those stimuli and can cause others to perceive you as aloof or defensive. When encountering an overwhelming stimulus, as long as the stimulus is present, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or act only to avoid the stimulus however possible for (IE)d4 rounds, after which another Constitution check may be made. If you succeed on the Constitution check, the IE increases by 1 cumulatively until you avoid the stimulus for (IE)d4 rounds. While avoiding, all rolls except the previously mentioned Constitution check are made with a −(IE) penalty. You have a +(IE) bonus to all Wisdom (Perception) checks involving your sensitivities.
Visual. You’re sensitive to light, certain visual patterns, or too much movement and need to reduce what you’re seeing by looking away or using a filter such as sunglasses. A visual barrier gives you advantage on the Constitution check but affects Wisdom (Perception) checks accordingly.
Auditory. You’re sensitive to sound, such as certain pitches, volume levels, or auditory patterns. Because of your sensitivity to certain sounds, you can find sources of sounds more easily giving you a +(IE) bonus to Wisdom (Perception) checks to locate the source of a sound and on saving throws against auditory illusions. An auditory barrier like earplugs gives you advantage on the Constitution check but affects Wisdom (Perception) checks accordingly.
Olfactory. You’re sensitive to certain smells or groups of smells. If you fail your saving throw, you also experience Nausea. Because you’re sensitive to these odors, you have a +(IE) bonus to Intelligence (Investigation) checks to detect your stimulus or similar sources. A barrier such as nose plugs gives you advantage on the Constitution check but affects Wisdom (Perception) checks accordingly.
Gustatory. You’re sensitive to certain tastes. When tasting or attempting to taste a food within your sensitive range, you become Nauseated, and failure to make your Constitution check results in being incapacitated for 1d4 rounds as you vomit or have another reaction such as Cramps. Because you’re used to being careful with your diet, you have a +(IE) bonus to Intelligence (Investigation) checks to detect your stimulus or similar foods.
Tactile. You’re sensitive to certain textures or temperatures and avoid them. If sensitive to temperature, every time you take fire or cold damage, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or take an additional 50 percent psychic damage. Your sensitivity to textures gives you a +(IE) bonus to Wisdom (Perception) checks to determine the type and quality of a material and to locate hidden objects by touch. If sensitive to a texture, wearing uncomfortable clothing or armor gives you disadvantage on all concentration saving throws and must be removed to receive the benefits of a long rest. An armorer can craft sensory-friendly armor for an additional fifty percent of its base price.
Sensory Under-Responsivity. You have difficulty detecting and responding to sensory input from 1d4 senses in a timely manner. You often seem insensitive, uncaring, or clumsy. You have a −(IE) penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks involving related stimuli, and even seemingly obvious stimuli such as being nudged, the temperature or lighting changing in the room, or the obvious smell of smoke, often require a Wisdom (Perception) check to notice. Tactile Under-Responsivity causes a −(IE) penalty on all Dexterity ability checks but a +(IE) bonus to rolls to resist pain or torture and grants resistance to psychic damage.
Sensory Craving. You need more and more stimulation in 1d4 of the following sensory domains, but the more you get, the more your senses and attention focus on the stimulus. When you encounter a stimulus in one of your sensory domains, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom check to resist indulging in that stimulus, regardless of the consequences. (The GM can adjust the DC for especially dangerous or deadly stimuli.) Regardless of whether you succeed or fail, you must make another Wisdom check each round to determine your response to the stimulus, but for each round you indulge in the stimulus, the DC of the Wisdom check increases cumulatively. While indulging, you have a −(IE) penalty on all Wisdom (Perception) and initiative rolls due to hyperfocusing on the stimulus.
Visual. You’re fascinated by flickering and bright lights and fire, sparkling and other rapid movements.
Auditory. You prefer loud voices (including your own) and noisy environments.
Taste/Olfactory. You bite, lick, or chew nonfood objects; smell people, animals, or objects; and sometimes prefer one type of taste (e.g., spicy, bitter, or sweet).
Vestibular. You want to spin, swing, go fast (rolling down hills, racing), and experience sensations like being upside-down or flying/falling.
Proprioception. You like jarring movements like jumping, crashing, and pushing into things and grinding your teeth. You prefer tight-fitting clothing and heavy clothing or armor, although this does not dysregulate you.
Tactile. You need to feel textures everywhere, coat your hands and arms in mud, or otherwise experience new feelings whenever noticing a new texture.
Vestibular Difference. Your sense of balance is disrupted, so you tend to stand and sit in ways that lower your center of gravity or widen your base, such as slouching, sitting with a wide leg base, or walking with heavy footfalls. You have a −(IE) penalty on all Dexterity and Constitution checks. You tire easily, so when traveling, your daily distance is reduced by (IE) × 10 percent. You have a +(IE) bonus to Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect gradual slopes.
Neurodiversity has had a massive impact on my life, positively and negatively. It has shaped the way that I experience the world, through daily walking into doors, accidentally hitting my partner, forgetting my plans and commitments, to making my studies and work an endless uphill climb. But through those issues, I have learned invaluable lessons. I’ve learned to persist in the face of struggle, to do it for myself and create my own steam, and above all, to be kind to others.
-Critical Miss Dice
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
Auditory. You have trouble distinguishing between sounds, so you may speak too loudly or softly, have trouble distinguishing foreground and background noises, take longer to process and respond to auditory instructions, or have difficulty telling the difference between similar-sounding words. You have a −(IE) penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks related to sound. You also have a +(IE) bonus to saving throws against being charmed by auditory magic.
Visual. You have trouble making visual distinctions such as the difference between visual stimuli like written characters, facial expressions, relative distances, and object characteristics like shape, color, or size. Preparing spells from a spellbook takes (IE) × 10 percent longer without assistance. You have a −(IE) penalty to hit with all ranged attack rolls and to applicable Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks. Because you process visual information differently, you have a +(IE) bonus to all saving throws against gaze attacks or any effect requiring you to look at something or someone.
Tactile. You have trouble distinguishing between different tactile feelings including textures, temperatures, and pain. You tend not to recognize people’s personal space and can accidentally injure yourself or others. You have a −(IE) penalty on all Dexterity ability checks, Wisdom (Perception) checks related to touch or temperature, and Charisma (Persuasion) checks but a +(IE) bonus to rolls to resist pain or torture and have resistance to psychic damage.
Vestibular. You have trouble with spatial and balance awareness, including the position of your own body and head and your direction of movement or when you’re starting to fall. You tend to stand and sit in ways that lower your center of gravity or widen your base, such as slouching or sitting with a wide leg base. You have a −(IE) penalty on all Dexterity (Acrobatics) and Strength (Athletics) checks.
Olfactory. You have trouble discerning between smells, including spoiled or toxic substances, smoke, and other toxic odors. You have a −(IE) penalty on all smell-related Wisdom (Perception) checks but a +(IE) bonus to saving throws against effects that depend on smell such as a Stinking Cloud spell.
Gustatory. You have trouble determining the difference between tastes, so all food seems to taste essentially the same. Since you don’t enjoy eating, you have to force yourself to do so and thus usually only eat the minimum you must to remain healthy. You have a −(IE) penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks related to taste.
Proprioception. Your sense of body location is impaired, so you can’t tell how much strength you’re applying to an object or creature, and you have trouble discerning where you are relative to objects around you. You have a −(IE) penalty to hit with melee weapons and dodging. When moving on rough terrain, your movement is reduced by (IE) × 20 percent. When dashing, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. When holding a fragile object, you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Wisdom (Perception) check to avoid dealing 1d2 + (Strength modifier) structural damage to the object, taking 1d2 slashing damage if you shatter it into shards. When given a verbal direction such as ‘right’ or ‘left,’ you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Wisdom (Perception) check to determine the correct direction.
Interoception. You have trouble recognizing your body’s internal cues like hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and pain. When you take a level of exhaustion, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the exhaustion. If you fail to notice and don’t begin to rest, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (exhaustion level) Constitution save every hour or take another level of exhaustion. You may make another Wisdom (Perception) check every hour to attempt to notice. Once you acquire 3 levels of exhaustion, you experience all the effects at once but must still succeed on a DC (8 + (IE) − (exhaustion level)) Wisdom (Perception) check to recognize that you are in a state of exhaustion. You do not otherwise recognize the need to eat, sleep, or eliminate waste until it’s an emergency. You have a +(IE) bonus to rolls to resist pain or torture and have resistance to psychic damage.
For over-responsivity, filtering devices such as visors, sunglasses, custom clothing or armor, and earplugs can help with some forms, and carefully choosing clothing is necessary. The rest depend heavily on friends and allies monitoring you to help you control craving reactions or help assist with awareness issues. Anytime a friend uses their action to help with a Wisdom (Perception) check, the check is made with advantage. You may also consult the section on Service Animals.
Magical Assistance
Spells such as Silence or Darkness can help a person avoid stimuli but have negative side effects. Some illusion spells can help with cravings, but note the dysregulation that results from it. Magic armor that adjusts in size to fit the wearer also adjusts in texture as needed for Sensory Over-Responsivity unless stated in the item description.