Your eyes move on their own, giving you double vision, shaky vision, crossed eyes, amblyopia, and involuntary eye movements. You have to use a bonus action to focus your eyes (DC 5 + (IE) Constitution check) before making any action requiring visual focus. Once you succeed, you can retain this focus until either the situation changes (e.g., an encounter begins or ends) or you take damage.
Real-world Examples
Strabismus, Nystagmus, Diplopia, Amblyopia
Assistive Options
An eye patch can correct for all but shaky vision but gives disadvantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks involving seeing on the patched side.
Refractive Difference
July 20, 2022
Your vision is blurry when looking at things close (40 percent) or distant (40 percent) or both (20 percent).
Nearsightedness: The farther away things get, the blurrier they get. You have a −(IE) penalty on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks to see any details farther than 50 – (IE) × 10 feet as well as other ranged actions such as jumping or throwing. If you have IE 4 Nearsightedness, you may choose Aquatic Vision as an additional Trait.
Farsightedness: The closer things get, the blurrier they get. You have a −(IE) penalty on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks to see any details closer than (IE) × 5 feet. Your spellbook needs to be written in very large letters or by some other means to allow you to read it.
Blurred Vision: Everything is blurry. You have −(IE) on all attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception rolls) to see details or read. Your spellbook needs to be written in very large letters or by some other means to allow you to read it.
Spectacles can be made by an artisan with a Wisdom (Medicine) roll to reduce the IE by 1 (DC 10) or 2 (DC 15) for 200 gp + (IE) × 100 gp and seven days of work. If the artisan fails the roll, it can be attempted again, each time requiring the same amount of time and cost for each attempt.
Photosensitivity
July 20, 2022
You are sensitive to bright light such as sunlight, including all but the darkest cloudy days. While in moderate to bright light, you have a −(IE) penalty on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. In dim light, you can see as if in daylight.
Real-world Examples
Photophobia, Visual Snow Syndrome
Assistive Options
This sensitivity is especially affected by the blue and ultraviolet (UV) end of the spectrum, so spectacles with yellow lenses can reduce the IE by 2 but cause Colorblindness while worn. Alternately, sunglasses reduce the IE by 1 without the Colorblindness side effect.
Periscopic Vision
July 20, 2022
You can see around corners but not right in front of you. Similar to Clairvoyance, you see as if standing (IE) × 10 feet ahead and the same distance to the right or left, facing 90 degrees from where your face points. This allows you to see around corners but not through opaque solid objects. You are unable to see areas directly in front of you. Your spellbook is made from heavy paper that allows you to inscribe spells with a stylus to be read by texture in your own personal texture code.
Real-world Examples
This is a fantasy trait with no real-life analog.
Assistive Options
A specialized artisan can craft a pair of prism glasses costing 200 gp + (IE) × 200 gp to reduce the IE by 1 while worn.
Magical Assistance
The Clairvoyance spell spell or other magic that allows you to see from other perspectives can assist with this condition while active.
Partial Field Blindness/Agnosia
July 20, 2022
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
Closed Angle Vision. You have “tunnel vision,” enabling you to see in a 60 ÷ (IE) degree cone. All Wisdom (Perception) checks involving sight outside of that field are made with disadvantage.
Open Angle Vision. You only have peripheral vision and have a blind spot in the center of your field of vision. This makes it almost impossible to read or focus on details since peripheral vision doesn’t have the same level of detail. This gives you a −(IE) penalty on all ranged attack rolls, Wisdom (Insight) checks, and Wisdom (Perception) checks that depend on detailed vision, and you need to succeed on a DC 12 + (IE) Wisdom (Perception) check to read standard writing. This also gives you a −(IE) penalty on all ranged attack rolls and other ranged actions that require depth perception such as jumping. Due to your dependence on your peripheral vision, you have a +1 bonus to Wisdom (Perception) checks against Dexterity (Stealth). Because you can’t see details, you rely on your other senses and have a +(IE) bonus on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks that rely on touch, like picking locks.
Humanoid Agnosia. You are unable to recognize a specific part of a humanoid body or distinguish it from others. Choose or roll on the following table.
Somewhere in this grocery section is my lover, and I can’t tell which human she is.
-MaimakteriAnn
d20
Feature
1–8
Face
9–10
Fingers/hands/claws
11–13
Hair
14–16
Clothing
17–20
Voice
The IE determines how much you can discern:
IE 1: You can see them but don’t recognize them, even your own.
IE 2: You can’t recognize any detail. One is like another.
IE 3: It appears as a jumbled mess and isn’t discernible as such.
IE 4: It’s as if it’s not even there for you unless it makes noise or you can touch or smell it.
This is true of the actual feature or artistic depictions or representations of it.
As a result, you have disadvantage and a penalty of −(IE) to distinguish even the most basic of details regarding recognizing or remembering that feature. You’ve learned to focus on the other features to recognize individuals, which gives you a +(IE) to Intelligence checks to remember or know about a specific subject such as hairstyles or jewelry.
Animal Agnosia. You can’t recognize beasts and monstrosities that don’t have a humanoid shape. The IE determines what you see:
IE 1: You can see them but don’t recognize them, even your own pet.
IE 2: You can’t recognize any detail. One is like another except for size and sound.
IE 3: It appears as a jumbled mess and isn’t discernible as an animal.
IE 4: It’s as if it’s not even there for you unless it makes noise or you can touch or smell it.
This is true of the actual animal or artistic depictions or representations of it.
As a result, you have a penalty of −(IE) to distinguish even the most basic of details regarding recognizing or remembering that animal and a −(IE) penalty on all attack or Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks against it. At the same time, you have a +(IE) bonus against gaze attacks and other sight-based attacks from such creatures.
Topographical Agnosia. You can’t discern places and get lost easily and have a −(IE) penalty on Wisdom (Survival) checks. This experience manifests according to the IE as follows:
IE 1: You know what kind of environment you’re in, but it’s not familiar, as if it’s your first time there, even your own home.
IE 2: You can’t tell what kind of building or environment you’re in besides recognizing colors and using your other senses.
IE 3: You can’t tell whether an environment is hostile or know how to prepare for that environment.
IE 4: You can’t tell whether you’re in an urban or wilderness environment. You can interact with the environment, but you can’t piece together clues (e.g., sand in the desert, clattering dishes in an inn) to know what kind of environment you’re in, even between urban and wilderness.
Consequently, you have a −(IE) penalty on all Wisdom (Survival) and Intelligence (Nature) checks.
Specialized fish-eye lens spectacles can correct for one IE of Closed Angle Vision. (A specialized artisan would need to be found in a large city and charge 200 gp + (IE) × 200 gp for the spectacles.) Those with agnosia can sometimes use other characteristics to recognize a person or animal. Those with Topographical Agnosia can ask others where they are.
Magical Assistance
The Find Familiar spell allows you to use your familar’s senses for a turn. Consult the spell description for more details. Spells that allow for alternate senses such as Clairvoyance spell can also temporarily help those with these disabilities.
Palinopsia
July 20, 2022
You experience visual perseveration — images in your field of view, when moved, remain in your field of view like the afterimage caused by light but more distinct and longer lasting. This gives you a bonus of +1 × (IE) to Intelligence checks to remember a detail that you have seen, but due to the persevering image blocking your visual field, you have a −(IE) penalty on all actions that require clearly seeing a moving object.
No standard assistance helps with this trait except keeping the eyes closed until needing to see something. Characters who attempt this have disadvantage on all Surprise and Wisdom (Perception) checks related to seeing.
Eye Pain
July 20, 2022
You experience chronic pain in your eyes, causing eye pain and headaches. Any action that requires concentration (e.g., maintaining a spell) requires a successful DC 10 + (IE) Constitution saving throw per round to maintain concentration. Because you’re used to managing pain, even though this doesn’t reduce the experience of it, you have a +(IE) bonus to saving throws against psychic damage.
You can rest, which helps relieve pain while resting, but as soon as you stop resting, so does the relief.
Magical Assistance
Any kind of magical healing except potions that relieves at least 1 hp can be applied directly to the eyes to reduce pain by 2 IEs for a number of hours equal to the number of hp that would’ve been healed to a maximum of 1 day.
Night Blindness
July 20, 2022
Your eyes are more sensitive to darkness than most, reducing your visual range by (IE) × 10 feet in twilight or darker environments. This also affects Darkvision if applicable.
Real-world Examples
Cataracts, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Usher Syndrome
Assistive Options
The only assistance for this is a brighter light source.
Magical Assistance
Goggles of Night or other magic items that grant Darkvision can assist with Night Blindness while worn, but they cause strain to those with Night Blindness and can only be worn for an hour, requiring a short rest afterward to avoid exhaustion.
Moisture Loss
July 20, 2022
Your eye sockets don’t produce enough moisture, so you need to use saline drops regularly, (IE) times every 12 minutes or have a −(IE) penalty on all sight-based rolls until applying saline drops or closing your eyes for at least 1 minute.
Characters must carry a skin of saline water to replenish the eyes’ moisture.
Missing Eye
July 20, 2022
You are missing one or both eyes either through birth, disease, or injury. This gives you Blindness (IE 4) to all checks on that side of your body. This also applies to actions within 10 ft. including melee attack rolls, jumping, and anything else dependent on depth perception of nearby objects or locations but does not affect depth perception or ranged attack rolls beyond 10 ft. If both eyes are missing, your spellbook is made from heavy paper that allows you to inscribe spells with a stylus to be read by texture in your own personal texture code.
Real-world Examples
Anophthalmia
Assistive Options
While no mundane adaptation can correct for this, glass eyes or eye patches help those around you to feel more comfortable. Some artificial eyes can have other uses, such as a small storage container to “hide in plain sight” or use as an additional sling stone.