Medium Humanoid (Half-Elf), Chaotic Good
Non-binary, They/Them

Armor Class: 18
Hit Points: 73
Speed: 30 ft.

Strength	Dexterity	Constitution	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
16 (+3)	20 (+5)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	12 (+1)

Skills: Acrobatics +13, Athletics +11, Deception +5, Investigation +6, Perception +7, Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +13, Survival +7
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 17
Languages: Common, Deep Speech, Elvish, Thieves’ Cant
Challenge: 10

Abilities

Cunning Action. Their quick thinking and agility allow them to move and act quickly. They can take a bonus action on each of their turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Fast Hands. They can use the bonus action granted by their Cunning Action to make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, use their thieves' tools to disarm a trap or open a lock, or take the Use an Object action.

Second-Story Work. They can climb faster than normal; climbing no longer costs them extra movement. In addition, when they make a running jump, the distance they cover increases by a number of feet equal to their Dexterity modifier.

Sneak Attack. They know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe's distraction. Once per turn, they can deal an extra 5d6 damage to one creature they hit with an attack if they have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. They don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and they don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Supreme Sneak. They have advantage on a Dexterity (Stealth) check if they move no more than half their speed on the same turn.

Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that they can see hits them with an attack, they can use their reaction to halve the attack's damage against them.

Actions

Dagger +1. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d4 + 6) piercing damage.

Rapier of Wounding. Melee Weapon Attack: +9, 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage, 2 (1d4) necrotic damage.

Traits

Agnosia (Humanoid/Faces) [IE 1, Triggered by overstimulation and fatigue]. Disadvantage and −1 penalty to recognizing and remembering facial features

Attention Difference [IE 2, Frequent]. When performing a mundane task, Aderyn must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they become distracted and have disadvantage on related skill checks and have a +2 bonus to Wisdom (Perception) checks. On a success, they have advantage on all related skill checks and a −2 penalty to Wisdom (Perception) checks.

Diminished Motivation [IE 2, Periodic]. To begin a task, they must make a DC 10 Wisdom check. They may reattempt every 2d4 minutes.

Eating Disruption (Anorexia) [IE 1, Frequent]. When it’s time to eat, Aderyn must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be unable to force themself to eat. On a success, they can eat and must succeed on a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or experience Baseless Emotion (Guilt) or (Panic) until they succeed on the saving throw which they may reattempt every 10 minutes.

Executive Functioning [IE 2, Frequent]. −2 penalty to all initiative rolls and on a roll of 1 or less, Aderyn cannot use their bonus actions the first round. On any attempt to find something they previously owned, they have a −2 penalty to Wisdom (Perception) checks to find it. They have a −2 penalty to all reaction rolls.

Eye Color Difference (Sclera). −1 Charisma (Persuasion) checks, +1 Charisma (Intimidation) checks

Fatigue [IE 2, Chronic]. Every long rest, Aderyn must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 1 level of exhaustion during the duration. They must also make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or experience insomnia and get no benefits from a long rest.

Hand Hypersensitivity [IE 2, Periodic]. +2 Wisdom (Perception) checks involving touch, cannot wear hand coverings without extreme discomfort

Hand Tremor [IE 1, Periodic and Triggered by Phobias]. −1 penalty to all Strength and Dexterity checks that require fine motor control

Leg Pain [IE 4, Chronic]. All Concentration checks, DC 14 Constitution saving throw per round to maintain concentration. Any round Aderyn uses their legs, must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or experience one level of exhaustion, cumulative each round of exertion requiring 5d20 x 4 per level of exhaustion rounds to recover afterward. They have a +4 bonus to saving throws against psychic damage.

Leg Weakness [IE 1, Periodic]. Movement speed reduced by 25 percent without assistance. Consider the Strength attribute to be 3 less for all Strength checks involving leg strength. Every round spent standing requires a successful DC 9 Constitution check, the DC increasing by +1 each round. Failure results in immediately needing to sit or be prone.

Phobia (Acrophobia/Arachnophobia/Trypanophobia) [IE 1, Triggered]. When within 10 ft. of the phobic stimuli Aderyn, must make a DC 9 Wisdom check or have a −1 penalty to all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ability checks.

Repetitive Movement [IE 3, Frequent]. For 3d4 rounds, Aderyn uses stimming to manage their emotions. When attempting to or unable to stim, Aderyn must make a DC 6 Constitution check to fight the urge each round with the DC increasing by 3 each round until the stimming behavior is engaged in. Failure to resist results in a −3 penalty to all ability checks until their stimming needs are met.

Sensory Processing Difference (Over-Responsivity/Auditory) [IE 4, Chronic]. When the stimulus is present, Aderyn must make a DC 12 Constitution check or act to avoid the stimulus however possible. Aderyn can attempt to remake this check each round. While avoiding, they take a −4 penalty to all Constitution checks and a +4 bonus to all Wisdom (Perception) checks involving hearing.

Sensory Processing Difference (Sensory Craving/Proprioception/Touch) [IE 4, Chronic]. When faced with these sensations, Aderyn must make a DC 12 Wisdom check to resist indulging in that stimulation, regardless of the consequences. This goes on each round the stimuli are present with the DC of the check increasing each round. While indulging, they have −4 on all Wisdom (Perception) and initiative rolls.

Sensory Processing Difference (Under-Responsivity/Touch/Pressure) [IE 4, Chronic]. −4 penalty to Wisdom (Perception) rolls related to this stimulus. A −4 penalty to all Dexterity checks and +4 bonus to all rolls to resist pain or torture with resistance to psychic damage.

Social Interaction Difference [IE 3, Chronic]. They have trouble interpreting the social aspects of language, both verbal and non-verbal, and the feelings being conveyed. This can make them seem insensitive as they miss sarcasm, avoid eye contact, take expressions literally, or don’t attend to the subject as neurotypical people would expect, or they tend to repeat phrases spoken to them as they process them. They have a −3 penalty on Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Deception) and Wisdom (Insight) checks. They can use Masking to mitigate these effects.

Lower Body Stiffness [IE 2, Periodic]. Their hips and knees are difficult or impossible to move without extreme pain. They have a −2 penalty on any action that would use those joints, including attack rolls. Their daily walking distance is reduced by 40 percent.

Assistive Devices

Aaron's Axles of Agility

Wondrous Item, uncommon

These magic axles can be adjusted and installed on nearly any wheelchair by someone with smith's tools or carpenter's tools. Once installed, these axles have 3 charges. While sitting in the wheelchair, you can expend 1 charge as a reaction to dodge without using your action. The axles regain all expended charges daily after a long rest.

Cadfael's Pressure Armor

Wondrous Item, uncommon

Usually chainmail but sometimes found in other configurations, this armor has 8 charges. While wearing it, you can expend 1 charge as a bonus action to cause the armor to constrict such that it applies deep pressure and a sense of calmness, like a hug, usually pleasurable for those that find hugs overwhelming. If you have Phobia (Claustrophobia), this armor will trigger it. The armor regains 2d4 expended charges daily after a long rest.

Valkeown's Fidget Focus

Wondrous Item, uncommon

This fidget has 3 charges and functions as both a fidget item for assisting with general focus and as a spell focus. While holding it, you can expend 1 charge as a bonus action to give you advantage on your next spell attack. The fidget regains all expended charges daily after a long rest.

Cane. Reduces the associated IE penalty by 1 for Dexterity checks and saving throws. Requires at least one hand to be used for balance.

Earplugs. Aids with various hearing differences. Consult individual trait descriptions for details.

Weighted Blanket. At the end of a short rest under it, you receive a +1 on all saving throws related to your associated trait for 1d4 hours. If you take a long rest under the weighted blanket, then you must succeed on a DC 8 Constitution saving throw or wake up with Stiffness (Roll for Impact Extent) from the added weight during your sleep for 1d4 hours. Such a blanket can be made from two large animal pelts for a medium humanoid or two medium animal pelts for a small humanoid plus enough sand to make the total weight 10 percent of your body weight.

Wheelchair. Wheelchairs eliminate the movement penalty and add 50 percent to your dash movement unless on rough terrain, but many actions such as jumping are impossible while sitting in a typical wheelchair.

Background

Born under a new moon to an elven landowner father and a human craftswoman mother, Aderyn was unwanted. Their early life, living with their mother and younger half-brother, was spent in school or pestering their older friends to teach them to fight. At 12, their mother disappeared, leaving their younger brother to relatives and leaving Aderyn to their father. Their father reluctantly acknowledged Aderyn, providing them with a place to live, but the hostility of the rest of the household prompted them to follow their older elven half-sister's path and leave, at fifteen years old. From then on until they reached adulthood, Aderyn drifted between house-shares in big cities, making temporary friendships and developing their skills.

As their resentment of authority grew, they trained themself in freerunning, trespassing, and map drawing, using their skills to fight against tyranny and oppression. They were often found flying through the city in their wheelchair, hopping from one roof to the next flanked on either side by their companions in chaos: a young raven named Feathers, whom they trained to distract guards, and a pseudodragon named Scales, who accompanies them on missions as an emotional support animal. They sold their services to a range of criminal clients, breaking into properties, scouting paths for thieves, and securing getaway routes.

Eventually, Aderyn's notoriety grew enough that they began being hired for other purposes, and now, at 24 years old, work in partnership with an adventuring priestess called Zora, providing the downtrodden with refuge and safe paths through an increasingly dangerous city.

Personality

Aderyn is always trying to do the right thing by people and works to befriend most people that they meet. However, they will not work with people who uphold systems of oppression and view anyone who does as an enemy. People in positions of power who abuse said power, are quick to taste Aderyn’s justice and redistribution of wealth.

When entering new locations or situations, Aderyn is already looking for the fastest way in and out either to assure their own escape route or a potential break-in later with a client. However, even with well-laid plans, they are often the first to forget or even ignore the plan instead, opting for improvising on the spot. They do their best to listen though and will often use their Fidget Focus to support them in taking in the important details about each mission. Aderyn also prides themself on always paying back their debts in one way or another. Oftentimes, this comes as money or helping a friend with a job, as long as it is in line with their ethics.

Plot Hooks

1. The party needs to break into a location and needs someone who knows how to get in and out easily.
2. The party runs into Aderyn as they are escaping from a recent break-in with a crew.
3. Aderyn is recruiting people at a local tavern or criminal hotspot for an upcoming break-in attempt.

You feel the need to use repetitive physical stimulation (stimming) for (IE)d4 rounds to manage your emotions. Stimming can manifest as hand flapping or finger movements, rocking, unusual posture, watching a repetitive movement, making or listening to a song or noise repeatedly, manipulating a fidget device, or mouthing inedible objects or your own appendages. Aside from drawing negative attention from those who don’t understand this behavior, inability to stim can lead to emotional dysregulation. When needing to stim, if unable, you must succeed on a DC 3 + (IE) Wisdom check to fight the urge each round, the DC increasing cumulatively by (IE) each round until you meet your stimming needs. Failure to resist the urge causes a −(IE) penalty on all ability checks until you meet your stimming needs.

At IE 4, stimming may be self-injurious, such as hand-biting (succeed on a DC 5 Constitution saving throw or develop Infection), eye-poking (succeed on a DC 5 Constitution saving throw or develop Infection. On a critical failure, develop Refractive Difference), or head-banging (1 bludgeoning damage every 1d4 rounds).

Real-world Examples

Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Rett Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tourette Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Fronto-Temporal Dementia, Alzheimer’s Dementia

Assistive Options

While stimming is normally harmless and in fact helpful, if it gets in the way of achieving your goals or is self-injurious, some helpful options may include attempting to avoid the causal stimulus, which is not always possible. You may also attempt proactively stimming if expecting a triggering situation, which reduces the length needed later by 1d4 rounds and gives a +1 bonus to the Constitution saving throw to resist. Wearing a helmet or other protective gear that still allows you to get the needed stimulation but reduces or eliminates the resulting injury may also be possible for self-injurious stimming. Fidget items and chewelry sometimes provide a safe alternative to some injurious movements.

You have trouble organizing yourself, including your thoughts, your possessions, your emotions, your time, and your memory. You have trouble making decisions about what to do next to the point of being unable to act on a choice at all. You have a −(IE) penalty on all initiative rolls, and on an initiative roll of 1 or less (or a natural 1), you cannot use your action or bonus action for the first round due to indecision, but you can still use your reaction. In some cases, you may have trouble transitioning unexpectedly to a new task or changing plans. You have a −(IE) penalty on your passive Wisdom (Perception) to determine surprise, and if the plans for the day change, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on all Wisdom and Charisma checks for (IE)d4 minutes while you mentally adapt to your new circumstances and plans. On any attempt to find something that you previously possessed, you have a −(IE) penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks to find it. You have a −(IE) penalty on all reaction ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls. Because you’re used to having to compensate for your decision-making, you have developed creativity and resilience, so once per day, when making a non-combat ability check, you can choose to do so with advantage. Multiple days in a row with high stress or demands can temporarily increase the IE. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Attention Difference, Amplified Emotion (Uncomfortable), Diminished Motivation, or Amnesia (Anterograde) as one or more of them.

Real-world Examples

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dementia, Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia, Autism

Assistive Options

Planning ahead helps organize thoughts, breaking down the upcoming days into manageable chunks of time. The party should do what they can to develop strategies for the future. Any situation that has been anticipated and planned accordingly reduces IE by 1 for that situation as you implement strategies to keep track of everything.

Magical Assistance

When the Haste spell is used on you, you can choose whether to gain the usual benefits or instead to reduce your IE by 2. The Foresight spell can also be used in this way with its longer duration, but casters may be unwilling to use a ninth-level spell slot for this purpose. A Handy Haversack can help you organize some possessions (if that’s where you put them).

You have trouble understanding the nuances of different kinds of relationships, such as the difference between “friend” and “friendly,” so you tend to be overly trusting of people you don’t know and at the same time have trouble forming stable or meaningful bonds with others. This gives you a −(IE) penalty on all Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Deception) checks and saving throws against being charmed. Because of your trusting nature, you tend to be honest and expect it from others, which becomes clear when people interact with you, so they tend to trust you more as a result, giving you a +(IE) bonus to Charisma (Persuasion) checks with people who have interacted with you for at least ten minutes. These modifiers don’t apply to interactions with people with the same trait.

Real-world Examples

Autism, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder

Assistive Options

You need allies who will help you navigate these social situations and keep you from putting yourself in danger.

You have trouble choosing subjects to focus on and switching between them. Your mind unintentionally wanders, and you easily lose track of time. This leads to difficulties concentrating and indecision. This works the opposite when you’re focused on something that holds your interest to the point that the rest of the world fades into the background. This can happen randomly with mundane tasks and often it is easier to maintain your focus on tasks that are enjoyable or interesting to you.

When performing any sustained task, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw. Failure indicates that you’ve been distracted — all related ability checks take (IE) × twenty percent times as long to complete. While distracted, you have a +(IE) on passive Wisdom (Perception). On success, you become hyperfocused and have advantage on all related ability checks. While hyperfocused, you have a −(IE) penalty on passive Wisdom (Perception).

When anticipating an important upcoming event, you must succeed on a DC 6 + (IE) Constitution saving throw. Failure indicates that you’re distracted by that event as above until it begins.

If you have multiple traits, you may choose Special Interest, Executive Functioning, Insomnia, or Intrusive Thoughts as one or more of them.

Real-world Examples

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism

Assistive Options

A cup of coffee, black tea, or another stimulant reduces the IE by 1 for 1 hour but then increases by 1 IE for 1 hour after it wears off. An ally using their action to help focus gives advantage on saving throws to maintain concentration. A fidget gives you a +1 on all saving throws associated with concentration or attention while using it. Keeping a checklist journal and reviewing it during rests can help organize tasks.

You experience emotions strongly and deeply across the emotional spectrum. Because they come quickly, often without warning, you cannot prepare yourself for them and you react instinctively with little or no control.

Enjoyable Emotions. You experience 1d6 + 2 of the following in excess of typical experience: excitable, energetic, euphoric, needing less sleep, unusually talkative, racing thoughts, distractible, risk-seeking. During this time, you have a −(IE) penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw with a −(IE) penalty to maintain concentration on spells regardless of stimuli, but you need only half the necessary time for a short or long rest, and you gain + (IE) on initiative rolls.

Uncomfortable Emotions. If you are a barbarian, anytime you experience an upsetting situation, no matter how minor, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or begin to Rage involuntarily, using up one of your daily Rages. If not a barbarian, when encountering a stressful situation, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or become overwhelmed by fear or anger. Failure on the saving throw gives you a −(IE) penalty on all ability checks that round, and this continues each round until you succeed. You have a +(IE) bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) checks but a −(IE) penalty on Charisma (Persuasion) checks.

Real-world Examples

Depression, Anxiety, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Assistive Options

If an ally uses their action to help you calm down, you have advantage on the Wisdom saving throw to control your emotions.

Magical Assistance

The Calm Emotions spell can counteract this trait for the duration, but immediately after the spell ends, the target must succeed on the Wisdom saving throw as noted, even if the stressful stimulus is gone.

If you or someone you care about struggles with addiction in real life, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 in the USA or Text HELP to 55753 or call the National Problem Gambling Helpline (800) 522-4700. If you are outside the USA, opencounseling.com offers hotlines in other countries.

Your mind or body craves a substance or behavior that causes a compulsive pursuit of its associated reward in spite of consequences. This desire causes anxiety that can be alleviated through certain substances, actions, or patterns, but these responses reinforce the anxiety overall and create a cumulative dependence on the behavior. Choose or roll on the following table, or choose a different stimulus. When you encounter the stimulus or an opportunity to follow your compulsion, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or follow your compulsion, repeating the saving throw every (IE) minute(s) until successful.

Every time you follow the compulsion, you must make a DC 5 + (IE) Constitution saving throw. On failure, the IE increases by one.

If you have multiple traits, you may choose multiple Alleviation Behaviors, Intrusive Thoughts, Obsessive Thoughts, or Eating Disruption (Binge Eating) as one or more of them.

My life is endless order and constant second-guessing myself.

– Marya

Generate Trait

function displayTrait() { const set = [ {range: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], trait: 'Aggression'}, {range: [7, 8, 9, 10], trait: 'Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior'}, {range: [11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18], trait: 'Cleanliness'}, {range: [19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26], trait: 'Exercising'}, {range: [27, 28, 29, 30, 31], trait: 'Gambling'}, {range: [32, 33, 34, 35, 36], trait: 'Harm'}, {range: [37, 38], trait: 'Hoarding'}, {range: [39], trait: 'Hyperawareness'}, {range: [40], trait: 'Kleptomania'}, {range: [41, 42, 43, 44], trait: 'Magic'}, {range: [45, 46, 47], trait: 'Material Order'}, {range: [48, 49, 50, 51], trait: 'Moral Scrupulosity'}, {range: [52], trait: 'Perfectionism'}, {range: [53, 54], trait: 'Pyromania'}, {range: [55, 56, 57], trait: 'Real Event'}, {range: [58, 59, 60, 61], trait: 'Reassurance Seeking'}, {range: [62, 63, 64], trait: 'Ritual Order'}, {range: [65], trait: 'Sensory Stimulation'}, {range: [66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71], trait: 'Shopping'}, {range: [72, 73], trait: 'Spiritual Obsession'}, {range: [74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90], trait: 'Substance'}, {range: [91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100], trait: 'Workaholism'} ]; const randomNum = Math.floor(Math.random() * 100) + 1; let selectedTrait = ''; for (const item of set) { if (randomNum >= item.range[0] && randomNum <= item.range[item.range.length - 1]) { selectedTrait = item.trait; break; } } document.getElementById('trait').innerHTML = selectedTrait; }

• Aggression. You react disproportionately aggressively to situations with little or no thought to consequences. Use the Alleviation Behavior mechanics above with stress as the stimulus and reacting violently as the behavior. If you are a barbarian, if you fail your Wisdom check, you begin to Rage involuntarily, using up one of your daily Rages. You have a +(IE) bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) checks but a −(IE) penalty on Charisma (Persuasion) checks. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Baseless Emotion (Irritability) as one of them.
• Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior. You feel a need to pick at, pull, bite, and/or eat parts of your own body, including your skin, nails, nose, or hair. You must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom check to resist this behavior. Depending on the specific behavior, if it affects your appearance due to visible effects, especially to your hair or face, when people who don't know you see you, they usually only see your hair or face. This gives you +(IE) to Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks but −(IE) (up to −4) to disguise checks or Dexterity (Stealth) checks to blend into a crowd as well as a −(IE) penalty on Charisma (Persuasion) checks due to many people’s discomfort around those with unexpected appearances. If you have behaviors that damage your skin, you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Constitution saving throw every day of occurrence or develop Infection. (Note: This is not the same as self-harm. BFRB focuses on the behavior, and the harm it may cause is a consequence of the behavior. It is a form of grooming that continues to the point of harm. Self-harm (non-suicidal self-injury) specifically intends to cause harm to the body.)
• Cleanliness. You experience discomfort due to exposure or perceived exposure to unhealthy substances, including dirt, toxic substances, body fluids, and sick people. When you believe you have encountered these contaminants, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or experience a −(IE) penalty on all ability checks until the stimulus is removed, and you use (IE) actions to wash the affected area or, in the case of an airborne contaminant, washing all exposed skin.
• Exercising. You have an obsession with physical fitness and exercise to the point of physical harm. Whenever stopping for a rest, you feel compelled to exercise instead of resting and must succeed in a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom check to avoid doing so. You have a +1 to all Strength ability checks, but a −(IE) penalty on all Constitution saving throws due to your approach to exercise. If you have multiple traits, you may choose any Eating Disruption as one of them.
• Gambling. You have an obsession with games of chance with financial or other stakes to the point of compromising your own wellbeing or relationships. When you don’t have access to a casino or other organized game, you will attempt to make bets with those around you based on your environment or circumstances, regardless of what resources you can afford to lose or the odds against you. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Attention Difference, Baseless Emotion, Amplified Emotion, or Emotion Fluctuation as one or more of them.
• Harm. You have unwanted thoughts about harming others and fear that you will follow through on them or already have, so you take measures to avoid the behaviors you fear. The stimulus for this Obsessive Thought can be any stressful situation or no stimulus but the thoughts themselves, determined by the trait’s Frequency. If you fail your Wisdom check, your actions may include hiding or discarding weapons and other dangerous objects, avoiding stories of violent adventures, researching violent criminals to avoid becoming like them, frequently questioning yourself and others about your nature, retracing your steps to make sure you haven’t harmed someone unknowingly, or acting as meek as possible to avoid confrontation.
• Hoarding. You feel a deep need to collect or keep certain items that others would consider useless or excessive for fear of harm to yourself or someone else if you don’t. You notice details and over value items intrinsically that others consider disposable. When you buy equipment, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or purchase 1d4 extra, and when you use a consumable item with a container or acquire an item to replace something you already own, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or feel compelled to retain the container or previous item indefinitely. Note that the item need not be carried on your person if you have a storage location that you consider safe.
• Hyperawareness. You have a constant awareness and thoughts about a part or function of your body such as a mole, how your clothes feel, blinking, or swallowing. This can lead to compulsive behaviors to avoid the thoughts, such as self-checking on the feeling, trying to distract yourself with other thoughts, or reassurance-seeking. You have a −(IE) penalty on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration and your passive Wisdom (Perception) due to this distracted focus.
• Kleptomania. You feel the recurrent urge to steal things you don’t need or that have little value. The urge focuses on the act itself, not keeping the item stolen. You have a −(IE) penalty on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks due to the obsessive nature of your stealing. If you have multiple traits, you may choose a Personality Difference, Baseless Emotion, Amplified Emotion, or Emotion Fluctuation as one or more of them.
• Magic. You feel the need to cast spells or use other magic to perform tasks that would not require it, using up spell slots, item charges, and consumable magic items as a first choice given any task. This may lead you to prepare spells that you’re sure to be able to use even when other spells, though more useful, are slightly less likely to be needed. You also make choices that prioritize magic as an end instead of a means to an end, like spending money on new spells or scrolls whenever you get the chance, regardless of whether you can afford it.
• Material Order. You feel a need to keep the objects in your environment organized in a specific pattern, grouped by category, or arranged symmetrically, and worry about negative consequences if they’re not. When encountering disordered objects (GM and player should discuss applicable stimuli), you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or experience a −(IE) penalty on all ability checks until the stimulus is removed or you use an action to arrange the disordered objects. You have a +(IE) bonus to all Wisdom (Perception) related to noticing pattern irregularities.
• Moral Scrupulosity. You have obsessive thoughts about living up to a personal or religious moral standard and worry about how the slightest failure or immoral thought reflects on you. This leads to excessive praying, confessing, Reassurance Seeking, repetitive religious rituals, excessive altruism, inability to act due to struggling over the most ethical choice, and avoiding situations that you believe to be sources of temptation. You have a +(IE) bonus to Intelligence (Religion) checks specifically related to moral standards and rituals but a −(IE) penalty on initiative rolls due to indecision.
• Perfectionism. You feel the need for certain experiences, environmental features, or actions to be just right. This can manifest in your grooming, clothing, writing, rituals, responses to décor, or other stimuli. If you fail your Wisdom check, you must repeat your actions or adjust your environment to achieve symmetry, repeating the Wisdom check after each attempt until you succeed on the check. You have a +(IE) bonus to passive Wisdom (Perception) to notice pattern or other detail irregularities, but when you notice, it triggers the compulsive action and required Wisdom check.
• Pyromania. You have a fascination with setting or seeing fires to the point of being harmful. This compulsion happens every 1d100 ÷ (IE) days before experiencing withdrawal traits. When preparing spells, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or choose fire-based spells over potentially more useful ones. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Baseless Emotion, Amplified Emotion, or Emotion Fluctuation as one or more of them.
• Reassurance Seeking. Caused by any number of fears, Phobias, or Obsessive Thoughts, you need constant reassurance of a particular fear or group of fears, which leads to compulsive checking, either to reassure yourself or to ask others repeatedly for reassurance. You have a −(IE) penalty on saving throws against being charmed, but because you’re so meticulous, you have a +(IE) bonus to Intelligence (Investigation) checks, although any check takes (IE) times as long due to repeated attempts to verify.
• Ritual Order. You feel a need to keep your actions organized in a specific pattern, ritual, or arranged symmetry and worry about negative consequences if they’re not. When beginning an action with specific steps, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or experience a −(IE) penalty on all ability checks until you use a bonus action to finish the ritual. Spells with somatic components may need to be modified to work within your comfort range, requiring a day for every hour normally needed to inscribe into your spellbook and double the cost due to experimentation materials. Spells not reformulated accordingly require the above Wisdom check when performed.
• Sensory Stimulation. You feel compelled to experience a category of stimuli such as visual, musical, or tactile. The player and GM should work together to determine the type of sensory input and how you typically express the compulsion and what its typical negative effects are.
• Shapeshifting. You feel compelled to magically change your shape by whatever means you can find, whether by using magic on yourself or having someone do so for you. When preparing spells, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or choose spells that alter your shape or appearances over potentially more useful ones. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Baseless Emotion, Amplified Emotion, Emotion Fluctuation, or Personality Difference (Loss of Self) as one or more of them.
• Shopping. You feel compelled to spend money, whether or not you can afford it. You obsessively think about what your next purchase will be and use shopping to manage uncomfortable emotions. When haggling over a price, you have a −(IE) penalty on Charisma (Persuasion) checks due to your obsession with acquiring the item.
• Spiritual Obsession. You have an obsession with religion beyond usual expectations. You become focused on fulfilling rules and worship to the detriment of your responsibilities, financial well-being, and relationships, needing religious experiences or rituals for emotional stability. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Baseless Emotion, Amplified Emotion, or Emotion Fluctuation as one or more of them.
• Substance. You use a medicinal substance or alcohol outside of its recommended use or quantity. When you use the substance, if you continue to fail your Wisdom saving throw, you become Intoxicated until being incapacitated or according to the effects of the substance. If you go without the stimulus for 1d6 − (IE) days, you experience the following, adding one per 1d4 days in order up to (IE) withdrawal experiences: Baseless Emotion (Irritability), Hand Tremor, Vertigo, Hallucinations unless you succeed each day on a DC 10 + (IE) Constitution saving throw for (IE)d4 days. Once the withdrawal period ends, you are “recovering.”
• Workaholism. You have an obsession with your work, focusing on it at the expense of other responsibilities and relationships. While player characters spend a lot of time focused on their class, a workaholic specifically focuses on the abilities and features associated with their class at the expense of other responsibilities. You have a +1 bonus to checks on skills for which your class gives you a bonus but a −(IE) penalty on all other ability checks.

Real-world Examples

Addiction, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Autism, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Trichotillomania, Dermatillomania, Onychophagia, Trichotemnomania, Dermatophagia, Rhinotillexomania, Trichophagia, Onychotillomania (Note that, while we grouped addictions and compulsions, which often co-occur, compulsions seek specific rituals to cope with reality, while addictions seek an escape from reality.)

Assistive Options

Many of these stimuli could lead to either addictions or compulsions, depending on the subconscious mental process motivating it, and the assistance varies. We provide the information below as suggestions for those who wish to explore a recovery narrative, but as with all suggestions, this is not real-world medical advice, and any of these real-world experiences should be managed through a recovery program or licensed professional.

Addiction

The most important assistance with addiction is support from people who care about you who are willing to lovingly confront you and encourage you to replace the addiction with non-destructive behavior. If such people are with you and use their action to help you, you receive a +1 bonus per assisting person (up to +5) to your rolls to resist, including the Wisdom check to recognize and acknowledge the addiction.

Before you can begin recovering, you must first recognize the problems caused by the addiction. Every time you experience a negative consequence of an addictive behavior, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Wisdom check to recognize and acknowledge the addiction. The addiction is never cured, but when you encounter the stimulus, you must succeed on a DC 5 Constitution ability check to avoid following the compulsion.

Compulsion

For compulsive behavior, with professional assistance, gradual increased exposure and proximity to the compulsive stimulus can help reduce the compulsive reaction over time. The assisting cleric, druid, or physician must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom (Medicine) check to offer proper assistance. If the assistant fails this check or it’s made without an assistant, you make your Wisdom checks with disadvantage. You (the character) will not know that the assistance succeeded, but if they fail, you may notice over time that it’s not helping and seek a different assistant.

When attempting to reduce your compulsive reaction, begin with a representation such as a painting or imagining the stimulus and work up from there to maximum exposure with the real version. The player and GM should develop a strategy of eight to ten steps and may attempt this once per day. For the first step, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom check for three consecutive attempts. The days need not be consecutive. Once accomplishing that step, the DC increases by 1 and requires three consecutive successful attempts, repeating the process until every step is successfully completed. If you have a traumatic experience, you must succeed on an additional Wisdom saving throw equal to your current step roll or lose one step, even if you’ve completed all steps.

You get annoyed or restless easily, more than is typical, with less provocation than expected for your emotional response. This can lead to difficulty in social settings and relationships. When this feeling surfaces, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom (Insight) check to realize that your feelings are an agitation flare-up. On failure, you can make another check every round. Until successful, you have a −(IE) penalty on all Charisma checks except Charisma (Intimidation), with which you have a +(IE) bonus. You also have a +(IE) bonus to saving throws against being charmed.

Real-world Examples

Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Hypothyroidism, Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Assistive Options

Using a short rest for relaxation, breathing exercises, or meditation will stop the episode and prevent another one for at least 1d4 hours after unless faced with significant provocation that would agitate a typical person.

Magical Assistance

The Calm Emotions spell eliminates Agitation for the duration of the spell on a failed saving throw, but you have a +(IE) bonus to the saving throw.

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.

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.

Generate Sensory Processing Difference

function generatePattern() { const patterns = [ "Sensory Over-Responsivity", "Sensory Under-Responsivity", "Sensory Craving", "Vestibular Difference", "Dyspraxia", "Sensory Discrimination Difference" ]; const randomIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * patterns.length); const pattern = patterns[randomIndex]; document.getElementById("pattern").innerHTML = pattern; }

• • 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.
  • Dyspraxia. You have trouble learning new motor activities and skills. When gaining or increasing a feat or proficiency based on Strength or Dexterity, you need an additional (IE)d20 days to gain the bonus. Because you’re used to having to work harder to gain skills, you have developed creativity and resilience, so once per day, when making a non-combat ability check, you can choose to make the check with advantage. If you have other traits, you may choose one or more of Speech Impediment, Executive Functioning, Brain Fog, Social Interaction Difference, Language Processing, Learning Difference, Attention Difference, Sensory Processing Difference (Vestibular Difference), Fine Motor Control Loss, or Gross Motor Control Loss.
    

    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.

Real-world Examples

Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury

Assistive Options

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.