Eye Color Difference

Limitless Heroics Cover: As our heroes fight the hydra, we see just some of the variety of symptoms represented in this book. The paladin has a prosthetic arm to assist with their amputation. The barbarian rages from their wheelchair, providing mobility for their paralyzed legs. The ranger, whose body is more accustomed to an aquatic environment just as someone in the real world may be more comfortable in a quieter or darker sensory environment, finds ways to compensate and keep fighting. The wizard’s vitiligo may not be thought of as a disability, nor should it be, yet many in the real world experience severe discrimination due to unusual skin pigment — how many celebrities, corporate executives, or politicians do you know with visibly irregular skin?

One or both of your eyes are colored outside the usual range of hues typical for your ancestry. Choose or roll on the following table.

d20 Eye Region
1–3 Pupil
4−10 Iris
11−17 Sclera (Whites)
18–20 Entire eye

The player and GM can choose the color or roll it randomly at https://www.random.org/colors/hex, ignoring results that would be typical unless only one eye is affected. While this coloration is relatively easy to cover, those who see it who aren’t familiar with you in some cultures may associate it with otherworldliness and evil, so this gives you a −1 penalty on Charisma (Persuasion) checks but +1 on Charisma (Intimidation) checks.

Real-world Examples

Jaundice, Primary Acquired Melanosis, Subconjunctival Hemorrhage, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Marfan’s Syndrome, Anemia

Assistive Options

Eye Dye: This translucent pigment can change lighter colors into darker but not the opposite. Such dye lasts 4d6 + 30 minutes and tints the entire eye with the color. The dye irritates the eye, so when it wears off, the eye will be bloodshot for 2d4 hours after. Where available, a vial of 20 uses typically sells for 1 gp.

A specialized artisan can craft a pair of sunglasses costing 200 gp to conceal your eyes.




Eye Discharge

A female drow sitting at a mirror, ink flowing from her eyes

A substance leaks out of your eyes. Roll on the table below for the nature and effects of the substance.

d20 Discharge
1 Acid
2–6 Blood
7 Ink
8–9 Oil
10−15 Pus
16−19 Tears
20 Venom

Acid. Acid leaks out of your eyes at a rate of (IE) ounces per day. Your eye socket is immune to this acid, but your skin is not, so you have scars around your eyes and need a way to constantly flush it out or collect it to keep it off your skin. If collected, a flask of 32 ounces equals one use as a weapon.
Blood. Blood drains out of your eyes at a rate of (IE)2 ounces per day. Because of this blood loss, you need to eat more to compensate, consuming an additional (IE) days’ worth of food per week to avoid exhaustion.
Ink. Ink leaks out of your eyes at a rate of (IE) ounces per day. Your face is stained, and if you’re not careful, so are your clothes and other items. The ink can be collected for writing, but it has stained your lenses; consequently, you’re resistant to the blinding effects of bright light (not to radiant damage), but in low light or darkness, your vision is reduced by 20 feet, even if you have Darkvision.
Oil. An oil similar to lamp oil drains out of your eyes at a rate of (IE)2 ounces per day. If collected, it can be used for lanterns and other practical uses, but if not collected or washed away consistently, it gets on your hands, clothes, and items, making it difficult to hang onto anything. Consequently, anytime you’re handling an object during a tense situation (e.g., a weapon in combat), you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to avoid dropping the object.
Pus. A foul-smelling ochre pus flows from your eyes at a rate of (IE)2 ounces per day. The smell gives you a −(IE) penalty on Dexterity (Stealth) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks. If collected, 32 ounces of the pus can be thrown at a target and cause the same effects to that target as a Stinking Cloud spell.
Tears. Tears drain out of your eyes at a rate of (IE)2 × 8 ounces per day. Because of this fluid loss, you need to drink additional water to assist with the loss to avoid Dehydration and exhaustion.
Venom. A toxic substance leaks from your eyes at a rate of (IE) ounces per day. You are not immune to this substance, so if not contained somehow, in any situation where you take damage that is not psychic or bludgeoning, you need to succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw with a −(IE) penalty to avoid getting it in a wound. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much damage on a successful one.
While referred to here colloquially as venom, this reflects real life examples, where an irritant or contagious liquid is expelled.

Real-world Examples

Conjunctivitis, Keratitis, Blepharitis, Corneal ulcer, Dacryocystitis, Subconjunctival Hemorrhage, Haemolacria

Assistive Options

While no specific assistance normally exists for this condition, you will at least need an absorbent cloth to wipe discharge from the eyes. Collecting it will require a creative solution.

Magical Assistance

Characters with eye discharges benefit from eye gnats, but they come at a price. The Prestidigitation spell can clean the affected area but does not stop the discharge.