Vocal Cord Difference

aquatic humanoid making the sign for, "thank-you"

Your vocal cords function differently than those of most of your ancestry. Choose or roll on the following table. These traits are typically constant, but the player and GM can choose fantasy reasons for variation.

d20 Vocal Cord Difference
1–4 Noisy Breathing
5 Pitch Irregularity
6 Reverberation
7–10 Silent
11–16 Uncontrolled Volume
17–20 Wheezing
  • Noisy Breathing. Sound comes from your mouth involuntarily. You have a −(IE) penalty on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks where sound is a factor.
  • Pitch Irregularity. Your voice is noticeably higher (50 percent) or lower (50 percent) than expected for your ancestry and gender. If higher, your normal speaking pitch is 1 + ((IE) × 2) octaves higher than a typical range. If lower, your average pitch is 1 + ((IE) × 2) octaves lower than a typical range. A lower voice gives you +(IE) on Charisma (Intimidation) checks, but your voice is harder to understand, which gives you −(IE) on Charisma (Persuasion) checks. A higher voice has −(IE) on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. This vocal difference will also penalize Charisma (Performance) checks accordingly for most singing.
  • Reverberation. Your voice reverberates in your body, causing an uncontrollable echo effect. This gives you +(IE) to Charisma (Intimidation) checks but, since even your breath has a certain amount of reverberation, you have −(IE) to Dexterity (Stealth) checks where sound is a factor.
  • Silent. You lack functional vocal cords, leaving you with no audible voice. You cannot use spell scrolls, and spells with a verbal component require you to modify them to add additional somatic components if possible. The complexity of this change requires one day for every hour usually needed to inscribe it into your spellbook and twice the cost due to additional experimentation needed. This trait has no IE.
  • Uncontrolled Volume. You have little or no control over the volume of your voice, either too loud (50 percent) or too quiet (50 percent) as described in the following table. Too loud gives you −(IE) to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as sounds can sometimes slip out but +(IE) to Charisma (Intimidation) checks. Too quiet gives you a −(IE) to Charisma (Persuasion), Charisma (Intimidation), and Charisma (Performance) checks that use voice.
    IE Loud Voice Quiet Voice
    1 Conversational volume, can’t talk quieter Conversational volume, can’t talk louder
    2 Always project your voice Always mumble
    3 Always yell as loud as possible Always whisper
    4 Always talk louder than humanly possible Always whisper so quietly that enhanced hearing or very close proximity is needed to hear
  • Wheezing. Your voice is scratchy and accented by coughing and wheezing. You experience a −(IE) on vocal Charisma checks, and when you use spells with a verbal component, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution check. On a failed check, the spell is not cast and does not use a spell slot.
Real-world Examples

Paradoxical Vocal Fold Movement, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, Vocal Cord Paralysis

Assistive Options

Loud disabilities can be muffled with a mask that muffles the mouth, reducing the effect by 1 IE but making breathing difficult, causing a −1 penalty on Constitution checks related to exertion. All of these can benefit from learning a sign language, which can be exchanged for any language or proficiency.

Magical Assistance

A Helm of Telepathy or other magic that allows for nonverbal communication can assist with vocal disabilities.




Speech Impediment

You have difficulty speaking, either pronouncing certain sounds necessary for your language, adding extra sounds and words, elongating words, stuttering, inability to think of or say certain words, or, if IE = 4, you are nonverbal. This gives you a −(IE) penalty on all speech-related ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls, and you must modify spells with verbal components to work within your verbal range, so you cannot use spell scrolls, and when learning a new spell with a verbal component, it takes twice as long to copy it into your spellbook as usual.

Real-world Examples

Vocal Cord Paralysis, Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Huntington’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Assistive Options

You can benefit from learning a sign language, which can be exchanged for any language or proficiency.

Magical Assistance

Tools that can project thoughts can telepathically assist with a speech impediment, but they typically allow speaking to only one target at a time or have limited uses. The cause may be more psychological than physical, in which case telepathy may not help.