Pathfinder: how should I build a parapeligic wizard?

[Geordnet]

So, I came up with the idea of having a wizard in a wheelchair as a villain in my campaign. (Level ~6-7)

The question is, how do I model it?

A Dex of 0 would make sense for being paralyzed, but it would hamper things which wouldn't make sense, like slight of hand. But it should affect his AC.

And what of his wheelchair? Obviously it's going to be a magic item, but I highly doubt there are many magic chairs floating around. I don't want him to have at-will flight or anything, so what else could it do? And what (if any) AC bonus would he get if, for instance, he had an Unseen Servant pushing it around at full speed? (What would that be, anyways?) Or if he spent the effort to push himself the hard way; what would that speed be?

And what if someone was shooting at him when someone else was pushing the chair? What would be the rules for potentially hitting the pusher instead?

[limejuicepowder]

How about floating disk? He sits on that and controls it with his mind. It's not "flying" since it stay 3' off the ground at all times, but it'd work pretty well.

As far as the paralysis goes, how paralyzed are you imagining?

[herrhauptmann]

Use the floating sedan chairs that the drow matriarchs use.

Overall, it wouldn't negatively affect the characters power that much, though he wouldn't get much benefit from haste or expeditious retreat.

[Geordnet]

No, no, no... I don't want a floating disc or floating chair. I want the chair to have an actual impact on things, and not just be a cheap gimmick. (Besides, the setting is lower fantasy than that.)



As far as the paralysis goes, how paralyzed are you imagining?
Total paralysis from hip-down, unless there's a reason why it shouldn't be.

[Callin]

Give him a Dex score. Cut it in half (or maybe subtract 1/3 with a feat...) and then apply a penalty for being in a Wheel Chair. Still hurts a bunch but its not a 0. I mean the man could still be very dexterous with his hands and arms but a total goof in a wheel chair or out of it (major penalty if prone on ground as an example)

[theIrkin]

instead of dumping dex, have ask your dm for a parapalegic flaw (i don't know if pathfinder has them, but stick with me here). get some bonus feats or some other kind of bonus to counter your lack of mobility.

[Geordnet]

instead of dumping dex, have ask your dm for a parapalegic flaw (i don't know if pathfinder has them, but stick with me here). get some bonus feats or some other kind of bonus to counter your lack of mobility.
Um, I am the DM. This is for an NPC villain. :smalltongue:

[Thanatosia]

His dex should be fully intact, just drop his base movement speed to 0ft with the ability to crawl 5ft as a full-round action when he's not in his chair or other aperatus. Deny him a dex bonus and apply a large circumstance penalty and any skills that involve full body movement, but allow him his full dex for initiative, ranged attack rolls (and melee rolls if using weapon finesse) and any skills that are primarily based on manual dexterity. I'd probably say he gets to keep 1/2 his dex bonus to AC (round down) and Reflex saves while in his chair as his ability to avoid blows is diffinately hampered, but not completely negated. No bonus to AC or reflex saves (and probably penalties for being prone) when out of the chair/aparatus.

[herrhauptmann]

No, no, no... I don't want a floating disc or floating chair. I want the chair to have an actual impact on things, and not just be a cheap gimmick. (Besides, the setting is lower fantasy than that.)



Total paralysis from hip-down, unless there's a reason why it shouldn't be.

What is "actual impact?"



A Dex of 0 would make sense for being paralyzed, but it would hamper things which wouldn't make sense, like slight of hand. But it should affect his AC.

And what of his wheelchair? Obviously it's going to be a magic item, but I highly doubt there are many magic chairs floating around. I don't want him to have at-will flight or anything, so what else could it do? And what (if any) AC bonus would he get if, for instance, he had an Unseen Servant pushing it around at full speed? (What would that be, anyways?) Or if he spent the effort to push himself the hard way; what would that speed be?

And what if someone was shooting at him when someone else was pushing the chair? What would be the rules for potentially hitting the pusher instead?

-5 AC because he can't move/dodge. Or just have him be flatfooted all the time.
You're right, 0 Dex wouldn't make sense. You could adjust his stat modifiers up and down for various tasks. The strength to trip a person? Use normal bonus. (-2 if he didn't lock wheels on his chair)
But when checking strength to break a small object that he can fit in his hand? I'd give him a boost, maybe a +2 on the check. Because he's given himself a real good grip by using a wheelchair for years.
How is your magic item chair any different from the floating sedan chair? The drow sedan chair isn't flight anyway. Most are hover 1 to X feet above the ground, move at Z speed.
If it's low magic, he should use a mundane wheel chair. Not a low magic, magic item.
Unseen servant isn't strong enough to push someone around. Even if they were levitating with a spell.
What speed would he get in a wheelchair on his own? I dunno, how strong is he? How light is the chair? Size of wheels? Terrain smoothness? Hills?
Shooting. Let's say half the chances/penalties as shooting two people who are grappling.

[Morphie]

Why don't you make the weelchair an intelligent item that moves by itself when the wizards asks? Or some sort of familiar that was polymorphed into one.

Maybe you could make a paraplegic psionic telepath that has a school were he teaches several gifted guys and that also has a rival who controls metal with his mind. :smallbiggrin:

[theIrkin]

Oops, spaced on that first line there. The suggestions offered regarding penalizing a broad spectrum of actions rather than zeroing his Dex are where my vote lies in that case. And how long he has been wheelchair-bound should dictate his skills, feats, etc. For more versimilitude, if he just recently lost the use of his legs he shouldn't be optimized for working from it. Give him some useless skills or a feat or two that don't work as well from his chair. If he has been in the chair for a long time (or all of his life) then make sure he has adapted properly (which seems to be the way you're leaning). Either way, try and think up a few interesting tricks that use seemingly useless abilities/skills to his advantage. You hit upon it with you mention of Sleight of Hand, and others have mentioned locking the wheels for archery with tongue in cheek. What about a bonus to feinting in combat, because others tend to lower their threat perception of him? How about a bonus to climb (strong hand and arms, without the normal reliance on legs to balance yourself)? Even just extra-dimensional spaces strapped to his chair can be unexpected because of how many people (myself included I'm ashamed to admit) tend to underestimate people with disabilities.

[Der_DWSage]

-5 AC because he can't move/dodge. Or just have him be flatfooted all the time.
You're right, 0 Dex wouldn't make sense. You could adjust his stat modifiers up and down for various tasks. The strength to trip a person? Use normal bonus. (-2 if he didn't lock wheels on his chair)
But when checking strength to break a small object that he can fit in his hand? I'd give him a boost, maybe a +2 on the check. Because he's given himself a real good grip by using a wheelchair for years.
How is your magic item chair any different from the floating sedan chair? The drow sedan chair isn't flight anyway. Most are hover 1 to X feet above the ground, move at Z speed.
If it's low magic, he should use a mundane wheel chair. Not a low magic, magic item.
Unseen servant isn't strong enough to push someone around. Even if they were levitating with a spell.
What speed would he get in a wheelchair on his own? I dunno, how strong is he? How light is the chair? Size of wheels? Terrain smoothness? Hills?
Shooting. Let's say half the chances/penalties as shooting two people who are grappling.


I'm going to vote similarly to Herr on most of these, with only mild changes.

-Have his Dexterity be 8-10, maybe 12 if he's gotten good at shooting darts from his wheelchair, but for AC purposes, he's always flatfooted.
-If you're wanting an actual, regular chair, either
a)Have it count as an Animated Object (http://paizo.com/PRD/monsters/animatedObject.html) under his control. (Perhaps with less HD, etc. because it's a lower level, if you're doing a low magic setting as you implied.)
b)Have him research a special Unseen Servant spell that can push more than the regular 100 pounds at a rate of 20 feet per round, but only for the purposes of moving his chair, and of course, cannot run.
c)Have it be part of his character that he's regularly doing some kind of Lesser Planar Binding for a Celestial/Infernal nurse to help him get around.
d)Have him make very judicious use of the Levitate spell and Unseen Servants. Because an Unseen Servant can push someone weightless via Levitate, it's just very slow.
e)Give him the Transmutation school of magic, and change out the Telekinetic Fist feature for the ability to move his chair. Capable of double-moving, but not a full run, and only so long as he can concentrate and otherwise cast spells.

As an alternative to all of this? Let him have a larger than normal Familiar, and let him ride around on that. Kill the familiar, he loses mobility.

[Clistenes]

I'm sure there are a bunch of Flaws that the character could take that translate quite well the problems a paraplegic person suffers. Even more if you accept homebrewed feats: taking Amputee (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Amputee_%283.5e_Flaw%29) twice, and maybe Obese (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Obese_%283.5e_Flaw%29) too, to show the effects of the lack of mobility and exercise.

[HylianKnight]

You'd probably want to consider playing around with his age. Making him an old man of 70 years would give him a cool +3 to Int (and Wis, and Chr), and a -6 to Str, Dex, Con. Achieving the ability scores I think you want before even getting to home brewing.