Curing deafness (Dragon Heist)

[Zaharra]

Playing through the Dragon Heist module and my character has come across three orphans in the city, and one of the three orphans, a girl named Nat, is deaf.

While the three were distracted, I cast lesser restoration on Nat with the slim hope that it could help, but unfortunately it didn't work.

I'm taking care of the trio, making sure they have food and bringing them gifts, but I really really want to help this girl.

Additionally I'm trying to find homes for them, but the three of them don't want to be split up and my character has a room in the tavern that we got from Volo, but it really doesn't have the space for three children to also live unless I convince the entire party to help me free up some space for them to live.

Have other people who played through this module followed the same path with the orphans that I have? What did you do? Any suggestions for curing deafness when lesser restoration isn't enough?

[Tanarii]

Is it natural, or from physical damage?

If she was born deaf, it'd probably take a divine intervention from a cleric.

If it's long term damage, the equivalent of a Lingering Injury, it'd probably take a Regenerate spell.

[The Cats]

If her deafness is a birth defect and not due to injury I don't know if any sort of restoration would work. Can't really restore something that was never there. You'll need a wish or divine intervention. Or figure out how to get her a level of wizard, or the magic initiate feat, then she can hear through a familiar. Of course this is all up to your DM. Due to an obvious oversight by Wizards of the Coast there are no rules for curing poor orphans of long-term disabilities in the player's handbook.

[JackPhoenix]

Reincarnate should work if she was born like that, new body and all. You'll just have to kill her first.

[Zaharra]

Reincarnate should work if she was born like that, new body and all. You'll just have to kill her first.

I'm not going to kill a child, also we're level 4, reincarnate is a bit far off.

[Unoriginal]

Attempting to modify someone's body without their consent, even to heal them, is kind of a **** move. Also attempting to cast a spell on someone unprompted would logically result in hostility or fleeingy. Even distracted people would notice it and be rightly fearful.

For the thing with the housing: Trollskull Manor has more than enough rooms for the three street urchins, unless you already have 12 people living there. You could give them sleeping bags and let them sleep in the library and it'd be better than their current living conditions.

[some guy]

Not an actual contribution to the discussion, but could someone explain to me why Lesser Restoration would not work? If the reason is specific to this campaign no other explanation is needed.

[KorvinStarmast]

Not an actual contribution to the discussion, but could someone explain to me why Lesser Restoration would not work? If the reason is specific to this campaign no other explanation is needed. The spell description looks like it handles a condition, which seem to mostly be temporary in nature per appendix A

You touch a creature and can end either one disease or one condition afflicting it. The condition can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned. But maybe it could be treated as a disease?
Deafened
A deafened creature can’t hear and automatically fails any ability check that requires hearing. Blinded and blind I suspect are semantically different as regards temporary versus permanent conditions. But a given DM might rule otherwise.

I am not sure that Greater Restoration will do it

You imbue a creature you touch with positive energy to undo a debilitating effect. Y It may take something like Heal.

Choose a creature that you can see within range. A surge of positive energy washes through the creature, causing it to regain 70 Hit Points. This spell also ends blindness, deafness, and any Diseases affecting the target. All references to PHB.

[Zaharra]

Attempting to modify someone's body without their consent, even to heal them, is kind of a **** move. Also attempting to cast a spell on someone unprompted would logically result in hostility or fleeingy. Even distracted people would notice it and be rightly fearful.

For the thing with the housing: Trollskull Manor has more than enough rooms for the three street urchins, unless you already have 12 people living there. You could give them sleeping bags and let them sleep in the library and it'd be better than their current living conditions.

Unsure if this is in the module or something my DM came up with but they have a priest who is desperately poor and trying to care for them because no one else will, I spoke with him first about attempting it and he was concerned about giving false hope, so I kept it subtle. I've also been befriending them, enough that they aren't surprised if I cast a bit of magic.

The party rogue and wizard were extremely aggressive when we gained the manor and have laid claim to all but two rooms, the one I stay in and the attic, so I need to bargain with them for additional space, but I plan to do that next time.

[Calimehter]

Lesser Restoration didn't work for the same reason that a Grimlock priest cannot grant himself the ability to see by use of that same spell.

If she *hadn't* been born with it, it would have worked. So still worth the effort if you care about them and aren't sure if she was born with it or instead had it inflicted on her somehow.

Edit: In one more level you could try Remove Curse. Curses can be odd things that don't get fixed by "ordinary" magical healing. I think it's unlikely to work (her being born with it seems more likely) but it's at least a possibility.

[Tanarii]

If she *hadn't* been born with it, it would have worked.
Significant Lingering Injuries (DMG) generally require the use of Regenerate (or possibly Heal) to remove. Just because it inflicts a condition shouldn't change that.

[Kintar]

I'm not going to kill a child, also we're level 4, reincarnate is a bit far off.

Gentle repose until appropriate level. Just don't forget a day. The ends justify the means.

[Calimehter]

Significant Lingering Injuries (DMG) generally require the use of Regenerate (or possibly Heal) to remove. Just because it inflicts a condition shouldn't change that.

True, though it should be mentioned that Lingering Injuries are an optional rule. Even if it is being used without the OP knowing about it, not every injury on that table requires Regenerate or other high level magic. Those injuries that *do* require it are all pretty visually obvious injuries.

If the DM had elected to go with trauma of the level requiring Regeneration, I would argue that he should both let the PC know that he is using the Lingering Injury rule, and also give her a very good chance to detect the evidence of such extreme trauma.

Alternately, if the deafness is being treated as an "Internal Injury" . . . maybe all she needs is a handful of Wisdom(Medicine) checks or magical healing that she hasn't had access to yet as an orphan?? You would think the DM would have allowed Lesser Restoration to count as such magical healing, but if he is being a stickler, maybe Cure Wounds is actually the answer? Could be worth trying that or the Wisdom(medicine) checks.

[Unoriginal]

True, though it should be mentioned that Lingering Injuries are an optional rule. Even if it is being used without the OP knowing about it, not every injury on that table requires Regenerate or other high level magic. Those injuries that *do* require it are all pretty visually obvious injuries.

If the DM had elected to go with trauma of the level requiring Regeneration, I would argue that he should both let the PC know that he is using the Lingering Injury rule, and also give her a very good chance to detect the evidence of such extreme trauma.

Alternately, if the deafness is being treated as an "Internal Injury" . . . maybe all she needs is a handful of Wisdom(Medicine) checks or magical healing that she hasn't had access to yet as an orphan?? You would think the DM would have allowed Lesser Restoration to count as such magical healing, but if he is being a stickler, maybe Cure Wounds is actually the answer? Could be worth trying that or the Wisdom(medicine) checks.

Magic isn't all powerful, nor is D&D's medical knowledge. If someone become blind because of a knife wound to the eyes, Lesser Restoration or Cure Wound would not work, and neither would Wisdom (Medicine) checks.

[Calimehter]

Magic isn't all powerful, nor is D&D's medical knowledge. If someone become blind because of a knife wound to the eyes, Lesser Restoration or Cure Wound would not work, and neither would Wisdom (Medicine) checks.

I probably should have clarified that my use of the phrase "internal injury" in my last paragraph was referring to a specific result on the Lingering Injury . . . which also specifically allows for "lesser" magic and mundane healing options to fix said result.

I agree that a knife wound to the eyes would require higher level magic such as Regenerate. The Lingering Injury table specifically requires this for that exact injury.

Since deafness isnt a possible result on the Lingering Injury table, I was just musing on which table result would be used by the OPs DM to as a "stand in". . . if it is a Lingering Injury at all. Since we don't know what the DM decided, it seemed best to cover more than one option when it came to possible ways to "fix" the orphan.

All this is probably getting pretty far into the weeds for the OPs purposes. The simplest reason (kid was born deaf) is still the most likely explanation for why Lesser Restoration didn't work. :)

[Ganymede]

Attempting to modify someone's body without their consent, even to heal them, is kind of a **** move.

That's actually the devil lord Titivilus' backstory. As a mortal, he would sneak around and cast lesser restoration on hung over people. Once he died and was flung to the Nine Hells for these sins, he rapidly ascended the ranks.