Another player who was at the table during the incident sent me this meme after the problem player in question (they had a history) left the group chat.
Felt like sharing it here because I’m sure more people should keep this kind of thing in mind.
Do you have any idea how many fandoms have had their own The Chair incidents? Please specify.
I don’t even remember if it was WotC published or on a third party site, but someone released a magic item wheel chair that was basically designed to allow a paraplegic character to keep up with the rest of the party, and everyone proceeded to lost their goddamn minds over it for like 2 months.
I found that so frustrating because among the people being ableist about it, it was just so ridiculously poorly balanced. But people then wanted to defend it and paint anyone who criticized it as ableist. The doc even has a section saying that the combat wheelchair doesn’t give any advantage over able-bodied players, that it just allows people to continue adventuring, and that it is cruel to deny disabled folks the opportunity to adventure.
Then they turn around and write upgrades like 1/day dimension door. That’s equivalent to a rare magic item, which XGE says sells for 2000-20000gp, being sold exclusively to wheelchair users for 500gp. If that’s not an advantage I don’t know what is.
I have nothing wrong with the premise of a combat wheelchair, I think it could be cool, it’s just poorly made with all the “upgrades”.
One of my characters got this recently after losing a leg in a duel. Everybody was making so many inappropriate wheelchair jokes that the DM allowed me to graft on a half-dragon’s leg, somehow. It’s a real shame because before the overpowered wheelchair I was interested in role-playing the disability seriously.
