Roleplaying a blind warrior.

[Kavatch99]

I recently downloaded a blindfold mode so I could roleplay a blind Imperial warrior. I kinda need help.

1) How would my blind warrior know where he's going? He's not an elf so I can't use the old using ears to navigate thing.

2) Since Braille doesn't exist, he won't be able to read, yet some quests require that you read something and there's that quest journal.

Any other tips on how to roleplay this?

[Jakarius321]

You could always just play with the monitor/tv off?

Jokes aside, this is a form of roleplaying I have never heard of anyone trying before, in other words, I'm intrigued.

Perhaps turning the brightness down low so you his blindness affects you as well to a degree, although this may become frustrating.
For more vision obscurities you could also try this mod, Helmet POV.

You could roleplay that night-eye is his only form of sight, or detect life. Making him a bit like Neo in The Matrix.

These are pretty poor suggestions I may have to think of some more in time.

[Norroen Dyrd]

That's an awesome roleplay! I have considered doing that myself, particularly inspired by the "blind Musician", a great story by a classical author from my country. Though I wanted to make an Elf. You seem to have made your task more challenging, as your character lacks keen elven hearing. But I think that he still could have trained his hearing to great capacities. You can also carry a staff around with you - when not a weapon, it can be used as a stick for feeling your way.
As for reading - well, some of the quest journal pop-ups say things like "I have heard a rumour" or "I have killed so-and-so in such-and-such dungeon" so you don't really have to "read" them. They just serve as reminders of your progress through the game. And I also think you should have a visually unimpaired follower just in case your character needs assisance. The Adoring Fan, for instance If he has no other use, why not become a seeing eye dog?
*sigh* Ninja'd.

You could always just play with the monitor/tv off?

Heh, that's a suggestion I considered myself. Though of course, you shouldn't be that drastic - how about, lower the brightness? But then again, there really is no need for that if you play with 3rd person view.

[Kavatch99]

I also thought that maybe he DOES read Braille (or their equivalent), but to me, it appears as printed words.

I think Martin would be a more suitable companion for him. I'll have to coax him to enter an Oblivion gate and fight the first part of the Kvatch battle, though.

[dennis]

I think Jacarius' idea to use detect life as a way to tell where things are is a good idea for the rp... enchant something so that it's a constant effect. Although, I really can't stand the way everyone turns purple.

As for there being no brail, maybe he's just gotten so ulta-sensitive he can feel the shape of the ink on the pages of whatever book he happens to be "reading?"

[Kavatch99]

I'm not sure I want him that powerful. He should at least have something he can't do, to make him seem regular.

Not being able to read and requiring a companion (ie, Martin) to read for him would be fitting. He could take Martin everywhere he went. Of course, this will halt the MQ, but who says he's doing the MQ?

EDIT: I'll probably just find a Detect Life Spell for him so he can "see" where people are when he gets close to them (He could sense their life energy or something). I hate Night-Eye, it gives everything a purple hue.

EDIT II: I'll probably just use the console to close the Kvatch Gate and kill all the bad guys in the entrance yard as I doubt he'd want to start his adventures fighting. (Martin could train him when they go get him a Detect Life spell)

[hoodedrobin]

You could always just close your eyes...

[Jeff]

I just ran a test, and moved the Game Brightness Controls to the lowest setting. Day time is still pretty easy to see outdoors. It is a bit more difficult at night, but you still see quite a bit in towns, extept in the shadows/corners. The wilderness is a bit more difficult than towns, trees and shadows. Although, I sould usually see the roads within a few maybe 10 feet, enough to stay on them. In dugeons it is very difficult, as there are a lot of shadows, and you can become disoriented. You would definately miss a lot of containers and items in dungeons.

Detect life is good for detecting other people, but can disorient you even more in dungeons, as it shows them thru the walls, so maybe not have 100 as the distance.

What I didn't do, and you probably could, is drop your monitor brightness down some too.

Depending on your background story, either an accident or from birth. It is a known fact that people who lose a sence, are able to increase their other senses to compensate. I think that the Detect Life would be a good way to indicate that you can sense the movements of others, but not give you the advantage of seeing the landscape.

Also, some people who are Clinically Blind, can see somewhat... so you could use the story that they either by injurey/illness lost 95% of their sight, which would cover being able to see some of the terrain/background. You could also lower the veiwing distance of buildings, trees, and grass.

[Jakarius321]

You could also lower the veiwing distance of buildings, trees, and grass.

Turn off distant land completely? Although the resulting fog is annoying it might help to serve the RP?

[Jeff]

Not all of the way off, just enough that you can not see as far. They would have to play with it a bit, until thay got something that they were happy with. Combine that with dropping the Game Brightness, and Monitor Brightness, I think they would get close to what they were looking for, without making the game unplayable.

[H8Ball]

No mods required. Just turn your monitor brightness and contrast down and (wait for it), "play it by ear".

[Jakarius321]

I have another extreme suggestion!

Play the whole game clinging to walls, if you walk into the middle of a room you become disoriented so you must stay close to a wall where you can touch it and feel your way around.

Completely impractical and irrelevant with the much improved hearing sense but I thought I'd post it anyway.

Oh wait!

Instead of a companion you could get a guide dog? If on PC get one of those petshop or pet mods, if on Console then your only chance is the Skinned Hound in the Shivering Isles which to be honest looks a bit unsettling. But then again he is blind so it's looks wouldn't bother him! They would make a good team together methinks.

[WartBoy95]

I really love this idea! It's going to be really hard doing anything though. Your character will have no clue where he is going, clearly. Your character can't read any quest journal entries..or know who he's killing..or what he is doing.

[Taters]

I say, the heck with not being an elf, any blind guy who's strong enough to become a warrior must have some pretty finely attuned senses, eh?

[Kavatch99]

I agree!

He has finely tuned senses, and I can roleplay that Tamriel has Braille so he can read.

[Dasharr]

This reminds me of the Zatoichi stories from Japan about a blind swordsman who is a match for any sighted opponent - googling the name might bring up some ideas.

Slightly off-topic, but I'm now inspired to play a deaf character, all volume settings except music switched off and rely on subtitles for dialogue (as a stand-in for lip-reading).

[Avron the S'wit]

This is a fascinating idea! Kudoz to you for coming up with it.

The question is, how long has he been blind? People born without one sense really develop their others, so it's not difficult to believe that a blind person can have exceptional hearing, mer or man, so long as it occurred at an early enough age; and, if they're determined enough, they could still find a way to hone their other skills to impressive levels. The mind is fantastic!

Slightly off-topic, but I'm now inspired to play a deaf character, all volume settings except music switched off and rely on subtitles for dialogue (as a stand-in for lip-reading).

Lip-reading is virtually impossible, given that the only difference between a vast majority of sounds is the vibration of your vocal cords, which you can't see... A and a [p] in English, for example, use the exact same lip shape, but for one there is a vibration and one there is not. Just a fun fact! [/geek mode]

[Arch-Mage Matt]

Idea:

He's blind, so he's adventuring in a dungeon or whatever. He then hears someone approaching. He draws his sword and slit's the intruder's throat. But... it was an adventurer!

Maybe your Adoring Fan/Guide runs up to you and sees and tells you what you've done. How will a murder affect your blind warrior?

Or one day, your guide is kidnapped and an imposter takes his place. Relying only on voice, you aren't aware of the deception and he leads you into a trap.

[Dasharr]

Idea:

He's blind, so he's adventuring in a dungeon or whatever. He then hears someone approaching. He draws his sword and slit's the intruder's throat. But... it was an adventurer!

Maybe your Adoring Fan/Guide runs up to you and sees and tells you what you've done. How will a murder affect your blind warrior?

Heh, I've murdered NPC adventurers by accident before I realised they weren't hostile. I wasn't blind, just twitchy.

[lostlast]

It's crazy... your going to go mad. Plus playing for long hours you'll kill your eyes. Welcome to head ache town.