I hope that this is the right section. My question is if there some rule for blindfighting in 5th edition? I want to build a monk with blindfighting. Her eyes had been damaged in an accident, and had to learn the way of the monk without them.

You will have to forgive my ignorance on the system, have not played d&d since 2nd ed.  However I have seen a character sheet for 5th ed and to create someone who fights blindly is a very simple thing indeed.  If possible, and this is where the ignorance comes in, you will need to specialize in perception and break perception down into individual senses.  In your case, specialize in hearing and possibly smell.  Use those two senses to locate your enemy/target.  Of course it might require more die rolls, but I am hoping I just gave you something you can work out with your DM.

In reply to tulgurth (msg # 2):

that sounds pretty good to me. I will figure out exactly what it would take to use my perception in the heightened senses. thanks

In reply to KnightSteve (msg # 3):

To quote the late Robin Williams from Bicentennial Man, "Glad to be of service."

To strike something you can't see... that means you would normally need to make a perception roll (or passive perception success) to identify what square.

Keep in mind... in 5th edition, by default, when you can't see your opponent, you have disadvantage on all attacks.  Also, all attacks against you, are given advantage.

The Hermit background gives you a 'Discovery' which is learning something unique and useful.  One might suggest if you combine that with accepting the 'Blindness' that perhaps the Discovery could grant you Blindsight ability at 5' as long as you can hear.  That would allow you to see/sense anyone right around you.  Perhaps an additional ability you could be granted would be an option for a Bonus Action that would be making a perception check (not at disadvantage like usual) which if successful would allow a single designated opponent to be considered within the scope of their blindsight as long as they are within 60' or something like that, until the players next turn.

If the character gets affected by a silence, or can no longer hear for some reason, they function as if normally blind and deaf.

This would mean you would still have significant disadvantages/flaws, but would be able to operate in dark situations better than many, and the blindsight would allow them to avoid being at disadvantage from adjacent melee attacks, and the bonus action would allow them to even track a single ranged opponent.

I don't think there's an explicit fear or equivalent for Fighting while Blind (or in the dark) as there was in previous editions.  At least not yet.

So you'll have to work something out with your GM to simulate the handicap in some way.

As LoreGuard mentioned, being blind (or blinded temporarily) is given mechanics in the game.  You automatically fail any ability check that requires sight, and your attack rolls have disadvantage, and all attacks against you have advantage.  So you could just permanently have the "Blinded" condition, but that doesn't really give you the cool blind monk shtick you're going for.

You could just say it's a character trapping, maybe outline a few scenarios where it would hinder you, and call it a day.  So your character can do anything and everything as if they had sight except for nuanced things that are explicitly sight based.  So you could reach out and pick up the tea cup that was just placed in front of you without having to search for it but you couldn't tell that the dress of the woman who poured the tea was purple.

You could do some variation on the Blindsense ability a rogue gets at 14th level if you're looking for some sort of mechanical model to work with as well.

But generally 5th edition has no way to directly simulate, as written and as far as I know, what you're going for as of yet.  So you're stuck coming up with something that is equitable to you, the GM, and your group.

By specializing within the individual senses you will be removing any 'disadvantages' that come with being blind.  Ye, trying to determine the color of the dress that the girl who is serving is wearing would be impossible, but determining where she placed the cup of tea by sound would be a routine thing.  As I mentioned, talk to YOUR DM about it and see what can be hashed out.  Just because there are no rules in print to cover the situation, does not mean they can not be house-ruled.

In reply to tulgurth (msg # 7):

I like the ideas guys. I will work with him and see what he says. I think I will have some sort of variant of what you discussed

So, simplest way to do a Blind Swordsman...  is to simply state he is blind and ignore the usual rules, as they are generally brutal in any system.

Then focus on Perception skill as stated above by others, and RP the limits being blind would imply, while ignoring the penalties.

That is how I, as a GM, would probably do "blind fighting" in 5th Edition.

But then I'm a huge fan of the Blind Swordsman movies :D

As a DM I would hand wave it as a flavorful piece of the character and treat blindness affects as interrupting your inner Ki thus blinding your senses as well as the guy who has working eyes.

Then again I like jtcbrown grew up watching kung fu and blind swordsmen movies so I think that kind of shtick is cool.

Or just have being blind a purely rp standpoint with no mechanical losses since your a monk.

Look at Toph from Avatar. Shes blind, but she can feel the chi in everything around her.

I am using the rules from another system where a player could develop a skill called called Spatial Location Awareness: Blind Fighting.  This skill would allow you to reduce the penalty (-100), to a maximum skill bonus of +110.  So even though you are blind and at a very penalty, your other sense would compensate and make up.  It just depended on how well you trained those other working senses.  And like jtc, I also grewmup watching those same kung fun movies and thought the idea of a blind fighter/swordsman was a cool one.

This message was deleted by the user at 05:19, Sat 25 Apr 2015.