D&D: Haters Can Hate, But That Combat Wheelchair Has Minis Now
Last week, a combat-ready wheelchair took the D&D community by storm. This week, there are four new minis, charging into battle on it.
In case you missed it, earlier this month, a combat wheelchair kicked off a whole wave of discussion in the D&D community. It started when a disability advocate and RPG writer released a homebrewed wheelchair for D&D. And 5th Edition being the game it is, of course it was designed to hew through foes like a scythe through chaff–because what’s the use of putting anything in D&D if it can’t one day be taken into battle against the gods themselves?
We cover the concept in detail here, but the long and the short of it is, the combat wheelchair made a splash among WotC Staff and D&D luminaries like Matt Mercer:
People will always innovate to overcome their challenges. Including adventurers in #dnd. #WotCStaff https://t.co/bFdtFqdUpi
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) August 7, 2020
I mean, it’s pretty badass.
Advertisement— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) August 7, 2020
While at the same time, making the opposite of a splash (so like an implosion of water? a sort of anti-splash) among certain detractors who questioned the necessity of a wheelchair when the world had magical healing.
Actually in D&D, it does. Clerics can regenerate missing limbs for 50GP in 1 hour 2 minutes. Whereas this Combat wheelchair costs from 20 to 215GP.
Advertisement— Pataphor (@Pataphor1) August 5, 2020
The debate went on for days, highlighting a “pain point” for the current D&D team: the portrayal of disabled folk in its products. That’s one of the new things changed in the updated Curse of Strahd: Revamped, alongside Vistani stereotypes. As early as April this year, D&D Senior Producer Chris Perkins had commented that the team was hoping to correct their disabled representation in future products as well.
Yeah, we’re gonna fix that. #wotcstaff https://t.co/stjhBa4r4i
— Christopher Pumpkins 🎃 (@ChrisPerkinsDnD) April 29, 2020
Love it or hate it, the combat wheelchair clearly struck a serious chord within the community, giving many gamers a chance to play a character like themselves, and have it be seen as something heroic.
And though the item has its haters, the amount of support it’s garnered in the community has led to some truly amazing pieces of fanatsy art, as well as four new custom miniature figures from Strata Miniatures, sculpted by Russ Charles and Tom Lishman of Steamforged Games. If Steamforged Games sounds familiar, you might recognize them from the Critical Role miniature series, the Epic Encounter series, Godtear, or a dozen other amazing projects.
EVERYONE CAN BE A HERO! @ThomasLishman & I are proud to have worked with @strataminis & @mustangsart to support her #CombatWheelchair rules & chosen charity https://t.co/quO4MK8RJo. 25% of every sale donated!
Minis at https://t.co/sQqAnQRoSb#Disability #ttrpg #dnd5e #inclusion pic.twitter.com/LpbBqTApKl— Russ Charles (@russ_charles) August 15, 2020
There are four heroes all in all. As Strata Miniatures puts it: Everyone can be a hero!
Human Druid – £15.00
Carried by the living wood of the forests she protects, watched over by her wise companion. A guardian of secret places and defender of the innocent.
Elf Rogue – £15.00
Quick witted and silver tongued, her mind is as sharp as her blades! With an eye for coin and a passion for danger, this is one adventurer who is never far from trouble!
Tiefling Cleric – £15.00
A gentle heart and an inner strength, he is one who shines a light in the dark to guide others to safety. With faith in his cause, he is an ally in both the din of battle and the quiet of night’s watch.
Dwarf Barbarian – £15.00
Fierce and quick to anger, yet loyal and true, this is one dwarf you don’t want to mess with! An axe in each hand and a fire in his heart makes him a dauntless ally- or terrifying foe
As you can see, each miniature is loaded with details. And better still, each miniature not only gets you the unique models, it also helps support disability work, as 25% of each purchas goes to Ehlers-Danlos. I love the character that each chair adds to their heroes. The dwarf, for instance, is bristling with axes, and his chair is bristling with spikes. Mad Hamish would certainly approve.
But you figure the lovemaking Silver Horde would appreciate anything that makes life easier for ’em, from diamond dentures to a wheelchair that can ascend stairs with just a little bit of magic. For what it’s worth, Mercer approves as well.
Hell YES, Russ!!!
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) August 15, 2020
You can order the miniatures, or if you prefer to print your own, you can grab the STL off of Strata Miniatures’ site as well.
What do you think of these miniatures? Will you be using ’em? Let us know in the comments, and as always, Happy Adventuring!
