How To Build A Fantasy Wheelchair

One of the more common handicaps taken by players is the paraplegic, someone whose legs don’t work. In a modern setting, this isn’t a major problem as wheelchairs can be fitted with all sorts of motors, enabling the person to keep up with their less-handicapped peers. In a fantasy setting, however, there needs to be more thought put into the apparatus as it has to deal with some basic disadvantages, However, with a little thought and abusing the setting rules, it’s possible to devise a wheelchair with almost no major limitations, and that can be somewhat scary in and of itself.

Not To Be That Guy, But…..

Before you get your hopes up too much, let’s remember that this mobility aid is going to face a lot of disadvantages in the medieval era. The most obvious is that you’re going to be limited to inside and big cities: You need something solid underneath you, and that means buildings and streets. Most small towns, and even city outskirts, are likely to be dirt; unless it’s been packed down, this could be a problem, especially if there’s been a large downpour recently. This means that you may be going to the local market and back, but only if you’re in a city. If you’re out in the boondocks, you’re pretty much going to have problems.

It’s going to get worse when you get away from the city and into the wilderness. The world isn’t level; even a slight grade can make it difficult to go up a hill. The soil is also likely to be a problem, with sand being the worst. You will also have a problem with kind of rugged, stony terrain (although if there are paths you’re golden), while any kind of plant life is going to essentially stop you. Any water is likely to stop you as well; rivers are an obvious problem, but even the smallest creek is likely to be a problem.

And forget stairs: There are usually no handrails, so you will need assistance going up and down straight stairs; spiral stairs are going to be a nightmare. There are also no ramps or other means of access, so unless it leads straight into the building, there will be a lot of problems even accessing most buildings. Large buildings may be okay, but there is always the potential problem if the spaces are constricted, and medieval buildings are infamous for storing things “inefficiently” (on the floor wherever it would fit).

In short, we need to build a wheelchair that allows for this. Good thing we’re in a fantasy setting, right?

[Lest we forget: Magically-propelled wheelchairs have a potential weakness: Anti-magic. If a wheelchair with magical motive devices (such as a flying engine) hits an area where magic doesn’t work or a spell that robs of it of its magical abilities, those devices become inoperable and it functions as a regular wheelchair. This could be a major problem in the wrong situation.]

So Let’s Pull It Off With Basic Technology

Wheelchair technology is actually pretty simple to deal with. We need wheels, gears, and something to give it traction. Oh, and a seat. So, the good news is that most of that has existed for quite a while, with even gears going back to Ancient Greece, at least. In essence, the wheels, gears, and seat are the easy part; there’s even an option to put a box around the leg section. (The box section is advised: It gives you a stable writing surface, making you an excellent administrative candidate.) Metal wheels are advised, but wooden wheels work as well.

The biggest problem is the traction. Modern wheelchairs get around this by using pneumatic tubes and rubber. This allows the wheelchair to gain some traction between the wheels and whatever surface it’s on. However, neither exists in most medieval setting, especially as rubber is likely still undiscovered in some far corner of the globe. Leather is the obvious solution, with pebble grain leather being the best possible option (it only requires high heat), but be prepared to replace the leather regularly, perhaps every month or so. You could also hammer spikes into the wooden wheel or have spiked metal wheels. Heck, you could have spikes that go through the leather.

[The spikes will be a problem when it comes to possibly damaging wooden floors. The easiest way to deal with that is to use a system of levers and springs placed around the wheel to retract and deploy the spikes in the wheel; this is why you have a leather strip going around the wheel with holes in it.]

Simple, right?

All The Options

Oh, but we’re in a fantasy realm. Steampunk is not going to be the milieu of choice: The best you get is a hand-cranked propeller so you can go up larger stairs by yourself as well as mobility in the woods (giving you some great scouting potential!) and maybe a pontoon that can be assembled quickly for water use. You may be able to install a motor, but it’s likely to be loud and smoky, as well as hard to refuel, but it should make getting around a lot easier. Better yet, you should have access to rubber; as tires are a lot better for our purposes than wheels, this is a major upgrade.

[Debate weapons. While it’s good to have some defensive capability, it could result in the wheelchair being taken away from you during more diplomatic missions, especially if you have a reputation for being violent. That being said, you could have scythes that come out of the wheels, firearms hidden in the seat (if the setting has them), and even a catapult (built into the forward box assembly) to throw alchemic concoctions, including Greek fire into a fight. Heck, you could even carry a battle-ax on the back of the wheelchair.]

If it’s a magical realm, you’re in awesome territory. If it’s a low-magic realm, you can enhance the wheels so that they can deal with a variety of different environments; you can also put enchantments that keep you dry and cloaked from general awareness. If it’s a high-magic realm, however, you’re loving life: Besides the weather protection and cloaking enchantments, you can add flying to the wheelchair, as well as some sort of enchanted motor (“efreet in a tea kettle” type of thing) making getting around a lot easier. Sure, you can add more esoteric enchantments (teleportation and something to make it submerge come to mind), but we’re trying to keep it “basic.”

[It should be noted that you can throw all sorts of fantasy materials at the wheelchair, as well as all kinds of protection enchantments. You could also throw in offensive spells as well, such as a water cannon or flamethrower. Straight up: Making a battle wheelchair capable of going toe-to-toe with a dragon, up to and including a lance, is not outside the realm of possibility. For that matter, adding a magical snack dispensary is also a possibility. But we’re trying to keep it simple. Honest.]

So there it is: A fantasy wheelchair. While it has some limitations, it should get the job done. If you allow for the possibilities of magic and steampunk, you can add some really interesting options to it. Keep in mind that a devilish referee can take the wheelchair away from you or enforce its limitations at any time (like hitting a flying wheelchair with an anti-magic ray), so have a contingency in play. However, for someone looking to get around a medieval land, this should get them up and going. Just remember to go for all the options as soon as possible for maximum mobility, and your wheelchair will get you anywhere you want to be.