Decent INT, high WIS, low CHA? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Decent INT, high WIS, low CHA? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ogre Mage
02-25-04, 12:04 AM High INT, low CHA is generally thought of as the stereotypical "nerd."

But what about above average INT (14) high WIS (16) and low CHA (8)? Is this a "brainy, insightful geek?" Or something else? The character is a female druid, if that helps.
Spongly
02-25-04, 05:59 AM A druid eh Well, perhaps she's uncomfortable around people as she doesn't really understand them all that well, and feels more comfortable out in the wilds - a strong understanding of the natural world would explain a high wisdom.
TranquilDarkness
02-25-04, 07:41 AM She's got a pretty weak personality; that goes for both in civilization and in the wilderness. She won't be the best animal tamer.

Maybe she sees herself truly as 'a part of nature', instead of a true individual. She doesn't really know how to define herself.
She's quite capable of defining others and the world around her, though.
Morka
02-25-04, 09:51 AM Originally posted by Ogre Mage
High INT, low CHA is generally thought of as the stereotypical "nerd."

But what about above average INT (14) high WIS (16) and low CHA (8)? Is this a "brainy, insightful geek?" Or something else? The character is a female druid, if that helps.

If it's not a "nerd", it could be a boring politician. Especially the one who will end with the Revenue Ministry: not popular, but everyone must admit he's doing a good job.
Gingerbread Guy
02-25-04, 12:09 PM Hiho,

You can play this in a lot of ways. Charisma, more than any other ability score, is very amorphous and represents a lot of different aspects. The main aspects that I associate with the Charisma score are (in rough order of most to least represented):

- appearance and the ability to make first impressions
- ability to express thoughts and feelings, and to communicate in general
- empathetic ability, understanding emotions of others
- self-awareness and knowledge of one's own identity
- manners

Certainly there are very attractive people who have horrible manners, and polite people who fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Feel free to blend characteristics such that they sorta even out to your Cha score.

Your Druidess may be very self-aware, but may not recognize emotions in others - she just doesn't pick up on hints and can't tell or predict what behaviour does or might indicate various emotional responses. Maybe she's just blunt. Nice enough, pretty enough, but she tells it like it is and spares no feelings. "Holy crap, you stink." "What, are you stupid?" "No, the barmaid isn't flirting with you, she's staring at your mole. You should really have that looked it, its distracting, although thats the least of your problems."

Instead, maybe she's very polite, very empathic and well-spoken, but she's just plain fugly. Please, please, please, SOMEONE play an unattractive female D&D character! One that isn't a Dwarf! For the love of all things under the sun, I'm sick and tired of tall, long-legged she-warriors with armor that, for some reason, allows for bare stomachs and dipping cleavage [and I don't mean the feat]. Maybe she's a druid because she was shunned by other children. Chipmunks don't care that you're ugly as much as children do.

Mix things up, but remember to stick to your decision. Write it down on your character sheet to remind yourself to be blunt, or to make references to your lazy eye and bad skin condition [maybe Poison Ivy is your focus, not holly. lol]

~Ginger
Princeoflowlight
02-25-04, 09:19 PM She could be very aloof and lacking a desire (and therefore the skills to) interact with other people. It's not too much of a stretch to think that a druid wouldn't be a huge people person. Maybe she feels much more connected with nature. Maybe it's a circular thing: she always felt more comfortable in the woods than in civilization, so she cultivated understanding of the woods rather than other people.

Or maybe she's just a self-righteous PETA type. She thinks trees are more important than people and is very willing to let people know that. She may not lack interpersonal skills. Remember, Sense Motive is based on your Wisdom. She just doesn't care for the feelings of others.
NZCardinal
02-26-04, 05:10 AM She might simply be annoying to be around. A know-it-all perhaps
darkwing_bmf
02-29-04, 01:26 PM Maybe she just likes sleeping near animals and doesn't shave or wash. I.e. she really stinks.

Another way to handle it is 8 is about average for (non PC) dwarves, so maybe you would give her negative character traits a dwarf would have.
Curunir
02-29-04, 03:51 PM I always associate Wisdom with perception of all kinds. A high wisdom character is almost always going to be sensitive to others and aware in most regards. The key here is the difference between knowing and doing. I think in interpersonal relations, Wisdom is knowing and Charisma is doing.

With your high wisdom, low charisma character there is a barrier that is keeping her from using her insight to effectively influence others. This could be a lack of self confidence which is common in sensitive individuals and would prevent her from effectively asserting herself, or it might be disregard or outright meanness. She is aware of other people's feelings but what does she care for other people. She might even be helpful in the important ways, generous or heroic, but unable to tolerate the idiosynchracies of others, and with a high wisdom, she would be all the more aware of those idiosychracies, (and a high intelligence could definitely mean that she is slow to forget them. This sort of character gets worn down through contact with others.

Hope that helps.
Lomiir
03-01-04, 10:04 AM Maybe she has a speech impediment?
saetto
03-01-04, 11:13 PM A high Wisdom character is going to be discomfitingly good at noticing other people's faults and foibles. A high Wisdom, low Charisma character might also be prone to pointing them out to those people -- in other words, she might be perceptive and tactless. This would fit in well with a nature-oriented character like a druid, especially if she's spent a lot of time out in the wilds away from "civilization", and therefore may not know (or care about) all the social graces that people tend to pick up when they have to deal with one another on a regular basis.

Blunt, plainspoken, and a little over-critical. I wouldn't go overboard on the criticism part, at least not on friends (that is, other PCs), but that seems like the kind of character who could generate some fun roleplay.
JohnSnow
03-13-04, 02:14 AM All good suggestions so far.

Characters with a high Wisdom tend to be "perceptive." These are the people who notice EVERYTHING. They're alert, in-tune, aware. And they read people REALLY well (Sense motive is a Wisdom-based skill).

Highly Intelligent characters would be smart, quick thinkers. They'd have a tendency to know lots of things, have good memories, and be good at solving puzzles.

Low Charisma means the character is not very personable for some reason. Maybe they come across as smarmy or weaselly. Maybe they have a tendency to talk about their perceptions a lot. Maybe they natter on endlessly about how you can really understand what people are thinking if you just try. On the other hand, maybe they just know when people are BSing them and they call them on it. A LOT.

There's a lot of different ways to go. A power behind the throne type. A sneaky, conniving toad. A bright, perceptive Ranger who tends to be blunt and not care what people think. This character is NOT a natural leader, but he may wonder why everyone doesn't THINK he should be in charge. After all, he's better than most people. On the other hand, he might be able to manipulate people well. If he's a spellcaster, you could focus on enchantment spells so that the character is compensating for his shortcomings with magic.

Just a few ideas.
Sisyfos
03-13-04, 05:23 AM She is actually pretty normal according to the CHA. 10 Being average 8 is as much from the average as 12 would be. If a character has str 12, none goes thinking about him as a powerhouse. The character in question might not have anything particular to it. People just might be a bit less comfortable around her than they would be around your typical peasant. You might, for example, just make her say a wrong thing once in a while. Perhaps once every adventure / every other adventure is enough. Or you could describe her as she would have really piercing eyes, and she would constantly be a bit on guard - never totally relaxed. This would be particularly appropriate if she has high listen/spot/survival scores.

4 or 6 starts to actually be low charisma where characters would really have some special habit / aspect you can point your finger at.

Sisyfos

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ogre Mage 02-25-04, 12:04 AM	High INT, low CHA is generally thought of as the stereotypical "nerd." But what about above average INT (14) high WIS (16) and low CHA (8)? Is this a "brainy, insightful geek?" Or something else? The character is a female druid, if that helps.
Spongly 02-25-04, 05:59 AM	A druid eh Well, perhaps she's uncomfortable around people as she doesn't really understand them all that well, and feels more comfortable out in the wilds - a strong understanding of the natural world would explain a high wisdom.
TranquilDarkness 02-25-04, 07:41 AM	She's got a pretty weak personality; that goes for both in civilization and in the wilderness. She won't be the best animal tamer. Maybe she sees herself truly as 'a part of nature', instead of a true individual. She doesn't really know how to define herself. She's quite capable of defining others and the world around her, though.
Morka 02-25-04, 09:51 AM	Originally posted by Ogre Mage High INT, low CHA is generally thought of as the stereotypical "nerd." But what about above average INT (14) high WIS (16) and low CHA (8)? Is this a "brainy, insightful geek?" Or something else? The character is a female druid, if that helps. If it's not a "nerd", it could be a boring politician. Especially the one who will end with the Revenue Ministry: not popular, but everyone must admit he's doing a good job.
Gingerbread Guy 02-25-04, 12:09 PM	Hiho, You can play this in a lot of ways. Charisma, more than any other ability score, is very amorphous and represents a lot of different aspects. The main aspects that I associate with the Charisma score are (in rough order of most to least represented): - appearance and the ability to make first impressions - ability to express thoughts and feelings, and to communicate in general - empathetic ability, understanding emotions of others - self-awareness and knowledge of one's own identity - manners Certainly there are very attractive people who have horrible manners, and polite people who fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Feel free to blend characteristics such that they sorta even out to your Cha score. Your Druidess may be very self-aware, but may not recognize emotions in others - she just doesn't pick up on hints and can't tell or predict what behaviour does or might indicate various emotional responses. Maybe she's just blunt. Nice enough, pretty enough, but she tells it like it is and spares no feelings. "Holy crap, you stink." "What, are you stupid?" "No, the barmaid isn't flirting with you, she's staring at your mole. You should really have that looked it, its distracting, although thats the least of your problems." Instead, maybe she's very polite, very empathic and well-spoken, but she's just plain fugly. Please, please, please, SOMEONE play an unattractive female D&D character! One that isn't a Dwarf! For the love of all things under the sun, I'm sick and tired of tall, long-legged she-warriors with armor that, for some reason, allows for bare stomachs and dipping cleavage [and I don't mean the feat]. Maybe she's a druid because she was shunned by other children. Chipmunks don't care that you're ugly as much as children do. Mix things up, but remember to stick to your decision. Write it down on your character sheet to remind yourself to be blunt, or to make references to your lazy eye and bad skin condition [maybe Poison Ivy is your focus, not holly. lol] ~Ginger
Princeoflowlight 02-25-04, 09:19 PM	She could be very aloof and lacking a desire (and therefore the skills to) interact with other people. It's not too much of a stretch to think that a druid wouldn't be a huge people person. Maybe she feels much more connected with nature. Maybe it's a circular thing: she always felt more comfortable in the woods than in civilization, so she cultivated understanding of the woods rather than other people. Or maybe she's just a self-righteous PETA type. She thinks trees are more important than people and is very willing to let people know that. She may not lack interpersonal skills. Remember, Sense Motive is based on your Wisdom. She just doesn't care for the feelings of others.
NZCardinal 02-26-04, 05:10 AM	She might simply be annoying to be around. A know-it-all perhaps
darkwing_bmf 02-29-04, 01:26 PM	Maybe she just likes sleeping near animals and doesn't shave or wash. I.e. she really stinks. Another way to handle it is 8 is about average for (non PC) dwarves, so maybe you would give her negative character traits a dwarf would have.
Curunir 02-29-04, 03:51 PM	I always associate Wisdom with perception of all kinds. A high wisdom character is almost always going to be sensitive to others and aware in most regards. The key here is the difference between knowing and doing. I think in interpersonal relations, Wisdom is knowing and Charisma is doing. With your high wisdom, low charisma character there is a barrier that is keeping her from using her insight to effectively influence others. This could be a lack of self confidence which is common in sensitive individuals and would prevent her from effectively asserting herself, or it might be disregard or outright meanness. She is aware of other people's feelings but what does she care for other people. She might even be helpful in the important ways, generous or heroic, but unable to tolerate the idiosynchracies of others, and with a high wisdom, she would be all the more aware of those idiosychracies, (and a high intelligence could definitely mean that she is slow to forget them. This sort of character gets worn down through contact with others. Hope that helps.
Lomiir 03-01-04, 10:04 AM	Maybe she has a speech impediment?
saetto 03-01-04, 11:13 PM	A high Wisdom character is going to be discomfitingly good at noticing other people's faults and foibles. A high Wisdom, low Charisma character might also be prone to pointing them out to those people -- in other words, she might be perceptive and tactless. This would fit in well with a nature-oriented character like a druid, especially if she's spent a lot of time out in the wilds away from "civilization", and therefore may not know (or care about) all the social graces that people tend to pick up when they have to deal with one another on a regular basis. Blunt, plainspoken, and a little over-critical. I wouldn't go overboard on the criticism part, at least not on friends (that is, other PCs), but that seems like the kind of character who could generate some fun roleplay.
JohnSnow 03-13-04, 02:14 AM	All good suggestions so far. Characters with a high Wisdom tend to be "perceptive." These are the people who notice EVERYTHING. They're alert, in-tune, aware. And they read people REALLY well (Sense motive is a Wisdom-based skill). Highly Intelligent characters would be smart, quick thinkers. They'd have a tendency to know lots of things, have good memories, and be good at solving puzzles. Low Charisma means the character is not very personable for some reason. Maybe they come across as smarmy or weaselly. Maybe they have a tendency to talk about their perceptions a lot. Maybe they natter on endlessly about how you can really understand what people are thinking if you just try. On the other hand, maybe they just know when people are BSing them and they call them on it. A LOT. There's a lot of different ways to go. A power behind the throne type. A sneaky, conniving toad. A bright, perceptive Ranger who tends to be blunt and not care what people think. This character is NOT a natural leader, but he may wonder why everyone doesn't THINK he should be in charge. After all, he's better than most people. On the other hand, he might be able to manipulate people well. If he's a spellcaster, you could focus on enchantment spells so that the character is compensating for his shortcomings with magic. Just a few ideas.
Sisyfos 03-13-04, 05:23 AM	She is actually pretty normal according to the CHA. 10 Being average 8 is as much from the average as 12 would be. If a character has str 12, none goes thinking about him as a powerhouse. The character in question might not have anything particular to it. People just might be a bit less comfortable around her than they would be around your typical peasant. You might, for example, just make her say a wrong thing once in a while. Perhaps once every adventure / every other adventure is enough. Or you could describe her as she would have really piercing eyes, and she would constantly be a bit on guard - never totally relaxed. This would be particularly appropriate if she has high listen/spot/survival scores. 4 or 6 starts to actually be low charisma where characters would really have some special habit / aspect you can point your finger at. Sisyfos