Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Meek 06-20-06, 03:57 PM	I have a character that has 14 Str, 20 Dex, 16 Con, 08 Int, 20 Wis, and 06 Cha. I'm having serious problems roleplaying her, because the players think the character is completely idiotic, must look like a hag (despite my description of her, and the constant DM cries of 'Low Charisma doesn't mean she's a shriveled crone') and shouldn't ever open her mouth. I told them this wasn't true. She isn't booksmart and has severe social problems, but she's incredibly wise, which lends her some mental ability, and not all interactions with NPCs involve Diplomacy and Bluff checks. They won't yield until I get opinions from other people, so the DM and I are campaigning to get the rest of the players to stop being such dorks. What's your opinion on roleplaying this kind of character, deriving this opinion completely out of the mechanical interpretations of the stats I have presented? Is it roleplayable (I know this is a 'duh!' question).
pyro_cat 06-20-06, 05:51 PM	An Int of 8 isn't too low, but a 6 in Cha definately is. For me, Charisma is all about confidence. There are some people who may not be good looking, distinctive, or noteworthy in any other way, but they have an instant ability to walk in and work the room. They stay upright, make eye contact, speak with ease and confidence, and have faith in their own abilities. Of course, we all strive to be this kind of person, some succeed, some don't. Your character could be one that doesn't. For some reason, she self-esteem issues, and simply doesn't have the social courage to interact in the normal way. This could possibly be because of her low mental stat. The first thing I thought of was something like dyslexia. While dyslexia obviously doesn't make you unintelligent, it may impede the "book learning" that the D&D stat of Int is often attributed to, especially in a Mideaval education system where different learning styles would hardly be addressed. This, combined with a less than stellar natural intellect would spell disaster for someone hoping to succeed in an academic atmosphere. Possibly her parents valued education above all else, or she was in some situation where "book learning" was forced upon her. When she failed, she began to have crippling self-doubts, and eventually shrunk inward on herself. Possibly she was teased and bullied, and when she eventually discovered she was a talented individual (she is an adventurer after all), she took the opportunity to escape the uncomfortable life she led. I would probably avoid making her agressive or defensive, really, since her high Wis would indicate a level of awareness. Simply make her shy and unconfidant in her own intellectual and social abilities.
Meek 06-20-06, 07:36 PM	An Int of 8 isn't too low, but a 6 in Cha definately is. For me, Charisma is all about confidence. There are some people who may not be good looking, distinctive, or noteworthy in any other way, but they have an instant ability to walk in and work the room. They stay upright, make eye contact, speak with ease and confidence, and have faith in their own abilities. Of course, we all strive to be this kind of person, some succeed, some don't. Your character could be one that doesn't. For some reason, she self-esteem issues, and simply doesn't have the social courage to interact in the normal way. This could possibly be because of her low mental stat. The first thing I thought of was something like dyslexia. While dyslexia obviously doesn't make you unintelligent, it may impede the "book learning" that the D&D stat of Int is often attributed to, especially in a Mideaval education system where different learning styles would hardly be addressed. This, combined with a less than stellar natural intellect would spell disaster for someone hoping to succeed in an academic atmosphere. Possibly her parents valued education above all else, or she was in some situation where "book learning" was forced upon her. When she failed, she began to have crippling self-doubts, and eventually shrunk inward on herself. Possibly she was teased and bullied, and when she eventually discovered she was a talented individual (she is an adventurer after all), she took the opportunity to escape the uncomfortable life she led. I would probably avoid making her agressive or defensive, really, since her high Wis would indicate a level of awareness. Simply make her shy and unconfidant in her own intellectual and social abilities. That is how I roleplay her now. She is unconfident in herself because she was always smaller than the other people training in her monastery, and she never hit as hard as they did, and when she tried to fight on their level, she would be crippled immediately. Thus, she learned to fight defensively, and sort of lives in a little shell. However, the party member's thinking she suddenly has no opinions and shouldn't ever interact with anything because of low cha are just ridiculous.
pmurray@bigpond.com 06-21-06, 04:17 AM	One of the players in our group is quite the roleplayer and is ding a Cha 6 character. Her take on it is that she is a) horribly scarred and b) an unpleasant b*tch. Seems to be working. The character is a ranger with a real hatred of orcs. Last game, my swashbuckler ran into a room with 6 orcs. Having no qualms about the ranger getting shot, he turned around and yelled "Orcs!". V (the player) was like "Damn. I'm going to have to charge in and attack, aren't I?" It all works if everyone plays the game.
pyro_cat 06-21-06, 10:08 AM	That is how I roleplay her now. She is unconfident in herself because she was always smaller than the other people training in her monastery, and she never hit as hard as they did, and when she tried to fight on their level, she would be crippled immediately. Thus, she learned to fight defensively, and sort of lives in a little shell. However, the party member's thinking she suddenly has no opinions and shouldn't ever interact with anything because of low cha are just ridiculous. I would try and tie her two low stats together to strengthen this argument. Maybe there was a lot of academic focus at the monestary, and while she was allowed to remain because she had the natural makings of a monk, she more or less failed at anything related to book learning. I know that I have seen people, friends in some cases, personally destroyed by their inabilty to function in an academic setting, which, regrettably, our society puts so much emphasis on. I love school; but it's not for everyone, and nor should it be.
Schiz 06-22-06, 07:54 AM	That is how I roleplay her now. She is unconfident in herself because she was always smaller than the other people training in her monastery, and she never hit as hard as they did, and when she tried to fight on their level, she would be crippled immediately. Thus, she learned to fight defensively, and sort of lives in a little shell. However, the party member's thinking she suddenly has no opinions and shouldn't ever interact with anything because of low cha are just ridiculous. a friend of mine really has a low CHA..in real life. meaning: 1. he does have an oppinion but is afraid to tell it because maybe others wouldn't agree 2. when he doesn't agree with someone, he doesn't say so, but just isn't that helpfull in the situation (making him a pain in the ass sometimes.. so people don't like him.. meaning low CHA) 3. when you ask his oppinion he just doesn't reply (which is strange sometimes.. but it really hapens) 4. he doesn't like interaction with other people (accept good friends).. that doesn't make him incapable of it, he just doesn't know what to say. with a low charisma, your a shy person which doesn't know how to handle any social situation. that doesn't mean you have great ideas, or the right awnser. you'd rather avoid the situation, walking around it, then give your oppinion. that friend of mine plays DnD too.. but he's a lurker (and the Tank), he likes the game, but never interacts with anything in the world.