Post/Author/DateTime	Post
sorites 11-23-07, 11:37 AM	In my game, we roll stats using a homebrew method which allows characters to normally start with above-average ability scores. One of the guys, though, made a terrible mistake and ended up with a 5! :mymy: Where would you put a 5 if you had to? He wants to be a Ranger or a Scout. The obvious choice (maybe) is Charisma. So the second question is, what does a 5 Charisma score look like? I have some ideas, but I want to hear what others think first.
CryoSilver 11-23-07, 11:42 AM	He probably looks like a normal guy. SO normal, in fact, that he's very hard to notice. A real wallflower.
Eater_Of_Souls 11-23-07, 11:44 AM	I think that with cha 5 you would be looking at Mialee. :P
Prince_of_Parkness 11-23-07, 11:57 AM	I think that with cha 5 you would be looking at Mialee. :P Under the effect of Maximized Empowered Epic Eagle's Splendor (around +20 Cha) On a serios note, Id say hed be an emo from lack of self esteem. Really on a serios note, hed never make any descisions because he'd feel he was worthless. Id talk to the DM and get it raised to 8, its hardly an advantage, but it makes rping alot easier.
CryoSilver 11-23-07, 12:01 PM	5 Cha isn't hard to RP. He's just a sheeple.
Ikyotojin 11-23-07, 12:12 PM	Intelligence and Wisdom cover the thought process and ability to link events to each other. Charisma is personal interaction and appearance. Play him with a speech impediment and some form of bad appearance. Scars from a childhood disease or just homely. There are characters out there with great charisma and who are stunningly stupid or make horrible choices.
Prince_of_Parkness 11-23-07, 12:15 PM	5 Cha isn't hard to RP. He's just a sheeple. RPing a character with less charisma than an ape or dog sounds hard to me. Then again, i think all animals should just automatically get 1-3 charisma, so maybe thats a bad counter argument
CryoSilver 11-23-07, 12:17 PM	There are characters out there with great charisma and who are stunningly stupid or make horrible choices. Like more or less every world leader. But yes, that's very true. General Custer comes immediately to mind. Great leader, bad decision. Or how about celebrities? Beautiful, charismatic people, with enough brains between them all to pass a GED test, MAYBE.
Ruslanchik 11-23-07, 12:39 PM	5 is pretty far below average. I would play this as a repulsive, disgusting person. The kind of person who chews with his mouth wide open, and spills food and beer all over his clothes and then leaves the stains for weeks. You can smell him from across the room but he is totally oblivious. When he asks a girl to dance he gets slapped across the face. He is completely without tact, and ALWAYS says what he thinks in the crudest language. He's not just homely, he is UGLY and would be, even if he took the time to clean the boogers off his face and the dirt out of his hair. Low Charisma scores don't indicate that people are non-descript, they indicate that people are repulsive. To Prince of Parkness: Puppies have 18 charisma and 2 intelligence.
Witch 11-23-07, 12:43 PM	Low Charisma scores don't indicate that people are non-descript, they indicate that people are repulsive. Ehm, no. A Beholder is repulsive. Check its charisma score. Ditto for Mind Flayer, Demogorgon, Orcus, ...
Prince_of_Parkness 11-23-07, 12:46 PM	5 is pretty far below average. I would play this as a repulsive, disgusting person. The kind of person who chews with his mouth wide open, and spills food and beer all over his clothes and then leaves the stains for weeks. You can smell him from across the room but he is totally oblivious. When he asks a girl to dance he gets slapped across the face. He is completely without tact, and ALWAYS says what he thinks in the crudest language. He's not just homely, he is UGLY and would be, even if he took the time to clean the boogers off his face and the dirt out of his hair. Low Charisma scores don't indicate that people are non-descript, they indicate that people are repulsive. To Prince of Parkness: Puppies have 18 charisma and 2 intelligence. That just seems too simple to me. Why cant a sorceror (with 14) cast wish despite being 18th level? Not because hes too dam ugly, that makes no sense, its because he doesnt have the inner comfidence, the strength of personality to achiev that. Charisma's more than how good you look/act and impress others, and i dont think some can rp a Cha 5 character just by being repulsive.
Vathelokai 11-23-07, 12:49 PM	Charisma measures a character’s force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. This ability represents actual strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting.Keep in mind the second sentence. Also consider what happens when you get a zero charisma: you act comatose, stare into space and do nothing. Low cha characters (in my opinion) have a have a very week sense of self, or force of will. They very much follow the group, are convinced of things more easily. They tend to be unsure of themselves. They may be ugly and repulsive, or they may be plain and boring. Another way of thinking of it: charisma is used by skill monkeys to convince people of things. Charisma is used by casters to change the world through sheer self confidence.
Alaric5 11-23-07, 12:59 PM	if youve ever seen or read lord of the rings i think it'd be gollum. really ugly and doesnt interact with people very will (unless killing is a soicial skill)
CryoSilver 11-23-07, 01:03 PM	Physical appearance has little to do with Charisma, unless you want it to. Haven't you met drop dead gorgeous people that you would never, ever associate yourself with outside of the sack? Like vacuous cheerleaders who can't talk about anything besiudes clothes and makeup, and who they slept with last week. Those people have low Charisma.
Ikyotojin 11-23-07, 01:12 PM	Physical appearance has little to do with Charisma, unless you want it to. Haven't you met drop dead gorgeous people that you would never, ever associate yourself with outside of the sack? Like vacuous cheerleaders who can't talk about anything besiudes clothes and makeup, and who they slept with last week. Those people have low Charisma. I've met beautiful women I wouldn't associate with IN the sack due to pure crappy attitude. Hell, I almost married one of them! She looked like Jennifer Connelly but had the attitude of Rosie O'Donnel. She thought the world would give her what she wanted just because of her looks and treated people like garbage. Took me a year to get over the looks and see the attitude (what can I say, the looks get to me... I'm only human.) but I got away without too many mental scars. High looks, miserable charisma.
Kapalen 11-23-07, 01:12 PM	seems to me that someone with that low of a score would agree with what anyone else in the group says and do things to try and impress them. He would never give his opinion and if asked would shy away from answering. Though he may do odd things to draw attention like have funny colored hair or weird clothes.
Ruslanchik 11-23-07, 01:20 PM	That just seems too simple to me. Why cant a sorceror (with 14) cast wish despite being 18th level? Not because hes too dam ugly, that makes no sense, its because he doesnt have the inner comfidence, the strength of personality to achiev that. Charisma's more than how good you look/act and impress others, and i dont think some can rp a Cha 5 character just by being repulsive. My point wasn't that low charisma makes a person ugly, though as I understand it that is definitely a part of it (maybe I just remember this from the 1e DMG). If a person with 18 Cha attempts to broker a peace deal, they are usually successful, correct? If a person with 10 Cha attempts the same, they will likely fail, but not for lack of trying. If a person with a 5 Cha tries it they will be chased out of the room or will end up starting a nuclear war. Is this because he doesn't have any self confidence or because he arrived at the negotiating table and said: "Last night I totally ****ed this *****. She was hot but her ****ing ***** ****ing reaked like rotten cheese or some ****ing thing. Her ****ing ass hair had a bunch of **** in it, but it didn't taste too bad. (Y'all's ****ing food is damn good, but it's giving me the *****. Do y'all **** like ten times a day too?) Anyhow, what the **** do you expect from a 10 copper *****? ****ing ****, your country sure does have some loose women and I'm gonna stick my dick in every ****ing one of 'em. " I see what y'all are saying about force of will and agree, but feel that Cha that is that low should be a real negative in social situations. The repulsiveness is one way to reflect this.
Enmarnacu 11-23-07, 01:22 PM	There are two things charisma can mean. Physical appearance and all the typical charismatic things that brings to mind, and force of personality, how they present themselves and hold sway over others. He would be low in both. Ugly and sheepish (edit: repulsive would work, too). That guy in the back of the room that everyone avoids because he's so unpleasant to look at and be around. Animals and babies would growl and cry upon seeing him, if they even really cared at all. He actually brings the charisma of his fellows down by mere acquaintance. I agree with that statement up there about raising it to 8. If nothing else, it might it easier (and less sad) to roleplay.
CryoSilver 11-23-07, 01:23 PM	Well, he might be a total douchebag, or he might lack confidence. If he shows up to broker the peace deal, and then just hides under the table as the two sides continue bickering, he isn't going to succeed.
Fitz10019 11-23-07, 01:34 PM	He looks normal, has normal self-confidence, and can be somewhat persuasive. But his B.O. will make your eyes water. Even trolls would avoid being downwind of him. If you decide he's basically normal, but with body odor or bad skin, then he can spend a magic item slot "fixing" his problem, and be played normally.
VulcanStormwrath 11-23-07, 01:59 PM	He's a human sized human with hair colored hair and eye colored eyes. Essentially the guy you're making introductions to when you finally notice him, oly to be told that you'vemet 3 times already.
CryoSilver 11-23-07, 02:03 PM	Like Lester in American Beauty before he starts smokin the ganja.
Tequila_Sunrise 11-23-07, 02:05 PM	The obvious choice (maybe) is Charisma. So the second question is, what does a 5 Charisma score look like? I have some ideas, but I want to hear what others think first. A 5 in any of the three mental stats can look like just about anything. Everyone has a different opinion on what the abilities mean and how the numbers affect them, but the truth is that there are dozens of ways to play a character with Cha 5. Maybe he's nervous, lacking in self esteem, overbearing, rude, hyperactive, ugly, easily forgettable, tactless, or any combination thereof. A 5 could mean a crippling character flaw, as many are prone to assume or it could simply mean a mild shortcoming. Are you the DM btw?
sorites 11-23-07, 03:26 PM	I was thinking more along these lines: * Burns or scars over 80% of his body * Humpbacked * Homely albino I guess I was focusing on the physical appearance part of Cha - maybe too much? Although, I had another idea along the same lines: I see the character with dark, black veins readily apparent all over his face and body and somewhat repulsive. Maybe he even speaks in an unsettling, raspy voice. Are you the DM btw? Yep. Next session, we'll start a new campaign with 1st-level characters. A 5 in any ability basically sucks. I think most players see Charisma as the natural dump stat (for classes that don't rely on it). Yet, I want the player to be able to interact with NPCs without it becoming a recurring problem. Btw, maybe I should point out I'm only looking for ideas to give the player - I'm not planning on dictating the nature of his low Cha to him, but since the stat is so low, I think it deserves some in-game description.
Tequila_Sunrise 11-23-07, 03:48 PM	Yep. Next session, we'll start a new campaign with 1st-level characters. A 5 in any ability basically sucks. I think most players see Charisma as the natural dump stat (for classes that don't rely on it). Yet, I want the player to be able to interact with NPCs without it becoming a recurring problem. It definately does not need to be, nor should it be, a constant pain in the ass for your player. It is natural and reasonable that most players use Cha as a dump stat. After all if your profession involved regularly risking your life in mortal combat with all kinds of alien creatures, how important would being eloquent and beautiful be to you? (unless it directly improved your chance of survival--aka bards, paladins, sorcerers) Btw, maybe I should point out I'm only looking for ideas to give the player - I'm not planning on dictating the nature of his low Cha to him, but since the stat is so low, I think it deserves some in-game description. This is good--I think too many DMs try to impose their own strict views on what ability scores mean and then become irritated when a player has a "wrong" idea of what that same ability score means. The player should definately involve this low Cha score in their character's personality and/or history, just keep in mind that your player might want to express his low Cha as something other than repulsiveness. Most players like to imagine their characters like heroes from hollywood films--you know, the ones played by beautiful actors like Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Viggo Mortensen and who all else.
Heros_Backpack 11-23-07, 04:28 PM	For a ranger or a scout, I might reason it out like this: I'm the sort of person nobody ever notices. Not just a wallflower - I'm the wall that the wallflowers are ignoring. But I can be the person who slips through the enemy lines and scouts behind them better than anyone else, because not even the enemy is going to bother to notice me. I can be person who is out of sight and out of mind, watching and reporting everything I see. I can trade on not being noticed...
Aliquid 11-23-07, 04:28 PM	Took me a year to get over the looks and see the attitude (what can I say, the looks get to me... I'm only human.) but I got away without too many mental scars. High looks, miserable charisma.She managed to manipulate you for a year before you broke free.... it took some charisma to pull that off.
CaptainPicard 11-23-07, 04:37 PM	You could possibly have low charisma reflected in a personality disorder. Many of these allow for someone with very high intelligence and wisdom but little to no ability to interact with others normally. In particular, check out Schizotypical and Avoidant Personality Disorders. Possibly Dependent as well. Just don't think that Antisocial Personality Disorder has anything to do with charisma...
Sinis 11-23-07, 04:39 PM	Low Charisma scores don't indicate that people are non-descript, they indicate that people are repulsive. So I guess you find a sorcerer lich pretty hot, since they have a pretty high Charisma, eh?
bloodtalon 11-23-07, 04:50 PM	cha does not mean looks look at hitler or stalin they both were not good looking but very high in cha imo being able to talk people into doing stuff is cha not how they lok but looks does have a part in cha. back in 2nd edition they did a dump stat called Comeliness which reflected the physical attractiveness, social grace and personal beauty if the charachter. almost taken word for word form the first UNEARTHED ARCANA. but that book was old old old. back in 1985
Salla 11-23-07, 05:59 PM	Your character's a scout, you said? The easiest way to do a 5 charisma, that's completely in-synch with his class, is that he's simply anti-social and doesn't like people all that much. He's quiet, taciturn, and it's a miracle if he ever says more than four words at a stretch. He's used to being out in the wilderness, on his own, scouting, and simply never developed any kind of social acumen. He doesn't necessarily have to be an obnoxious jerk ... he just doesn't fluff his speech. He's direct and probably a bit blunt. Think of the guy in the westerns whose vocabulary consists primarily of the words 'yup' and 'nope', or this (possibly apocryphal) story about president Calvin Coolidge: Cal's friend: "I just bet your wife twenty dollars that I can get you to say more than two words at a time. What do you think of that?" Cal: "You lose."
Ruslanchik 11-23-07, 06:33 PM	cha does not mean looks look at hitler or stalin they both were not good looking but very high in cha imo Hitler and Stalin were both sex symbols. Clearly your charisma is low as you are not able to convince me of anything. :P I never suggested that appearance was the only factor in Charisma, but it CAN be A factor. Typically people who are persuasive or charming either are attractive or are perseived that way. Bill Clinton is freaking charismatic. Looking at him you might think he is ugly as sin, but for 15 years he has been a sexual fantasy for women and gay men across America. If he weren't such a smooth talker people might even see him as homely. But they don't.
Prator_The_Golden 11-23-07, 07:25 PM	Good mix of views here... I would say, mechanically speaking, it makes more sense for Charisma to deal with how persuasive and impressive you are. Looks and pleasantness of demeanor might reflect that, but those traits are only REFLECTIONS of persuasiveness or impressive-ness. A person can be sexy, but not outgoing. These people can look as good as movie stars, but they lack self-confidence, and so few people notice or listen to them. By contrast, a self-assured person can do a suprising amount with little in the way of looks. It is also NOT necessarily a matter of social skills, and I will use the aforementioned Lich Sorcerer as an example. Your typical lich does not control people by talking to them gently, socializing, and being merry. He controls them by making sure they are in awe of him and terrified of what he might do if they refuse. On that note, the Wizard of Oz is another person who can make his charisma score a frightening thing. "I AM OZ, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE! WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOOOOU!?" http://www.sethbarnes.com/blogphotos/sethbarnes/www/great_oz.jpg ...But he doesn't look pretty, right? And he doesn't sound like a people-person either, does he? And once Oz comes out from behind the curtain, he still can be charming, because he's still a persuasive and charismatic guy in spite of his lack of magical power. So a low CHA guy probably would either lack self-assurance or be anti-social, either incapable or not willing to/unaccustomed to dealing with people. For adventurers, who make a living by doing suicidal things, I would opt to be anti-social over insecure.
jradd777 11-23-07, 08:15 PM	That's the thing about Charisma... it's probably the most multi-faceted ability in the game. It is what it is called "Charisma." Charisma can vary from place to place, person to person, etc, etc, but in D&D a character's charisma is fixed, so it's up to straight interpretation. Animals having higher charisma, as someone mentioned, might be explained by the fact that within their own societies they are extremely charismatic, etc. Basically, you can explain it however you want, in my game and RP group, a 5 would be unattractive and pretty much unable to convince people of anything (if he told you the sky was blue, you'd still look up to check).
DrMorganes 11-23-07, 10:04 PM	For a ranger or a scout, I might reason it out like this: I'm the sort of person nobody ever notices. Not just a wallflower - I'm the wall that the wallflowers are ignoring. But I can be the person who slips through the enemy lines and scouts behind them better than anyone else, because not even the enemy is going to bother to notice me. I can be person who is out of sight and out of mind, watching and reporting everything I see. I can trade on not being noticed... Almost... but not quite. With a CHA of 5 you have very little sense of self or self-worth. Others might "trade on [you] not being noticed", but you don't have the confidence to do so yourself. Tell ya what... take a read through Tales of MU (http://www.talesofmu.com) by Alexandra Erin. Warning: Ms. Erin's work is addictive. She's one of the best writers I've ever read. Ever. If you read all of Chapter 1, odds are you'll join the her menagerie of refresh monkeys. (I know; it happened to me.) That said, you should pay very careful attention to Two, the golem girl. She's smart, insightful in her own way, but has a very, very, very low CHA.
Voran 11-24-07, 05:50 AM	At a 5 charisma, there could be a buncha different things happening. Not always a measure of physical beauty, it could be a normal or decent looking person who's got really really really bad skills at interacting with people. They could just rub people the wrong way, or as some have mentioned, be dire wallflowers that wilt away from contact with other people. Your impact on a social setting is either bad, or non-existent.
Sezarious 11-24-07, 10:18 AM	High diplomacy gives you ability to lead. Low can simply mean that you could be very intelligent and wise, but never say anything. You have a personality trait that acts on you in a negative way. You may not like the company of others. It's all quirky personality. BO doesn't come into charisma as it is a physical problem so it can be fixed. Intelligence govens the quality of your speech, so it doesn't mean that every second word HAS to be a swear word. A person who is nasty, who sneers with their facial expression, doesn't smile in photos, doesn't socialise, gets shy around people and runs away and is generally uninteresting has a low in charisma. Sorry if my :teach: ing makes you :headexplo .
White_Whale 11-24-07, 12:56 PM	IMO: High charisma means other people think of you like you want them to. Low charisma means other people don't think of you like you want them to. or equally: high cha: getting it the way you want low cha: not getting it the way you want
CryoSilver 11-24-07, 01:02 PM	So... High Cha = Burger King Low Cha = Greasy spoon diner
BigGus 11-24-07, 04:08 PM	Charisma represents two things which can be completely seperate, strength of personality and physical attractiveness. So somebody with low charisma could either be: average or better physically but have a very weak personality below average in both looks and personal strength physically very unattractive but have an average or stronger personality. Looking at the SRD, the non-physical part consists of "force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead". So someone who is physically normal-to-attractive but has low Charisma is one who fails to draw others to them or convince them of their point of view. As Tequila_Sunrise says, there could be many reasons why someone would be unable to do these things; they may be shy, boring, obnoxious, or whatever. They may even be one of those people who has nothing wrong with them that you can exactly put your finger on, but just seems to have an aura to them which makes people uncomfortable in their presence and want to get away from them at the first opportunity (I've met several people like this).
MrCustomer 11-24-07, 04:43 PM	Charisma is more then just looks. It is social interaction, a combination of many things from Looks, Behavior, Talking, Social Skills, Personal Hygene etc. Reasons for poor Charisma: -Being an arrogant jackass -Half Orc is average looking, even handsome, but wears dirty clothes, smells and belches, walks around with mouth open and growls. -Good looking girl, but dresses like a skank and is a stuck up, B**** -Nervous, shifty and stutters, won't look people in the eye In my game we used the Book of Erotic Fantasy (a open licence source book) because I bought it for a chuckle, however it lists alternative rules for an additional Statistic, called Appearance, which players can use to determine the physical looks of their character, outside of Charisma. Depending on the social situation some skills that use Charisma normally would use Appearance instead. Thus players can play good looking characters with lousy charisma, or ugly PCs with a good charisma.
Alyri 11-24-07, 05:31 PM	I would put the 5 in Wisdom and pick up Force of Personality. Be the biggest, most gullible person anyone ever saw, You would believe everything and anything people would tell you. Yes the character has to have blond hair. Platinum blond even
High Octane 11-24-07, 06:02 PM	High Cha = Burger King Intimidation is Charisma based and that guy is freaking CREEEEPY!!
Count Arioch the 28th 11-25-07, 11:44 AM	I would envision someone with low charisma as similar to Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh cartoons.
happy_fuzzy 11-25-07, 01:41 PM	I would put the 5 in Wisdom and pick up Force of Personality. Be the biggest, most gullible person anyone ever saw, You would believe everything and anything people would tell you. iste Yes the character has to have blond hair. Platinum blond even He is a scout you know, no need to gimp his character for RPing reasons, Since I believe FoP only replaces Cha for will saves the scout would still feel the burn on his wisdom-based checks (Listen, Spot, Survival)
dungeon_dude 11-25-07, 09:19 PM	It could be (but is not limited to)... -Horrible ugliness -Terrible social skills -Being an antisocial hermit -Being a douchebag -Poor hygiene -Being extremely rude -Having no self esteem :surrender -Being spoiled :tantrum: -Being short-tempered :headexplo -Being a pushover/coward :hides: -Being a whiny annoyance :rant: -Being a complete tool :pile: (Yes, I exploited this opportunity to use smilies) In the end, it's really up to you to decide what aspect of that character makes him so off-putting or lame.
Mock26 11-25-07, 09:34 PM	A 5 Charisma can look like Quasimodo or Brad Pitt. There is more to charisma than just looks.
WizO_Mimir 11-25-07, 10:25 PM	The topic of this thread is one for intellectual discussion. There is no need to post pictures of actual people -- beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and somewhere, in some way, someone's feelings will be hurt if you start rating a real person's looks. That said, reproducing offensive posts is just as bad as posting the offense in the first place, and it makes more work for the moderators. Don't quote, just report. Thanks.
Sezarious 11-26-07, 09:37 AM	A 5 Charisma can look like Quasimodo or Brad Pitt. There is more to charisma than just looks. Yeah, that's it.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 11-26-07, 11:34 AM	what does a 5 Charisma score look like? Paris Hilton: obnoxious, selfish, self-involved, vain, and very physically unattractive. On second thought, a 5 may be too generous.
Witch 11-26-07, 11:51 AM	Paris Hilton: obnoxious, selfish, self-involved, vain, and very physically unattractive. On second thought, a 5 may be too generous. Demogorgon: obnoxious, selfish, self-involved, vain, and very physically unattractive. Yet his charisma is high. I call nonsense on a 5 for Hilton. She's managed to be in the spotlight of attention for years, even though she's insignificant beyond being a rich man's daughter. Obviously she's charismatic.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 11-26-07, 12:05 PM	Demogorgon: obnoxious, selfish, self-involved, vain, and very physically unattractive. Yet his charisma is high. Which illustrates jsut how vile she really is. I call nonsense on a 5 for Hilton. She's managed to be in the spotlight of attention for years, even though she's insignificant beyond being a rich man's daughter. Obviously she's charismatic. No, she just has good press and a really, really gullible populace. In an era wherein American Idol is the top-rated television programme, the opinion of the general populace can be safely considered to be as informed and meaningful as a fart in a bathtub.
Alyri 11-26-07, 12:17 PM	He is a scout you know, no need to gimp his character for RPing reasons, Since I believe FoP only replaces Cha for will saves the scout would still feel the burn on his wisdom-based checks (Listen, Spot, Survival) Sure if you 'have to' min max. It's not like with the low Wisdom score the character can't start with a positive modifier for those skills. I recently ran a hump adventure(quick adventure between big games) It was so kewl to see 6 players at the table and not a one had a charisma score above 11. Placing the low score in charisma is so overdone and is the hardest stat to put it into and still properly roleplay the character.
Andrew_980 11-27-07, 08:59 AM	Remember, if CHA is appearance then squid heads are the hottest thing out there since the plain average illithid has a higher cha than ANY human or elf!
_Jayne_Cobb_ 11-27-07, 11:38 AM	Remember, if CHA is appearance then squid heads are the hottest thing out there since the plain average illithid has a higher cha than ANY human or elf! CHA is not appearance – appearance is an aspect of CHA.
MrCelsius 11-27-07, 12:30 PM	IMO: High charisma means other people think of you like you want them to. Low charisma means other people don't think of you like you want them to. Exactly. The suggestion that a person will be good at going unnoticed because of their low charisma is as absurd as suggesting that a high-charisma character is incapable of deliberately blending in to a crowd. Want to know what low charisma looks like? For my money it's Woody Allen in virtually every movie he's ever made. Not for his looks, but because he is socially bumbling. If he were trying to blend into a crowd, he'd step on someone's dress, sneeze loudly and obtrusively, or just plain say something so out of place that he'd stick out like a sore thumb covered in smaller, equally sore thumbs. If he were trying to become the centre of attention, however, he'd stand in the wrong place, begin mumbling or digress into inanities until people quickly stopped listening, or just plain fail at whatever gesture he was attempting and be thus immediately dismissed from people's minds. Low charisma can be expressed in very many ways, as some posters have illustrated. It comes down to nothing more or less than how well one interacts with others, how well one influences others. Poor charisma could be the result of being unattractive (though I find this explanation unimaginative and of limited feasibility), having an unpleasant smell (and this, to some extent), having an unlikeable attitude, just plain not getting people, thinking in a wholly alien way, having an indecipherably thick accent, mumbling or speaking with too much jargon, and so on. It doesn't have to 'look' any particular way, or even behave any particular way; what matters is their success (or lack thereof) in social situations. I call nonsense on a 5 for Hilton. She's managed to be in the spotlight of attention for years, even though she's insignificant beyond being a rich man's daughter. Obviously she's charismatic. Making of oneself a public spectacle does not even remotely equate to having charisma. Charismatic women draw and hold the public eye without exposing their nether parts so frequently that a cuckoo ought to pop out of it to announce the hour.
PhaedrusXY 11-27-07, 05:28 PM	I played an elven ranger/cleric with a 5 charisma once. I decided he had a severe hair lip, which had made him sheepish and anti-social over the years from being ridiculed, ostracized, and even just looked at with pity all the time. He lived in the woods and generally avoided people, but at the same time he was a nice guy and craved other peoples' praise and friendship. So he'd keep up with movements of monsters and things in the wilderness, and report them to the authorities of nearby towns.
BarivusTheFearless 11-27-07, 05:44 PM	lol or he just kinda starts to drool a little when he starts to talk to ppl. hhaha