D&D 5E Don't play "stupid" characters. It is ableist.

[ad_hoc]

When you play 'stupid' characters are you are saying that there are stupid people and then you are imitating those people.

The idea of 'stupid' and 'smart' is rooted in ableism.

Don't use stats as an excuse. Having an 8 Int means (basically) that the character is slightly worse at memorizing facts than an average human.

Do have traits and behaviours which hinder the character (if you want).

Maybe they are not very knowledgeable.

Maybe they don't pay attention much of the time.

Maybe they engage in risky behaviour and think rashly.

Maybe they lack confidence because they have been called 'stupid' their whole lives.

Maybe they find themselves in a culture which is very different than their own and they struggle to adapt. Their common isn't very good and the way they view the world is different than those around them.

There are lots of possibilities to create interesting characters rather than just a walking insult and punching bag.

 

[payn]

The one that bugs me the most is having low Cha means the character must be a disgusting naughty word.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

The one that bugs me the most is having low Cha means the character must be a disgusting naughty word.

I’m playing a 6 Cha Ranger right now. She’s not disgusting, just slightly socially clueless and really leans into her flaw of telling long-winded stories at inopportune times.

 

[payn]

I’m playing a 6 Cha Ranger right now. She’s not disgusting, just slightly socially clueless and really leans into her flaw of telling long-winded stories at inopportune times.

Thats fine. I've just had way too many "fart and burb at every table" and just be an obnoxious jackass characters that if I never see it again it will be too soon.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

When you play 'stupid' characters are you are saying that there are stupid people and then you are imitating those people.

Well, given that we are coming up on Thanksgiving, I can reliably tell you that not only are there stupid people, but I will be forced to sit and eat with them for hours.

It is possible that I will survive, either through noise-cancelling earbuds, copious amounts of alcohol, or (checks notes) ... both.

 

[cowpie]

Characters are fictional, and fictional things cannot really hurt you. If an RPG character is portrayed as "stupid", usually as a simple caricature, they are just make believe. As long as the players are able to separate reality from make believe, then nobody will take the "stupid" character's behavior seriously.

This is like saying that if you play a Friday the 13th RPG, then you think this actually promotes a guy in a hockey mask killing camp counselors. It's just make believe. It doesn't mean you are pro-murder, pro-hockey mask, pro-maniac, or anti camp counselor. It's only a movie, and respectfully, RPGs are only games we are playing, while eating Cheetos, and drinking Mountain Dew with our friends.

 

[bedir than]

Characters are fictional, and fictional things cannot really hurt you.

Fiction and story do in fact have power. The evidence being all of history where fiction and story have powered changes both positive and negative.

 

[BookTenTiger]

This post seems like it's in reaction to something. Is it?

Overall, "don't play characters that are purposefully insulting to others" seems like a good general guide.

 

[cowpie]

Tripping and hitting your head actually hurts you. Sitting in a basement, privately playing an RPG does not. While there are stories that have affected people's opinions, a story one plays in one's basement is not going to have any real affect on all of history and fiction. It's not going to really affect the world at all.

 

[cowpie]

This post seems like it's in reaction to something. Is it?

Overall, "don't play characters that are purposefully insulting to others" seems like a good general guide.

You can play a stupid character, as a self-deprecating character, where you make fun of yourself. You're not making fun of other people at all.