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

[Jfdlsjfd]

I think you could easily rename intelligence and wisdom to knowledge and awareness, and it would make pretty decent sense. Not that I really have a huge problem with their current names.

You'd have to rename them if you changed the definition. If you make INT reflects formal education, you'd legitimately have groups of sapient beings adopting form of social and spacial organizations less propitious to the emergence of institutions of specialized learning (available or even mandatory) to get a collective INT penalty, even if PCs could overcome it, maybe by benefitting from a time outside the standards of those spatial and social organisations (or by virtue of floating ASIs). I fear this would elicit a strong negative reaction due to the wider meaning of this stat name.

 

[CleverNickName]

Intelligence just means (for some aspects) being able to think faster. Wisdom is good judgement.

I like to use Intelligence for initiative rolls, for this very reason. I've also considered it for ranged attacks, too.

 

[Faolyn]

A few years ago, I would have agreed with your assessment. Not anymore.

Do a quick search on Affion Crockett's comedy set in Jacksonville, Florida, from 11 days ago. There is all kinds of video of it online. Then get back to me about what people will and won't do when they feel offended.

So... you're expecting that a fellow gamer is going to come up to you and say you're offending them?

Also, there is a difference between a comedy act (which often do involve funny insults or raunchy topics, like this guys act apparently does) which has an audience whose entire reason for being there is to listen to the comedian, and just a random person who happens to be in the same room as you and is, presumably, shopping or playing in their own game.

OK. Let's assume that actually happens to you. Then what? What is going to make this hypothetical person leave what they were already doing to come over to you and say you're being offensive? Are you in fact going to be shouting out slurs or loudly discussing topics that are inappropriate if there are children there?

 

[Mordhau]

You'd have to rename them if you changed the definition. If you make INT reflects formal education, you'd legitimately have groups of sapient beings adopting form of social and spacial organizations less propitious to the emergence of institutions of specialized learning (available or even mandatory) to get a collective INT penalty, even if PCs could overcome it, maybe by benefitting from a time outside the standards of those spatial and social organisations (or by virtue of floating ASIs). I fear this would elicit a strong negative reaction due to the wider meaning of this stat name.

Wisdom hasn't meant 'Wisdom' for twenty years now. It means the combined faculty of perception and willpower. People seem willing to let the meaning change, but the word itself is a bit of a sacred cow.

Charisma also doesn't really mean Charisma (or else how does it power sorcery? - it also contains aspects of willpower) and Dexterity doesn't really mean dexterity either (or rather it means a lot more than that).

And it seems like racial bonuses have largely been dropped anyway. However, even if you keep them, this basically falls into the category, of 'rules artifacts to not think too hard about'. If we can't manage that we can't really play D&D at all.

 

[Fenris-77]

I couldn't give less of a toss about offending people in a general way. Great, be offended. But don't pretend your personal stuff is somehow a larger issue. Individuals don't get to be the offense police.

 

[Vaalingrade]

At some point, people are going to have to accept that this isn't a question of offense.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

At some point, people are going to have to accept that this isn't a question of offense.

I'm still thinking we're good for another 3-4 pages of ''this is my game in my basement, so I offend no one'' at least.

Probably with a few doses of slippery slopes and ranting about ''being told how to play''.

 

[Charlaquin]

At some point, people are going to have to accept that this isn't a question of offense.

If only it worked that way…

 

[Unwise]

I can't even recall the last time I played a straight white able-bodied male character.

My second last character had cerebral palsy (-3 Dex gave me the idea). He wanted to be a wizard but couldn't do the vocal and somantic components reliably. So he sought out ancient teachers and became a Psion. He tended to talk mostly in telepathy as it was easier for him. I tend to be the most talkative at the table, so it gives others a chance to jump in and interact with NPCs.

Character before that was an elderly dwarven fighter who was a lesbian. She married a gay dwarven man in order to fulfill her duty to her clan. Raised her kids as per her duty. Neither of them were closeted, the dwarves don't care what your preference is, as long as you do what is traditionally expected of you. Now that the kid were adults she could finally go and become the hero she always wanted to be. Her platonic love-story with her husband was some of the most touching RP we have had at the table. She was mother figure of the adventuring party.

Character before that was an Arabian-nights themed harem slave with PTSD. She made a Warlock pact with an elder succubus to kill her master and give her dominion over men. She was a man-hating femme-fatale who would put herself in positions to be potentially abused, so she could kill the abuser and send their damned souls to her infernal patron as an offering. Took the other PCs a while to reign in her worst tendencies.

Ability, mental health, age, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, trauma, I think I've won appropriation bingo.

 

[aco175]

Really the most awesome portrayal of a low Int would be of somebody who thinks he's smarter than the wizard, and uses impressive-sounding words in subtly incorrect ways.