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

Crimson Longinus said:

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.

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Ruin Explorer said:

The idea that calling someone "stupid" is ableist is ignorant and cheap, frankly.

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Vince_Snetterton said:

You would have to overhaul all the basic tenets of the game, as well as the various real life dictionaries that define intelligence as raw capacity to learn and process information. Look up the real meaning of ignorance, not the modern day slang. "Ignorance" is defined as lack of knowledge. Intelligence is the ability to learn, retain, and use said knowledge.

I am ignorant on how to disassemble and reassemble a car engine, but I am intelligent enough to learn how to do it.

What you are describing, well, you would have to tear up the mechanics of a 5e Barbarian.
Rage is STR focused.
Unarmoured Defense is Dex and Con focused
Reckless Attack is Str focused
Danger Sense is Dex focused.
Feral Instinct is Dex focused.

If you want to play a high Int Barbarian, you have to be prepared to sacrifice in one of the 3 Stats I just laid out. So you are talking to the wrng people. You want to play a high Int Barbarian with no penalties, then talk to WOTC about overhauling the class in 6e.

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Unwise said:

Or, as an alternative to OPs suggestion, I could do whatever I like in the privacy of my own home with my close friends?

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Vince_Snetterton said:

I am waiting for the inevitable day when I am playing at my gaming cafe, and someone at the next table over (some days 5 games are running simultaneously) walks over and says "I overheard what you just said, and I am offended by that action. Please stop playing your char that way."

I can see that day coming.

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Faolyn said:

Because the only time I can imagine someone actually saying that is if you were being actively bigoted, like very loudly using slurs bigoted, or were very graphically (and loudly) describing rape or torture when children were playing. And I assume you're not going to be doing these things.

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Faolyn said:

You come back and tell us when it does happen. I'm not planning on holding my breath.

Because the only time I can imagine someone actually saying that is if you were being actively bigoted, like very loudly using slurs bigoted, or were very graphically (and loudly) describing rape or torture when children were playing. And I assume you're not going to be doing these things.

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MGibster said:

It's amazing that being smart doesn't necessarily translate into being right. I have a few friends who are extremely intelligent, but a lot of times that intelligence translates into them being able to make arguments very quickly that sound like they have merit but are utter baloney. They're bull%$@ artists. But I really didn't catch on until they started trying to bull#%%# their way through subjects I was fairly knowledgeable about. And I've read that a lot of conspiracy theorist are actually fairly intelligent which is why it's often hard to talk them out of their beliefs. They're good at coming up with arguments to justify their belief. Of course I read this opinion many years ago before so many conspiracy theories went mainstream.

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