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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bedrockgames" data-source="post: 8921851" data-attributes="member: 85555">I always liked the 2E approach. In that is 'is not a reflection of physical attractiveness' but attractiveness plays a role (and what is meant by attractive is pretty open to interpretation I think as that doesn't need to mean beauty). But it is primarily interested in "persuasiveness, personal magnetism, and ability to lead." I remember when I was in highschool we had a history teacher who was very interested in the topic of charisma and used to ask us rhetorically what it meant. From what I remember, pretty much anything we told him, he said was 'wrong'. I think the idea was there was some quality to it you couldn't quite put into words and that it couldn't necessarily be pinned to a list of traits It is about how much you can captivate a crowd, how people respond to you....and that isn't always a product of something as obvious as having nice smile.[ATTACH=full]274213[/ATTACH]Also what CHR does mechanically matters. Obviously this varies by edition but in 2e at least, it is your reaction adjustment, your loyalty base and also your max number of henchmen. The latter isn't just going to be about what you look like (you can make an argument that physical attractiveness might be a factor in reaction rolls, but I think for keeping henchmen over the long term, that is probably going to be about other leadership qualities---attractiveness could be a factor, people might stick with someone they find appealing longer, but I think that is probably lower on the list than other things like how that person makes them feel). When I think of very charismatic leaders one thing they seem to be able to do is make everyone in a crowd feel like they are being spoken to by that person, like this is someone you would want to spend time with. And for you to have that feeling they need to be approachable. Being too attractive could actually be a determinent because people might find that less approachable and more intimidating. I think the bottom line is any of the elements relating to physical appearance in CHR are best left to the player to decide for their character and for the GM to decide for their NPC.Also some things ought to be contextual. A PC who is a politician or bard might take a penalty to CHR if they gain a facial scar. Someone who leads a troop of hardened soldiers might gain a bonus.</blockquote>

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