Charisma != Beauty?

[Azure Trance]

Just a question for you DMs out there, but do you rule that physically beautiful people have a high Charisma? (Note: Not does Charisma mean I am physically attractive) The description in the PHB makes it more slanted to personality attributes, and wondering if a handsome man with a vapid personality would make sense as a CHA 10 (or something).

 

[Sniktch]

Yeah, in my game Charisma and Beauty have nothing to do with each other. Just look at Napoleon, for example. Good looking folk can have low Cha and vice versa.

 

[the Jester]

"Wow, look at the hooters on that mind flayer!"

No, that's not quite right...

 

[Sniktch]

"Wow, look at the hooters on that mind flayer!"

No, that's not quite right...

No, that's not right at all

 

[Chauzu]

Beauty = Charisma only to a certain degree. Primarily, personality is what Charisma is based upon the most.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I rule that there are many factors that can alter charisma, and that yes, physical beauty is one of them. For instance (and this is only an example) consider the following list:

Beautiful +10 to charisma
Butt-Ugly - 10 to charisma

Good speaker +5 to charisma
Bad speaker -5 to charisma

Good hygiene +3 to charisma
Bad hygiene -7 to charisma

Graceful +2 to charisma
Clumsy -1 to charisma

Witty +3 to charisma
Slow to speak -5 to charisma

You get the idea. All of these things and more can contribute to a PC's personal magnetism. And unlike the chart I gave as an example, there are degrees of all these qualities, as well as the many I didn't list. Usually, if a PC has a particularly high or low charisma, I let the player decide the reason for it. Sometimes it makes for high charisma PCs who are physically stunning, sometimes it makes for high-cha PCs who are normal-looking but powerful speakers.

 

[Knuckels the VI]

the should chang charisma to charisma and comeliness or somethign along that line, the comeliness woudl help boost initial modfiers untill you actually speak.

 

[DM_Matt]

the should chang charisma to charisma and comeliness or somethign along that line, the comeliness woudl help boost initial modfiers untill you actually speak.

Gah!!! Will Skills & Powers EVER die????

 

[Agamon]

Comliness is kinda silly, there's no reason to have attractiveness as an atribute, it's shoyuld just be descriptive.

Looks can be very loosely tied to Charisma, but really, it's mostly force of personality and ability to impress (or lack thereof).

 

[Agamon]

Gah!!! Will Skills & Powers EVER die????

Skills and Powers? Huh, I tend to think more of Unearthed Arcana...