How do you play a character who is much smarter than you are?

[Xaelvaen]

Asking for more detail always seems to trigger something "Intellectual" on behalf of a character. When I feel like my 'brilliant' character is being failed by my own brain at grasping the clues of the situation, I'll start asking as many questions as I can about my surroundings, the people, the scenario at hand, the past leading up to this moment, whatever I can think of - sometimes for clarification, maybe there's something I missed...

Whatever the case, the more questions I ask (without being obnoxious while keeping them pertinent), the more the GM may throw me a bone, remind me of something I forgot or overlooked, or even reveal more than was intended.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

This hasn't been an issue for me in 5E, since all character attributes including INT cap at 20.

 

[robus]

The same way you play a character who is much more attractive than you are? In other words, you actually role play in such a way as to allow your Int ability score to either automatically resolve a challenge or at least warrant a check:

"Thanks to my time studying at the "Library of Higher Learning" (or wherever), I read up on this thing we've just heard about and the DM is now going to tell us what I learned..." The DM is either impressed enough by the role play to grant the info, or will ask for an ability check if the outcome is uncertain.

Basically just orient your roleplaying so that your character keeps referencing their learning (hopefully in creatively entertaining ways ).

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Slowly, and deliberately. If you have Intelligence 14, and you need to fake having Intelligence 16, then put more time and consideration into your plans.

 

[Nagol]

Two ways:

1) Ask the group for help with respect to advice, observations, and tactics. THe group is smarter than any one member -- often much smarter than every member.

2) Play up introspection.

"Mage, what do we do?"
"Eh, what? Do about what?"
"The walls are closing in and there isn't any way out! Are you mad?!?"
"Oh is that all. Hmph. I was *this close* to working out the relationship between Gergin's Paradox and the Standard Magical Density formula. Foolishly of me I suppose, I assumed you had the immediate situation in hand."

 

[Blue]

I've found that if I leave off gnawing at any body parts (my own or others) and not make talk-talk words so much, everyone else assumes I've got at least a 10 INT. Try that.

 

[Oofta]

Two ways:

1) Ask the group for help with respect to advice, observations, and tactics. THe group is smarter than any one member -- often much smarter than every member.

2) Play up introspection.

"Mage, what do we do?"
"Eh, what? Do about what?"
"The walls are closing in and there isn't any way out! Are you mad?!?"
"Oh is that all. Hmph. I was *this close* to working out the relationship between Gergin's Paradox and the Standard Magical Density formula. Foolishly of me I suppose, I assumed you had the immediate situation in hand."

I would probably do something like this and play up the absent-minded-professor routine. For the most part, while I encourage RP if someone is playing a highly intelligent character, as a DM I'll let them lean on investigation and arcana checks to figure out issues that as a DM I think they should be able to figure out. One of the harder parts of playing an intelligent character is tactical thinking in combat. Someone truly brilliant should know exactly when to cast what spell and where. As a DM I don't want to give too many hints for that kind of stuff (I think it would be boring/offensive) so if the wizard lightning bolts the shambling mound giving it a boost to HP he can just mutter something about "experiment" and "interesting result".

 

[BookBarbarian]

I would describe what I do in terms the DM can use to determine success, failure, or call for a check.

Something like "I use my knowledge as a sage/wizard/smart person to determine a way past this riddle/obstacle/tricky situation"

Then the DM would can say something like "Cool make a DC X Int (Arcana/History/Investigation/Nature/Religion) check. On a success you'll solve the riddle/problem/figure a way out of the tricky situation/gain this juicy bit of obscure knowledge that will be super useful, on a failure you'll trigger the surprise/get lost in a reverie for a round/offend the queen with the terrible faces you make trying to access your vast archive of knowledge etc etc etc."

Add some variety to your descriptions to keep it from getting stale.

You have a decent chance at emulating a very smart person since the DM, while not omnipotent, has more than enough knowledge to make you seem like a genius for the task at hand.

 

[aco175]

I usually allow the group to make plans and such and well as tactics. It is a social game and I can fudge that the smart PCs is coming up with more of the tactics.

The bigger problem is when the other players are smarter then you the DM. Making a riddle or secret that the players automatically get or know makes it less fun. Sometimes though they act their character and let the other players guess at it before coming up with a reason that they can guess it.

 

[Dausuul]

I rewrite "intelligence" as "education" in my head. My character is no more or less smart than I am, but might know more or less than I do about the game world... as represented by the outcome of Arcana, Religion, Nature, and History checks.