How does one roleplay a 49 Intelligence? Plus! Mega Super *BONUS* Questions!

[Terwox]

Well, mechanically, don't forget that you should have hordes and hordes of skill points, and any int-based stat you rather simply succeed on, and can likely do as a free action.
You can be as arrogant or humble as you wish.
I'd disagree with the low-wis not being absentminded -- a superhigh int character certainly has LOTS more going on inside that head of their's, but it doesn't mean that they're paying ANY attention to the world -- wisdom is simply awareness of the world and your relation to it, intelligence that high could be extrapolating all of the details of the universe, or coming up with a hundred ways to escape a pit trap, all the while not noticing the fireball heading one's way.
But yeah, check out how Sepulchrave ran Mostin -- it was different, as Mostin was... something else, but he basically let the player ask him any question about anything that could be logically found, and the character simply already knew it.
Don't forget those absurd, absurd knowledge checks. With arcana, you can figure out unique magical effects, likely without rolling, and know the name of the man who created them 4000 years ago with your knowledge of history.
anyway... enjoy the character!

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Watch the Futurama episodes when he has to deal with the floating brains, especially the one when the brains build a giant sphere designed to hold every bit of knowledge in the universe. Act like the giant brain in that episode. Say "SILENCE!" and "I knew that" a lot.

Seriously, that character should know just about everything, be able to comprehend about anything, and come up with solutions to every problem in the blink of an eye. It's not an easy role to play, as you are well aware. Perhaps, as you suggested yourself, you could play a mostly silent character that is aware of his intellectual superiority, but doesn't want to impose it on others, or thinks that the best way to help others isn't to offer the solution, but to help them reach that solution by themselves. Smile knowingly when someone figures something out. Congratulate smart ideas, etc.

AR

 

[Wolf72]

someone mentioned John Doe ...

there's also the show The Pretender (main character was Jared), or even Data from STTNG as examples of super-high int characters ....

a 49 gives you a +19 ability modifier (i think) ... you can do almost any int based skill based off of your intellect (unless it requires training).

good luck

 

[Al'Kelhar]

Three questions.

First: How the *heck* do I roleplay my Archmage with an intelligence of 49? It's a really high level game. I'm simply at a loss, and am considering having the character just go mute and only listen, never speak.

How the *heck* does your DM run a campaign with a character with Int 49?

DM: Weeeeell, today the bad guys' long-term goal would've come to frutition, but since you could work out every nefarious scheme they've come up with from hearing a single sentence uttered by a distant relative of the girlfriend of one of the low level grunts in their organisation, and unfailingly predict the exact way in which the whole scheme would operate from the very first day, and have put in place your own operations to stymie and stifle every possible permutation of the nefarious schemes well in advance of those schemes even being considered by the bad guys, it doesn't. You're bored. You spend a few minutes reconcilingteleportation magic and the Grand Unifying Theory of physics. Then you're bored again...


It's like those stupid ethergaunts from Fiend Folio. Playing creatures or characters with stupendous mental abilities requires major suspension of disbelief. OK, you can estimate how powerful Str 49 would be, because using the formulas in the PH you can work out how much a creature that strong can carry. But Int 49 is just beyond the realms of what a player of ordinary human intelligence can get a handle on. This is where D&D stats break down. If what you're trying to do is get the mechanical result of an Int 49 for your character - bonus spells, spell save DCs, skill points etc. - then have your character with really really high - but comprehensible - Intelligence (e.g. 25) and "hand-wave" the rest. It's about as authentic as purporting to play an actual Int 49 character.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[Craer]

All good ideas, for which I thank you. The character has a Wisdom of 21, so he's no slouch there, either. I think with the level I just gained, I'm going to put a single point in every book-standard "Knowledge: blah" skill there is that I don't have yet. A single point nets me a +20 to the check, so that should work out, mechanically. I don't think my DM will spring for the "unprepared slots filled at will, as needed" idea, but it's a cool thought (hee!).

It's hard to deal with such alien concepts like this. The "Silent Encourager" idea is neat, but it's not that obviously impressive, and I don't think my fellow players pay close enough attention to me to catch on that I know virtually everything.

And I'm still unsure of what to do with the Soulstone.

EDIT: Should I take each language seperately, or should I wait to snag the Polyglot epic feat?

 

[Dagger75]

Don't get the feat for languages, buy them sepratly, also you can alway memorize comprhend languages.

As for spells, I had an epic level lich archamge make 2 epic level spells. One was immunity to heal for 24 hours. The other was Mass Harm. This was from the 3.0 days. My lich figured there was a mass heal, why no a mass harm.

 

[Aaron L]

Don't say anything.

Seriuosly, just remain silent most of the time. You'll seem very profound. You won't ay stupid things, and you can even take credit for already having thought of the good ideas others come up with.


Oh, and keep a calculator handy.

 

[Quickleaf]

skills and 49 int

Care to elaborate on your DM's campaign some more? I've never played in a campaign with any character (PC or otherwise) with such a high attribute.
That said, here is my observation so far (will post more later):

*You always notice all secret doors, you always notice footprints, and nonmagical simple traps. (Search)
*You always identify a spell being cast or already in effect, always learn a spell successfully, always notice materials shaped or created via magic, always decipher written spells (i.e. scrolls), always identify a potion, always succeed in drawing a diagram to allow dimensional anchor to be cast on a magic circle (takes 1 minute), always identify a symbol or glyph of warding spell. (Spellcraft)

 

[Silver Moon]

The problem with having such a character in the game is the same as flaw as has existed with the DC comic book team The Justice League.

If a member of the team is Superman then what do you need the rest of the team for?

 

[Craer]

The average party level hovers around 35. We fought to find Zalosic, the guy that killed the Tarrasque (much stronger than book-standard in this world) to speak to him, found out he was actually evil, fought a demigod who tried to stop us, beat him, traveled to the northern pole of the planet, fought through all of Zalosic's minions, fought Zalosic, killed him, fled the plane due to the fact that the PCs are the only one's aware of Zalosic's intentions, and are in the process of saving the plane we currently are on from the Unseen Walker, a being made of pure energy who is busily absorbing every last one of the remaining Ancient Heroes, the beings of legend who originally fought to save the plane eons ago and were granted immortality because of it. And he's winning. Also - Zalosic has returned from the dead. The demigod has returned as well. Neither are happy. We have accidentally released an inter-planar plague. We have restored the natural order of the Primeval Forests of the world, which had animated with a fell intelligence and were destroying cities the world over and encroaching on settled land. Our old Druid PC ascended to take on the mantle of the God of Nature (he left for college).


Our archer has unleashed no fewer than FIVE Ancient-and-Terrible-Evil-Which-Man-Was-Not-Meant-To-Discover. The group has traversed the Wall of the Guardians, a never-ending sea-storm a hundred miles high which surrounds an island containing the remnants of the world's most ancient civilization - of which my character was the High Magister, locked into an eternal struggle with an undefeatable evil for all eternity at the cost of two thirds of his power (See Ancient-and-Terrible-Evil-Which-Man-Was-Not-Meant-To-Discover That That Damn Archer Borin Released #2). We quested on the island for the Zantetsugen, the Perfect Sword. We found it.





There's about two years of back-story for you. Care for more?



(I typed that in Word for fear of losing it, thus the font change.)