How smart is a 3 INT in d20?

[Dogbrain]

Although I could be wrong.

You are wrong, quite wrong.

Generally, from looking at "g" analyses and comparing their distribution to the distribution of 3d6, it turns out that a "3-4" (according to its frequency of 1/216) maps to a level of intelligence that would be similar to "capable of 3rd grade education, can perform simple very tasks under supervision". You will and probably do meet people like this when walking down the street. A "5-7" would map to "performs simple tasks under supervision". An "8-9" would map to "suitable for employment in food service or assembly line". A "9-10" would map to "suitable as a clerk in a department store". An "11-12" is "policeman, machinist, sales representative". A "13-14" would map to "manager, teacher, accountant". A "15-16" would map to "professor, teacher, manager, executive", a "17" would map to "locally eminent professor" and an "18" would map to "very eminent professor". One has to get down to a "1" or even fractions to get to the "Me no talk good. Me live in instytooshun." level, if the 3d6 frequency is valid.

 

[Ferret]

I did that imitation too harshley, perhaps I should have said that they would make obvious gramatical mistakes.

Also if someone can perform very simple taks with supervision, we need to define simple. Tie a shoe lace? Simple maths? Cut paper and remain unharmed?

I was being heavy handed doling out the stupidity.

 

[DrZombie]

Basically, int 3 is what you as a GM make it. I don't think it's as easy as using a 3d6 bell-curve to represent the distribution of intelligence in society, so your statistical analysis, while being very nice (and I couldn't do it if my life depended on it) might be a bit far-fetched..

For me, (wich is no better or no worse than anyone elses opinion) int 3 is the lowest possible for a human being. Think about that for a minute. We're talking about severe mental retardation. Down Syndrome at its worst. The village idiot. In western society these are not the people you see when walking down the street. These are the people that are permanent residents in an institution. Int 4-5 are those that are able to work in sheltered conditions and that need almost constant care. 6-7 are the unfortunates of this world, able to function in society but not intelligent enough to make anything out of their lives without someone to help them. These are the people we call dumb, stupid. They are able to read at a slow pace.

A good example for int 3 would be the big guy with the mask in 'beyond the thunderdome', Mad Max II or III for the oldies amongst us.

An attention span of fifteen seconds, inability to understand complicated words, unable to count, unable to follow simple directions, forgetting to feed their animals, or being very carefull for their animals and gettign upset if something happens to'em, unable to understand that sometimes other things are more important then feeding their animals right now. Getting angry and upset when something interferes with their daily routine of feeding their animals.

In short : abnormal, dysfunctional people. I don't allow them in my game. It's just too easy to turn the whole game into a slapstick, unless that's what you're aiming for.

But then again, that's just me

 

[Dareoon Dalandrove]

A very smart animal.

 

[Trainz]

Still, the game assumes that you can still go adventuring with a stat of 3, no matter which one.

If you use the 3d6 generation method, 1 in 36 characters will have a 3 in a stat. Nobody uses the 3d6 method, but it's there.

So, a 3 in a stat is quite low, but would not forbid you to function as an adventurer, so I think we should refrain to assume that a 3 in intelligence will make you a complete 'tard.

A 2 in a stat would make you sub-human, thus a Con 2 person could have a chronical disease, a Wis 2 person could be totally insane, a Int 2 person could have some chronical mental affliction (not being able to differentiate friend from foe, thus unfit for adventuring).

A 3 sucks, but you're still functional. A 3 int character can communicate and recognise a foe.

 

[S'mon]

Good analysis, Trainz. A 3 is "lowest functional level for a PC" per the RAW.

 

[S'mon]

(snip)
And while SinisterMinister can perhaps be given some leeway on the political commentary for apparently being new, aren't you supposed to know better? Politics and religion are not appropriate for these message boards, even if the references are thinly veiled and don't include any names.

You're SO Evil.

Edit: Not that Chirac was a particularly recognisable name, anyway...

 

[Asmor]

I'd model it like this...

Intelligence doesn't actually mean intelligence until you get to at least 8, probably even 9 or 10. Before that, intelligence is a measure of how well your character can override his instincts. An animal, with an intelligence of 2 or 1, is only capable of heeding its instincts (although its instincts can be "reprogrammed" by a skilled trainer so that it will obey him/her). Similarly, a character with a 3 intelligence will just react however his instincts tell him to.

Wisdom, then, is a measure of instincts, and so functions like intelligence for creatures with low intelligence. Wisdom is the difference between good instincts (that ogre scares me, I should run) and poor instincts (Ooh, that ogre's three times my size! I could eat for a week!)

 

[Dogbrain]

On a bellcurve, a 3 on 3d6 is almost 3 standard deviations below the mean. MENSA entry

MENSA? That means you used IQ. At least, when I posted, I had the good sense to use "g" instead of merely IQ. Please demonstrate that IQ is an accurate measure of overall intelligence or at least it is a better measure than is "g".

 

[Dogbrain]

I'd model it like this...

Intelligence doesn't actually mean intelligence until you get to at least 8, probably even 9 or 10. Before that, intelligence is a measure of how well your character can override his instincts.

Of course, in that case, the 3d6 curve is absolutely wrong when it comes to modeling human populations. I know people who are deficient to the "needs constant supervision" level but do NOT live "by their instincts". They just have very poor reasoning.