How to play a PC dumb and wise...

[thud13x]

Thanks so far for all the advice... Idea is brewing me wittle head...

 

[Faerl'Elghinn]

Thanks so far for all the advice... Idea is brewing me wittle head...

Brilliant deduction...

 

[Darklone]

I agree with Henry but don't think Thud would explain his opinion so elaborately. He'd rather get shy and blush when asked directly. A little bit insecure, shy and SLOW. Don't play him stupid, but he's not too sure of himself and he knows that he's a little slow with thinking.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Religion - Have the character know script and follow it, wisdom will allow him to know the phase/commandment/passage/sayings just not the deeper meanings.

You can also define his scope between the player/DM, the lessons of life that have been drilled into him from his teachers and family and the flexability (if any) he has.

The above plus attachment - player becomes attached to another party member (high CHR and/or lawful) and shows a lot of loyality to that character.

 

[Ferret]

I think the dwarf would be like Piggy from Lord of the flies, shy, get embarrased easily, not many people take notice of him and don't like him. But when he does speak up it makes sense, and is well thought out. Of course no one takes any notice of him.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I would play the dumb but wise person as someone who has really good instincts, but is not overly bright. The PC can be in a bar and know that the innkeeper is trying to gouge them on the price of a meal, but he cannot figure out how much money he needs to pay the bill. For the Charisma, I tend to go with a really low Charisma as someone who people actively dislike and a little bit low is the wallflower whom nobody notices.

 

[AIM-54]

Well, my current character is in precisely the same situation, only higher level. A half-orc monk, he has an Int: 6 and a Wis: 21. It is a challenge, but also very entertaining. I keep him pretty quiet and he doesn't do much planning, but I don't limit him when it comes to advice. He's not very good at explaining things, but if he has something to say the other characters will generally listen *(unless OOC we're busy yelling at/over each other ). But I keep it short and to the point.

If you want to see him in action, I can only point you to the Story Hour in my sig. At least check out "The Monk's Tale" as it will give you a pretty good idea of how the character works.

Hope that helps!

 

[Rel]

I've experienced an almost identical issue. I'm currently playing in an AU campaign as a Verrik Mind Witch with stats of:

Int: 10
Wis: 23
Cha: 6

It's been a challenge to say the least. What I finally settled on was that he is VERY sure of himself and inwardly focused. So much so that he expects people to take his appraisal of a situation as holy writ and gets very snippy when people ask him to explain himself. He KNOWS how things should be and that should be enough for anybody.

He also rather rudely uses his mind powers to pry into the thoughts of friend and foe alike. If they complain, he simply shuts off his ability to hear and walks away (Verrik can shut off their various senses at will). He's a jerk but I love playing him.

Maybe I'm too nice in real life and it's cathartic. Or maybe I'm just playing myself!

One vaguely related anecdote from the campaign recently: We were ambushed by trolls and my character was mounted on a horse at the time. The horse bolted in fear and my character kept himself in the saddle but couldn't regain control of the horse. So I mindblasted the beast into unconsciousness (falling in the process and getting minorly injured). Then I jogged back to the rest of the group just in time to see them finishing off the trolls.

When I told the other PC's what happened with the horse, they responded, "Man, that horse is going to hate you now!" I replied, "That horse hated me before he ever met me. But NOW he knows what happens if he runs from the fight next time."

 

[reanjr]

So, I have a PC in an Eberron Campaign who happens to a 4th level dwarven monk. We used a point buy system in creation and I happened to have the following stats: Str: 16, Dex: 14, Con: 16, Wis: 16, Int: 8, Cha: 6.

Now I can play low charisma (some say because it is not much of a stretch for me ), however I am a wee bit unsure of how to roleplay a wise, not so bright kinda of character.

So, my query to you, how would you play it? Silent and strong or unintelligent gruff wise ass (if even possible)?

Thanks in advance,

Thud

First of all, 8 is not dumb. Below average, but not dumb.

When seeing those stats, I immediately think of a middle-aged shop owner one generation removed from an immigrant family. A bit short on words and not well spoken. Short on education and not really fit for book learning anyway. But he has common sense and good eye for what's right for his business and his family; especially good at making sure he's got a good, reliable staff that the customer's are happy to deal with. Key to his success.

Also,
Wise ass, in my opinion, has nothing to do with wisdom. To be a wise ass, you would probably have an above average intelligence but a low charisma.

 

[reanjr]

In D&D int seems closely related to memorization. Wis seems to be associated with processing your senses.

I have to disagree with you on Int. By affecting your skill points, it effectively affects your rate of learning; not memorization. Same thing with wizard spellcasting. It's based on complex formulae, probably akin to a mix of chemistry, astrophysics, discreet math, and several other disciplines. Certain realms of knowledge (high level spells) are simply out of reach for some individuals. They just don't have the mind to learn them.