Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6715271" data-attributes="member: 4937">Well, following up on jinx's post...The biggest problem is that the action there isn't a function of intelligence, but rather of Charisma and Wisdom.  Charisma because the action are probably repulsive and at the least tactless, unless Maab really deserves to be told she is a wanker and the relationship has reached the point where tact is no longer of any use.  Wisdom because, whether or not you know Maab deserves to be told how much of a wanker she is, unless the outcome of that is likely to be positive, speaking up at this time isn't exactly living life well.It's important I think to understand that while it's not unusual for a player to dump stat all of his social/mental abilities on the same character, it's possible in D&D to be stupid but wise, or foolish but charismatic, or intelligent but foolish.  Combinations of different social and mental abilities suggest different types of personalities.   Unless the Barbarian had an 8 INT, an 8 WIS, and an 8 CHR, it would be really odd for the barbarian to choose to be rude and foolish at the same time.  And notably, the 8 INT barbarian is no more likely to tell Maab she is a wanker than the 18 INT, 8 WIS, 8 CHR wizard.   Just because a character intellectually can understand that calling Maab a wanker is likely to result in an undesirable situation, doesn't mean that they stop to think, or that they can resist the temptation of blurting out what they are thinking, or that what they actually say reflects what they intend to say.   An 18 INT, high charisma character can probably find a way to tactfully disagree with Maab and try to reason with them that their current choices are unjust, self-centered, and unwise without being insulting.   But an 18 Int, 8 Chr character would say, "Maab you are a wanker!", when what they mean is something like, "Pray consider, oh gracious and lovely queen, whether the course of action you are currently engaged in reflects as well upon your noble station as you would desire."Also keep in mind that when an 18 Chr character says, "You are a wanker!", it potentially has a completely different impact than when 8 Chr character says it.  No one desires the approval of someone who has 8 Chr.   They are unattractive and officious, and when they express their disapproval it only furthers your dislike of them.  But when someone you like and whose approval you desire says, "You are a wanker!", the first instinctive response might not be to get angry, but to instead be devastated and shamed by their disapproval.  It matters not only the content of what is said, but the way in which it is said and who says it.   Then again, the difference between 8 Chr and 18 Chr in the short term can be rather small.  It's really only 25% bonus, so it's hard to say exactly how such a comment will be received and you should dice for it either way.By and large, all the actions described seem more reflective of having a 4 Wisdom or a 4 Charisma than an 8 Intelligence.  To begin with, it's highly exaggerated.  An eight intelligence is simply not very stupid at all, and it would have fairly subtle manifestations.   And it doesn't require an intelligent person to reasonably know how to behave in common social situations.  You don't need even average intelligence to understand that you don't insult kings to their face in public, or that dragons aren't normally desirable sexual partners.  And to the extent that you fail to understand that, it's not necessarily a failure of intelligence.  It's just as likely the bespectacled 22 Int Wizard that is failing to readily grasp the fundamentals of a situation despite his ability to recite books from memory and solve complex logical problems.  In both cases, it would be a function of the character's low wisdom, lack of intuition, lack of perceptiveness, and lack of inhibitions. In any event, I tend to agree with Janx's assessment that this sort of Chaotic Stupid characterization isn't really sophisticated RPing, isn't necessarily adding much to the table, and doesn't reflect what I'd call 'high skill' efforts by a player.  I'd expect any 13 year old kid to play a Chaotic Stupid barbarian without trouble.  Playing an Invincible Incompetent on the other hand requires real effort, subtle understanding, and considerable practice with your RP.  If you are consistently antagonizing NPCs at my table, you do tend to make enemies and get killed, not the least of which is that typically the real motivation here is spot light stealing at the expense of the other players.</blockquote>

Verification