Roleplaying my character's stat

[Ravellion]

Does a high wisdom druid need new information about the forest explained to him?

Well, yes! If a small asteroid comes down in the forest, a (very) low int druid might think that all rocks in the forest originate from the sky. He is very much in touch with the environment, but unless someone actually teaches him, or he teaches himself, about the forest (Knowledge: Nature, an INT skill), he won't know what the difference between trees means, but he still will perceive those differences.

Does a high wisdom cleric need the intricate details of the social situation at the king's court explained to him?

He might perceive who is higher up in the aristocracy, but he won't know what to do unless he has been trained to do so... trust me, etiquette does not come natural - he will notice immediatly when he has offended someone though

Rav

 

[ShadowMaster]

Ok, ok... Thanks guys... I have a question: Is Conan a good example for low int, high wis warrior oriented character?

 

[Enkhidu]

I may be reading too much into people's posts. But I'm starting to think I have a different notion of the difference between intelligence and wisdom than most of you.

Does a high wisdom druid need new information about the forest explained to him? Does a high wisdom cleric need the intricate details of the social situation at the king's court explained to him? Not at all. It's the high int, low wisdom wizard who probably can't figure that one out. Because his intelligence is good at solving logical problems, not issues of awareness or irrational things like social constructs.

The two attributes solve different problems, IMO.

Of course a high wisdom druid needs to have new information about a forest explained to him, if he doesn't already have the knowledge. However, assuming that the druid put ranks into Knowledge: Nature, he already knows so much about the forest in general that all he is doing is gaining a little more data to add to his already considerable amount of knowledge. So, in this particular instance, I don't think that the druidic example applies.

On a similar note, I do believe that a high wisdom but low intelligence cleric would need to have a the complex intricacies of a social situation explained to him, if he could not observe the goings on first hand. Recognizing the behaviors in the first place would be a purview of Wisdom (as recognized by the system with the use of Sense Motive, a Wis based skill). So, I would say that a high wisdom character would more easily recognize that the soicla circles existed (as in who is consorting with who) but might have a harder time putting all the pieces together to see the bigger picture.

Note that in either situation, I believe that given enough time, a low intelligence high wisdom character will eventually learn what it is they are trying to learn, but will just take a bit more time that the +Int -Wis character.

 

[Enkhidu]

Ok, ok... Thanks guys... I have a question: Is Conan a good example for low int, high wis warrior oriented character?

Not on your life - Conan, as written, had an extremely quick wit. If anything, he might have been the reverse, as there are many instances of him falling victim to one of his many vices - wine, women, and wealth.

 

[Ravellion]

On a similar note, I do believe that a high wisdom but low intelligence cleric would need to have a the complex intricacies of a social situation explained to him, if he could not observe the goings on first hand.

Example.

Caslin the Cleric (High wis, ranks in Sense Motive) and Martax the Mage (Knowledge Nobility maxed out) entered the court of King Kremban the Magnificent 10 minutes ago. Having made several faux pas' Caslin and Martax ask for a little reprieve.

Caslin "Umm, Martax, the King wasn't too pleased that you adressed him directly"
Martax "Hmmm. What do you mean. It was an efficient way of relaying the information we needed to tell him."
"Still he seemed not to be to happy about it, like you offended him somehow"
"Well, I should have addressed him as 'your benevolence' I suppose, and not until after I would have given our names to the announcer... but we didn't have the time, and I didn't think it was that important."
"Come on, they already looked at our clothing disapprovingly at the palace gate as well! You should have noticed that they were big on protocol here."
"Hmmph. Well, I didn't notice."
"Well, perhaps we should use protocol from now on."
"Pah! Well, alright, I'll instruct you then..."

The End

IMO of course...

Rav

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

A high wisdom character with ranks in Sense Motive, Spot, and Listen will notice and assimilate all the little details that show who is really allied with who.

A high intelligence character is busy paying attention to what people say and the protocol of the situation, which almost always exists to help obscure meaning.

In RL, really high intelligence people rely on entirely inappropriate cues, both in social situations, and in the environment. 20 ranks in knowledge: nature mean precisely nothing if you don't know how to apply it. The high wisdom character intuitively knows how to apply it. Similarly, 20 ranks in knowledge: nobility does not give someone the ability to perceive the realities of the court situation (in fact, I would argue that it provides high charisma people the perfect tools with which to fleece him). Of course, the high wisdom character with Sense motive may very well know precisely what is going on, but without Charisma, Diplomacy, etc. he's not going to be able to formulate the best response.

 

[Tonguez]

Ok, ok... Thanks guys... I have a question: Is Conan a good example for low int, high wis warrior oriented character?

No Conan he was high Int

A character I would suggest as a model however is Tarzan based on the fact that Tarzan had a higher Wis than he had Int

(however all of Tarzans stats were high I'd put his Int at about 16 and his Wis at 24 (over 20 anyway))

Tarzan was incredibly observant and picked out every nuance of a man or animals behavior. He was blunt and to the point saying what he thought of someone. He was also very instinctive acting without unneccesary reasoning and rationalisation.

(He was also however intelligent enough to teach himself to read and write and to wonder about the nature of God)

 

[Chrisling]

Actually, Rain Man would be high intelligence, low wisdom. Completely non-perceptive (especially of social situations), but incredible problem-solving skills. He's almost the icon of high int, low wisdom, IMO. I'd be willing to bet his I.Q. tests through the roof, but that he can't perceive even basic emotional states in others.

When I was in college I saw the guy who Rain Man is based on. He was doing tricks, basically. You'd ask him about any date and he'd tell you what was going on during it, that sort of thing. But as part of the demonstration you were not allowed to ask him for <I>any</i> historical interpretation.

I think he had a special power to allow him to have a photographic memory.

 

[Umbran]

Another way to look at it is that he learns very well, but very slowly.

One player I had ( playing a paladin with a wis 15, Int 6) played it in this way. He treated the character as if he was a touch learning disabled. He would not learn a thing by having it stated or described to him. You had to show him. Then he'd get the idea. His approach to things was always simple, direct, down to earth, and common sensical.

Also, he could not originate or create a decent plan to save his life, but he could always recognize one put forth by someone else.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I'd take a look at Int based skills and draw conclusions from that.



Alchemy, Forgery, Disable Device, Search, Spellcraft are all Int skills. They're all precise, and take patience and book-learning. So I'd play a low Int/high Wis player as unhurried, and maybe not so good at remembering things. He's more concerned with results than appearances. His gear is weathered but completely surviceable.

Speak Language doesn't have a stat, but you get bonus languages based on Int. So, I'd draw the conclusion that a low Int character probably has a limited vocabulary. He speaks in simple sentences. Short words.

His plans would be simple but effective. He'd rely on things he can see and understand, and would be wary of complex machinery or complicated language.

Good example of low Int/High Wis hero: Han Solo. He's shrewd, and his natural abilities make him an excellent pilot, but he's not so good at Int based skills: witness the failed Disable Device check on the bunker door at Endor, any number of flubbed Repair (craft) checks, and his confusion about Leia and Luke at the end of Jedi.

-z