Why is charisma associated with spellcasting?

[delericho]

You could look on Charisma as a mental analogue of Strength (where Int correlates to Dexterity, and Wisdom to Constitution). Then, where Strength allows you to directly and obviously influence the material world, so too does Charisma allow you to influence the magical and the mystical.

 

[Knight Otu]

Intelligence determines your ability to navigate the world and your mind. (Mental Dexterity)
Wisdom determines the impact the world has on your mind. (Mental Constitution)
Charisma determines the impact your mind has on the world. (Mental Strength)

 

[kenobi65]

Then again, I have never liked the idea of Spontaneous Spellcasters who are exactly like 'regular' wizards except they just 'will' spell effects to occur?!? But that is the topic of another thread - 'better designs for sorcerers'.

I see 3E/3.5 sorcerers as a "baby step" in the direction of "a different kind of spellcaster". I think other developments, like the warlock and 3E psionics, take a bolder step in that direction.

 

[Anti-Sean]

If 'force of personality' and 'willpower' are too closely related, you can look at them as active and passive sides of the same coin, respectively; Charisma dictates how you impose your will upon others, while Wisdom governs how your will resists being influenced by others.

*edit* Knight Otu beat me to it.

 

[tzor]

Over time the stats have changed their meanings. Charisma in effect generally is the ability to enforce ones will upon the outside world. In cases where magic is an outward manifistation of the caster's will imposed upon others, charisma makes sense. In cases where magic is an abstract force that must be understood, intelligence makes sense. In cases where magic is the ability to understand the world around you and apply that knowledge internally then wisdom makes sense.

Think of ...
wisdom as "social input"
intellience as "knowlede and understanding"
charisma as "social output"

 

[Imp]

This is simple.

Charisma is a measure of how kewl you are.

Magic is kewl.

Problem resolved!

"You are able to manipulate quasi-sentient supernatural forces, because they like you." Works about as well as Int or Wis, to me.

 

[Odhanan]

Wisdom is passive. It is resistance and perception of the environment.

Charisma is active. It is the ability to affect your environment through your force of personality.

Intelligence is the brain power and influences your ability to study and understand things by using your brains instead of your feelings.

It all makes perfect sense to me from there, like Knight Otu's explanations, by the way.

 

[GreatLemur]

Wisdom is passive. It is resistance and perception of the environment.

Charisma is active. It is the ability to affect your environment through your force of personality.

You'e definitely right, but this never really seemed like the most logical way to divide up attributes, to me. Wisdom and Charisma are just poorly defined, these days, and that's all there is to it. Frankly, I'd prefer to just go Unisystem-style and replace them with Perception and Willpower.

 

[Destil]

I think this was something that developed as 3E was being designed. If you read the 3.0 books in order cover to cover you find that in the PH Charisma is basically what we've always thought it is (being a pretty pretty half-orc), and oddly enables spells for bards and sorcerers (and turn undead, and paladin abilities).

The DMG brings up ability damage. Wisdom damage hurts your ability to not be influenced by others, while Charisma damage hurts your ability to influence others.

The MM brings up non-abilities. A creature with no Wisdom can not perceive the outside world and has no will-power over itself. A creature with no Cha can not perceive the difference between itself and the outside world (no self-awareness) and has no will-power over others.

Thus Wisdom determines your ability to resist the will of others and your perception of the world (spot, listen). Charisma determines your ability to assert your will onto others and your self perception.

So a cleric becomes more aware of his god and more able to control the divine power granted to him with more Wisdom. A druid becomes more in tune with nature and able to channel it's awesome might.

A sorcerer or bard becomes more aware of their own latent power with Charisma, and becomes better able to harness it to affect the outside world.

 

[BASHMAN]

Duskblade is also spontaneous caster and also int based.