How do you roleplay high Charisma characters that have low Intelligence scores? I rolled a Sorcerer with 16 Charisma, but a 6 in Intelligence. How would you roleplay that? Is the character just so innocent, naive, and charming that they can get what they want? Or are they just horrible with most intellectual things but have a great understanding of what makes people tick? How would you roleplay this?
Charisma measures "force of personality". That can mean many things including assertiveness, confidence, or self-esteem. In short, you're describing a character that's got a strong ego (not necessarily in a bad way.) What it doesn't measure is your looks and social skills.
Intelligence measures "reasoning and memory." That means you have difficulty learning new things or analyzing a problem in a logical way. It doesn't mean you're naive or gullible. Really, this has almost no bearing on your personality, but it might inform some of your life choices and how you approach difficult situations.
You could play a lovable dimwit, a con man, a pig-headed craftsman, a bully, an over-confident person, or someone that never lets life get them down. Really, the main thing is to avoid being weak-willed.
My friend has a tiefling bard with 5 intelligence and 20 charisma. He doesn't know how to read, and will often persuade people into doing something that won't benefit him without knowing it. To top it all off, this character is a kleptomaniac. He's loads of laughs.
Some good suggestions here. Another way to think about it is your favorite vacuous celebrity. One of the Kardashians just became the youngest billionaire in the history of the world. You don't do that without having some charisma. And yet...they're Kardashians. We're not expecting to see them in peer reviewed journals or wearing a pith helmet on the History channel.
I mean, you have to have a high charisma as a Kardashian. I don't follow them much, but as I recall, they look like this:
I'd also suggest checking out your Wisdom. How good their perception and insight are might help you flavor that Charisma. A high Wisdom means they have a better time reading people, so they might use their Charisma to help and comfort those around them really well, or use it to help them convince people to do what they want. A low Wisdom might mean they are oblivious to how their words are actually affecting people. Or not care.
Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence form a nice little grouping that can inform a lot about your character!
I'd also suggest checking out your Wisdom. How good their perception and insight are might help you flavor that Charisma. A high Wisdom means they have a better time reading people, so they might use their Charisma to help and comfort those around them really well, or use it to help them convince people to do what they want. A low Wisdom might mean they are oblivious to how their words are actually affecting people. Or not care.
Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence form a nice little grouping that can inform a lot about your character!
Gilderoy is a great example of a low Wis and low Int character. Maybe a bit higher on Int, as he is pretty good with one kind of spell. But completely oblivious to the emotions and experiences of other people (low Wis), incompetent at most magic (low Int), and getting by on sheer force of will and looks (high Cha).
My backup character (should my guy die/need to retire for a future campaign, or should I get into a pick-up game sometime) is low Int with a ridiculous Cha and a decent Wis-- so basically, he's charming and he's good at some things, but because of that, and because he values knowledge, he VASTLY overestimates his own intelligence. He's got a keen enough insight when dealing with people and he's not overly trusting, and there are some things he can think of on the fly, but he's also an incredible dummy who thinks his stupid ideas are brilliant and who goes through life thinking things will go well for him. And he's got very little impulse control when he does have a "brilliant" idea, because he really does not know how stupid he is.
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How do you roleplay high Charisma characters that have low Intelligence scores? I rolled a Sorcerer with 16 Charisma, but a 6 in Intelligence. How would you roleplay that? Is the character just so innocent, naive, and charming that they can get what they want? Or are they just horrible with most intellectual things but have a great understanding of what makes people tick? How would you roleplay this?
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Charisma measures "force of personality". That can mean many things including assertiveness, confidence, or self-esteem. In short, you're describing a character that's got a strong ego (not necessarily in a bad way.) What it doesn't measure is your looks and social skills.
Intelligence measures "reasoning and memory." That means you have difficulty learning new things or analyzing a problem in a logical way. It doesn't mean you're naive or gullible. Really, this has almost no bearing on your personality, but it might inform some of your life choices and how you approach difficult situations.
You could play a lovable dimwit, a con man, a pig-headed craftsman, a bully, an over-confident person, or someone that never lets life get them down. Really, the main thing is to avoid being weak-willed.
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That helps a lot, thanks.
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
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Think Ron Burgundy (except his WIS is probably even lower than INT).
Zapp Brannigan from futurama.
My friend has a tiefling bard with 5 intelligence and 20 charisma. He doesn't know how to read, and will often persuade people into doing something that won't benefit him without knowing it. To top it all off, this character is a kleptomaniac. He's loads of laughs.
So...hard...must...not...make...political reference!
Some good suggestions here. Another way to think about it is your favorite vacuous celebrity. One of the Kardashians just became the youngest billionaire in the history of the world. You don't do that without having some charisma. And yet...they're Kardashians. We're not expecting to see them in peer reviewed journals or wearing a pith helmet on the History channel.
I mean, you have to have a high charisma as a Kardashian. I don't follow them much, but as I recall, they look like this:
You might also go the Lockhart route:
Looking for new subclasses, spells, magic items, feats, and races? Opinions welcome :)
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"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
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I mean, it's a fantastic character. You could have so much fun entertaining/frustrating your fellow players at the same time, in the best ways.
Looking for new subclasses, spells, magic items, feats, and races? Opinions welcome :)
I'd also suggest checking out your Wisdom. How good their perception and insight are might help you flavor that Charisma. A high Wisdom means they have a better time reading people, so they might use their Charisma to help and comfort those around them really well, or use it to help them convince people to do what they want. A low Wisdom might mean they are oblivious to how their words are actually affecting people. Or not care.
Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence form a nice little grouping that can inform a lot about your character!
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Gilderoy is a great example of a low Wis and low Int character. Maybe a bit higher on Int, as he is pretty good with one kind of spell. But completely oblivious to the emotions and experiences of other people (low Wis), incompetent at most magic (low Int), and getting by on sheer force of will and looks (high Cha).
Looking for new subclasses, spells, magic items, feats, and races? Opinions welcome :)
I love the Lockhart example.
My backup character (should my guy die/need to retire for a future campaign, or should I get into a pick-up game sometime) is low Int with a ridiculous Cha and a decent Wis-- so basically, he's charming and he's good at some things, but because of that, and because he values knowledge, he VASTLY overestimates his own intelligence. He's got a keen enough insight when dealing with people and he's not overly trusting, and there are some things he can think of on the fly, but he's also an incredible dummy who thinks his stupid ideas are brilliant and who goes through life thinking things will go well for him. And he's got very little impulse control when he does have a "brilliant" idea, because he really does not know how stupid he is.