Ideas for low Charisma.....??

[coredump]

So, I am playing a monk with an 8 Cha. But I'm just not sure how to play that out?

Is he always grumpy? Short tempered? Says inappropriately personal things?


Gate Urchin monk, loyal to friends, doesn't trust those who had it easy growing up.... 8 Charisma.

I already skip the talking parts when I can, but an 8 should have some drawback.....

[Temperjoke]

It could be a case of socially awkward as well, you aren't familiar with a lot of things people do in polite company, like grabbing handfuls of food instead of using silverware, and you've never heard of tact in conversation. You aren't grumpy or intending to be rude, but you're not one for polite chit-chat. You sit by yourself eating because you like to focus on the food.

[Zman]

Doesn't Bathe. Ever.

[solidork]

You could be kind of a pushover, lacking in force of personality.

[SwordChuck]

So, I am playing a monk with an 8 Cha. But I'm just not sure how to play that out?

Is he always grumpy? Short tempered? Says inappropriately personal things?


Gate Urchin monk, loyal to friends, doesn't trust those who had it easy growing up.... 8 Charisma.

I already skip the talking parts when I can, but an 8 should have some drawback.....

I take it you have a decent Con?

Your monk is a beautiful +insert race+ but due to not growing up in a normal environment you are socially awkward and make bad puns in an attempt to be humorous.

So when this prince charming looking type guy opens his mouth... Nothing but awkward things and bad puns come out.

[Mjolnirbear]

Your monk makes innappropriate jokes in inappropriate company.

Tells the king his wife is smokin'.

Tells the (preteen) prince to always bring extra money to a brothel.

Remarks that there's no way she's a virgin bride (at the wedding).

Laughs at a funeral.

Speaks too loudly sometimes.


Depending on your game, a low charisma can be: ugly, socially awkward, socially inept, or a complete social pushover. He could be the guy peasants think isn't good enough for their daughter or just the 40-year-old virgin, the classic 'nice guy'.

[SwordChuck]

Laughs at a funeral.

He should also wear his mind on his sleeve and have a habit of taking off his shirt.

[Temperjoke]

He should also wear his mind on his sleeve and have a habit of taking off his shirt.

Now I have this song in my head.

[Merbeast]

Not talking can be a drawback in itself. Shyness or glossophobia can be interpreted as "low charisma". Cavendish (a scientist) was a genius but wouldn't talk to anyone but close friends. He would leave notes for his cook on what he wanted for dinner, and if someone he wasn't close to wanted to ask him a question, they would address "the room", and if Cavendish wanted to reply, he would (without looking at the questioner) answer "the room". Talk about socially awkward (and what I would call "low charisma").

So yeah, if you want to play it as just not talking much, I think that would be perfectly fine for a low charisma.

[Ouranos]

Quiet and reserved. Doesn't talk much, and when he does, speaks only the bare minimum. Not used to long conversation of any kind. Tends not to look people in the eye, so forth. Not because he's shy, but simply not comfortable being social.

[Dizlag]

My first thought was to play him like Milton from Office Space mumbling all the time about his lost dagger or something. =)

Dizlag

[darkrose50]

[1] People that are poorly dressed, or dirty tend to be ignored socially.
[1a] I sometimes put on overalls specifically to be ignored by salespeople. If I wear slacks and a button down shirt, then I am visible and/or approachable.
[1b] Once, after high school, my friends and I were extras in a training video in downtown Chicago. We were all wearing suits, and business dresses. We passed someone taking money for a charity who began yelling at us that not everyone was as fortunate as we were. Evidently we all looked wealthy.
[2] Unattractive people tend to be ignored.
[3] Poor people tend to be ignored.
[4] In our society being fat is strongly linked to being poor. Fat people thusly have the tendency to be ignored. In a medieval setting someone that was fat may be seen as someone that has wealth, depending on the scarcity of extra calories.

I have Asperger's Syndrome.

Stereotypically those with Asperger's Syndrome are extremely logical, use overly formally polite word choices, often avoid eye contact, have odd body language, and a possess a disability in reading body language.

At times people who navigate social situation via body language can misread my body language and think that I am up to no good.

At times those on the extreme other end of the logic-feelings spectrum navigate the world quite differently, and the two ways of doing things do not always mix well.

This could be portrayed as low charisma.

I have also been told by a doctoral candidate that I use my intellect to navigate social situations, like a chameleon. I may lose this ability when tired, or concentrating on other tasks. Perhaps I have some feat that replaces CHA skills with my INT modifier.

[SwordChuck]

Now I have this song in my head.

The curse has been lifted from my soul and I may now move on.

[Mrmox42]

A guy from my group played out his CHA 7 Druid by always talking in an annoying shrill voice. Always. It became a tradition to pelt him with pillows and other soft items at the end of the gaming sessions. :smallsmile:

[eastmabl]

This screams "incorporate your flaw" to me.

You stuff food into your pockets at banquets because you never know where the next meal is coming from. You speak with a lower class accent and pepper your speech with four letter words. You always tell the truth and never tell white lies. You assume that everyone lived like a prince growing up until proven otherwise.

You know, stuff that would grate on others.

[Vogonjeltz]

So, I am playing a monk with an 8 Cha. But I'm just not sure how to play that out?

Is he always grumpy? Short tempered? Says inappropriately personal things?


Gate Urchin monk, loyal to friends, doesn't trust those who had it easy growing up.... 8 Charisma.

I already skip the talking parts when I can, but an 8 should have some drawback.....

8 is only slightly below average so I wouldn't go full on anti-social, that would be jumping the shark.

It does have drawbacks because mechanically someone with an 8 charisma has less presence.

They're basically a normal person, but they are less likely than most people to be able to persuade someone (the vizier is likely to tell them to come back tomorrow and not get them an audience before the sultan), make for lame entertainers (This is a person whose repetoire might be all lame puns or retread knock-knock jokes), have a difficult time cowing an opponent (they're just not impressive or they don't say or do the right things to actually make others fear them), and they are more likely than not to lie unconvincingly ("Uh...the dog ate my homework?" could be an excuse they might end up with).

[SwordChuck]

8 is only slightly below average so I wouldn't go full on anti-social, that would be jumping the shark.

Like jumping sharks, overplaying a slight disadvantage is fun.

Dr. Fonzi even checked the science for me.

[ryan92084]

Making really bad groan inducing puns that your character and preferably only your character finds utterly hilarious.

[Georlik]

Why are you guys so harsh on 8th Charisma? It's a little bit below average. Most gamers are like that (at least in my observation). They shy from new experiences and people. Trying to stay in their comfort zone, but more than capable of achiving high social status. Being unwashed is too repulsive, and telling offensive things to the ruler is a straight path to being killed.
Consider this:
Commoner has Charisma of 10, which means that if he tries long enough he can pass a difficulty level of 20 (Hard).
Our Monk here may never overcome Hard skill challenge, but he is almost as capable as the next guy on Medium difficulty.

So my advice is to pick any one of these:
- Be timid in speach.
- Speak loudly when your opinion is ignored.
- Be whiny.
- Act haughty.
- Ask unnecessary questions.
- Always say "I told you so".
- Change subjects when you have nothing clever to say.
- Put blame on somebody else.
- Draw attention away from your person when talked to.

Any of those options allow you to have a presence at the table, but make your character less likable in game. Also don't overuse any this aspects of your character, or other players may hate you instead ;)

[comk59]

So, I am playing a monk with an 8 Cha. But I'm just not sure how to play that out?

Is he always grumpy? Short tempered? Says inappropriately personal things?


Gate Urchin monk, loyal to friends, doesn't trust those who had it easy growing up.... 8 Charisma.

I already skip the talking parts when I can, but an 8 should have some drawback.....


Well, a monk in my game speaks very plainly and often insultingly, which sometimes gets them in trouble with royalty. Of course, that's just one of many ways to do it.

Also, are you the same Coredump from TheTyranidHive? Everyone over there is kinda wondering if you died.

[rollingForInit]

A character with 8 Charisma doesn't have to be socially awkward, make stupid jokes, be clumsy when talking, be an introvert, shy or a quiet person. It could mean that, but really doesn't have to, because a person could be all that and have 20 Charisma. A quiet person could have that mysterious presence, or be that guy that doesn't speak, but when he does, everyone listens because they know **** just got serious. Someone who makes stupid jokes could be able to direct those jokes and mock and ridicule others. Someone brute who's bad at rhetorics and can't string together a cogent argument might just have the force of personality to enter the room and have others cower in terror by just looking at them.

To me, Charisma is your power of presence, your personal magnetism, ability to employ those to your advantage. A person with 8 Charisma just doesn't feel important. When they enter a room, you look at them, and then you don't keep looking. They might chat and laugh and be genuinely nice people that you like conversing with, but if an argument springs up, they don't really get to say anything. They don't know how to cut through and interrupt others properly. Or if they speak, they just don't manage to muster the personal power inspire, even if the argument is technically rational. In some situations, they might excel at convincing others in their own way (rolling persuasion with other ability scores). For instance, the 20 Intelligence Wizard making an argument to the 20 Intelligence Dragon. Or the 20 Wisdom priest giving sagely advice. So Charisma isn't about persuasion, it's about your personal presence.

[Tenmujiin]

To the people saying 8 is only slightly below average, ability scores for 'normal' people usually only go from 8-12, some animals have a 6 in Int I'm fairly sure. someone who isn't great in social situations would be a 9 or 10 (10.5 is the average ability score), 8 is as low as a person can get without being exceptionally bad at something.

[mephnick]

I generally play low charisma characters as being grumpy and cynical with a low social filter. I model him after a bunch of bitter old rednecks I work with.

Usually I just role-play him as legend in his own mind, no social graces even when talking to the king. Those people who say what's on their mind no matter their audience. Don't be afraid to ruin conversations your charismatic friends are having!

[Steampunkette]

Low Charisma characters can run the gamut.

Someone who constantly spends all their time washing themselves can be just as irritating and off-putting as someone who never bathes without being dragged into the water by her nose-pin wearing comrades.

Someone who constantly jabbers on about something the people around them have no interest in is just as uncharismatic as someone who stands in silence. Moreso, even, as the silent person at least has an air of mystery. Contrast that to the one who is constantly running on about insects and various facts about them like life is a documentary no one wants to watch.

And yeah, dirty joke man or the punster can be fairly uncharismatic, but they can also become fairly endearing. So can the Four Letter Word dropper. A better goal is to just aim for generally being inappropriate, rather than being inappropriate in a specific way. Misread -everything-. When someone says they don't have time for something, ask when would be a better time. When the party leader uses a metaphor in a powerful speech, ask about the literal meaning. Literally -catch- a bird, barehanded, and then try to sell it for "2 birds in a bush, please"

Weak willed and spineless is another great way to go about it, as suggested. Someone without a strong identity or sense of self is another great one. Play a character who emulates the people around her. Try to "Be" the party Paladin, one day and the Wizard the next, whoever was nicest to you gets a sidekick.

Alternatively, think like an animal. Specifically you can play a puppy. Devoted. Loyal. But also easily distracted and not -entirely- understanding of what's going on. Simple social cues (like growling) make sense to you, but more complex interactions leave you tilting your head and giving a soft whine.

[Shining Wrath]

My low charisma Ranger grew up poor and uneducated and knows only one thing: combat. In any social setting she is convinced she has nothing to contribute and thus is withdrawn to the point of sullenness. She can face being outnumbered 10-1 by orcs with more confidence than conversing with a noble about the weather.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

My low charisma Ranger grew up poor and uneducated and knows only one thing: combat. In any social setting she is convinced she has nothing to contribute and thus is withdrawn to the point of sullenness. She can face being outnumbered 10-1 by orcs with more confidence than conversing with a noble about the weather.

That's how they stay in power! Make it seem like being a sociopath is normal! Break away from the mold and teach those nobles whose in charge!

[Shining Wrath]

That's how they stay in power! Make it seem like being a sociopath is normal! Break away from the mold and teach those nobles whose in charge!

When a Ranger "sticks it to the man", it very often involves pointy sticks.

[Dalebert]

8 is only slightly below average so I wouldn't go full on anti-social, that would be jumping the shark.

This, definitely, but have fun with it if you want to. You can express it however you want. But don't ever tell someone else who's character has an 8 charisma or an 8 intelligence or an 8 wisdom how to role-play their character. Don't tell them "You're doin' it wrawng!!" Having a slightly below average stat is already expressed mechanically in the game by being a little less likely to succeed at certain things than an average person. They don't have to role-play deliberately failing things because that's just not what an 8 means.

For instance, thinking of just the right thing to say in a certain context is going to help a lot. I would lower the DC for a charisma check if you as a player came up with just the right thing to say in a certain context. If you come up with a more believable lie, I'll lower the DC to sell it with your deception. If you come up with a real doozy, the DC will be higher, but maybe you can still hit it with a big bonus or some luck. If the player got crazy higher than the DC, perhaps due to a high cha or a really lucky roll, then extra good happens. Not only did you convince the guards that you acted in self defense and that's why there's a body at your feet, but they are certain that you eliminated the person responsible for a crime streak in the city and ask if you'd like a position in the city guard or if you'd like an audience with the mayor.