Translate low int, high wisdom.

[The Shadowdove]

Hey folks,

We all have our interpretations in regards to how stats are personified within the game, with 10 being the most average stat across the board.

I'm curious as to how you would interpret a character with 7-9 intelligence, while having 16-18 wisdom.

If you would, give examples. Modern or fantasy/medieval examples, whichever is easier for you to use.

List things such as education, potential careers, likely backgrounds, and special circumstances.

Lastly, if you feel like it, give a short paragraph or two detailing a character you may make (any race) with stats such as these.

Thank you in advance, I'm excited to see what you come up with! The folks here are much more booksmart and experienced than I, so it is always a treat to see your responses.

-Dove

[Ogre Mage]

Forrest Gump is a classic example of a low intelligence, high wisdom character.

In general I would play such a character as having strong common sense and awareness. They have excellent instincts. Their ability to quickly process information and memorize is poor. Their vocabulary is probably limited and they may not have much formal education.

Good backgrounds for such a character include: Acolyte, Hermit, Outlander, Sailor and Urchin.

Sage is a very poor background for this character.

[Honest Tiefling]

Very uneducated, but very perceptive. They might know that the birds will always migrate south a few days after the solstice unless the druids perform a ritual, which can be determined by a certain plant being harvested by removal of a few leaves by a sharp instrument and a few seedlings nearby instead of the entire plant being torn out. They might not know where the birds go, since they aren't there, but they can probably connect it with a lack of food. They'd notice the little details, but might lack knowledge they can't observe to connect it to the larger picture.

I agree with sage being a terrible idea, since sage is all about that fancy-smancy edumacation. I could also see the character being highly practical and disinclined to philosophy or abstract thought. They know that it probably helps some people, but to them? Anything you can touch, see or smell is going to be a lot easier to understand. People are easy. Animals are easy. Book learning? Leave that to the lunatic wizards and their weird robes.

[The Shadowdove]

Forrest Gump is a classic example of a low intelligence, high wisdom character.

In general I would play such a character as having strong common sense and awareness. They have excellent instincts. Their ability to quickly process information and memorize is poor. Their vocabulary is probably limited and they may not have much formal education.

Good backgrounds for such a character include: Acolyte, Hermit, Outlander, Sailor and Urchin.

Sage is a very poor background for this character.

How do you feel street smart people with little education fall into this?

Or a ranger who has been a guide through his home woods all his life and "can't read those old symbols, but I know that they will burn you to a crisp if you're fool enough to go inside looking for trouble. Thems are ancient ruins belonging to the angry shut in dwarves of the forgebeard clan. Fellows who liked to play a bit too much with fire if I recall the old tales correctly."

[Honest Tiefling]

Or a ranger who has been a guide through his home woods all his life and "can't read those old symbols, but I know that they will burn you to a crisp if you're fool enough to go inside looking for trouble. Thems are ancient ruins belonging to the angry shut in dwarves of the forgebeard clan. Fellows who liked to play a bit too much with fire if I recall the old tales correctly."

I'm not him, but I don't think this is a good case. Identifying runes and stories is typically intelligence, not wisdom. If he saw burnt corpses right by the runes and connected the dots, that's a little stronger. If he used his wisdom to befriend the dwarves (perhaps by using medicine, foraging for needed supplies or even warning them of danger) and heard the story that way, that is I think also better. It's hugely nitpicky, but if you are trying to come up with a few examples for something that needs to be short (such as a backstory) it can matter.

[Laserlight]

Hey folks,
We all have our interpretations in regards to how stats are personified within the game, with 10 being the most average stat across the board.
I'm curious as to how you would interpret a character with 7-9 intelligence, while having 16-18 wisdom.

WIS no longer means "wisdom and common sense", it's now more "perception and situational awareness". So the high WIS low INT guy might notice the scratches on the floor but not realize that this particular pattern of scratches imply a secret door. He'll see the ambushers in the woods ahead but not know that they're from the obscure Sad Flutes organization.
INT 7-9 isn't actually much lower than normal. If he's studied a topic, he'll still draw the right conclusions most of the time; it might just take him a few extra moments to work it out. Of course, if he's being ambushed by magical assassins, he may not have a few extra moments.

[No brains]

I'd say it's also partially dependent upon charisma. I played two clerics with high wisdom and low intelligence, one with high charisma and another with average. The lower-charisma cleric was extremely rough around the edges and was too crude for people to tell that they actually were wise- their insight seeming more like unnatural luck. The high-charisma cleric was able to perceive things and spin them in a way that made it hard to tell they had low intelligence. Both of them were impulsive and acted on faith rather than thought, usually approaching problems with their first idea and then trying to fix the idea rather than trying to go at the problem a different way.

Intelligence is the ability to 'think, learn, and remember', but it would be better to think of it as the rate at which someone does so. A person with low intelligence may have more knowledge than someone with high intelligence if they worked focused on their fields for their whole life, as someone with the will and perception of high wisdom might. The more intelligent person may be able to think learn and remember faster, but depending on their wisdom, they might be lazy in seeking out more things to learn. The difference in charisma lets you know if either of these people are deficient in anything.

[Ogre Mage]

How do you feel street smart people with little education fall into this?

Or a ranger who has been a guide through his home woods all his life and "can't read those old symbols, but I know that they will burn you to a crisp if you're fool enough to go inside looking for trouble. Thems are ancient ruins belonging to the angry shut in dwarves of the forgebeard clan. Fellows who liked to play a bit too much with fire if I recall the old tales correctly."

Someone who is street smart but not book smart is a good example of a high wisdom/low intelligence character. It is why I listed the Urchin as a good background for such a PC. Such a person has had to maintain a high level of awareness so would-be thieves and murderers in the city could not sneak up on him or her. And s/he probably would have had to develop a strong instinct about people to quickly identify who had seedy intentions and who might be a real friend. But this person cannot discuss magical theory or religious history and may not even be able to read.

[MaxWilson]

I think Gully Foyle fits the profile. Not a smart man, not exceptional at first, but full of determination and willpower.

[X3r4ph]

Depending on how low you intelligence score is... think of a German Shepard.

[Asmotherion]

Someone who would be able to comunicate some very wise words yet with very simple words because of lack of education; someone who would not be cunning or able to plot things, but would have a good instinct and perception of his surroundings. Overall someone able to stay calm in most situations except if he chooses not to, but unable to process the most simple information and probably even illiterate (if intelligance as low as 7).

In modern terms, it could represent a very low IQ, but a high EQ, a very good ability to perceve his environment and some "child-like" inocent wisdom comming from this character. At the same time, you would also expect him to react as a child in most situations, and depending on his Charisma score being viewed as weird and possibly not very appreciated by most people.

A good example to this is your typical Anime/Manga protagonist in Shonnen Anime/Manga, with Characters like Goku, Naruto and Luffy being very representative of the Low Intelligence Score/High Wisdom Score Antithesis.

I Hope this post was helpful :)

[MarkVIIIMarc]

A 7 Int person I would think ae should notice in conversation as being slow or simple. The high Wis would make them neat to talk with IMO.

A 9 is going to seem normal virtually every time and might be an expert at a thing or two.

[GlenSmash!]

My first thought was a Tarzan character. No education, wise in the ways of the wild.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

Gourry Gabriev from Slayers. Capable of spotting that one of the other characters is a Mazoku (demon) in disguise, but not capable of realizing he should point that out to the other party members, since he didn't think it mattered and assumed it was obvious.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

Depending on how low you intelligence score is... think of a German Shepard.

Honestly, every German Shepherd I've met has been completely daft. Maybe a wise old Border Collie?

[Specter]

Grandparents are usually a great example of this.

[DarkKnightJin]

I suggest Forrest Gump once more.

He seems a good character woth below average Int, but high Wis.

"I'm not a smart man, Jenny. But I know what love is."

[mgshamster]

I have a PC with 5 Int, 18 wis, and 5 cha. I didn't know what to do with him.

But on another thread a bit of time ago, someone suggested to average them all out and play that as the "general" mental capabilities, with the high and low scores reflecting specific tasks they're good and bad at.

So my PC would have an average mental ability of 9, just about average. But he is poor with people and doesn't make inductive leaps of logic. However, he can read emotions really well and is generally very perceptive.

So his decision making capabilities are based on what he feels is the right thing to do, but he can never truly explain why it's the right thing to do. Just that it is.

[Rogerdodger557]

It depends on the class. If barb, I'd go with a feral, almost animalistic personality. Most other cases its they see the dots, but take longer to put them together.

[Laurefindel]

Hey folks,

We all have our interpretations in regards to how stats are personified within the game, with 10 being the most average stat across the board (...)

My interpretation is that a 7-9 score in a stat is "as far from 10" as a 11-13 stat. In other words, I don't consider a 7 to be more detrimental than how 13 is an advantage. Thus, the same way I consider a 13 to be above average, but not remarkably so, I don't consider a 7 to be a meaningful handicap.

For a character with a 7-9 INT, intelligence-based classes and skills are not going to be its strong suits and will not orient its life around it. Luckily, it's extraordinary Wisdom allows him/her to be fully functional.

I would RP it as a person with little theoretical/academic knowledge, relying instead on first-hand experience. Kind of person who has to "do it" to learn. High Wisdom suggest that the character is aware of its limitations and thus will be able to work around them; its low INT will not be apparent to others until they know the person well. The character might lack "fancy words" and use a lot of slang to refer to things, but this should not impede any but the most academic / aristocratic conversation.

You could even play it as a character who simply never had the opportunity to develop that potential because of a poor/sheltered/removed upbringing. D&D has a long history of linking low INT and INT penalties for races as a lack or learning institutions within cultures.

[Naanomi]

The dichotomy I have a hard time with is very low INT with very high CHA... I mean, I've known some likable idiots in my time... but when you get down in the '3-4 INT' range with 20+ CHA (in 3.5 that was the 'Sorcerer Spread') I just have a hard time envisioning it

[Laurefindel]

The dichotomy I have a hard time with is very low INT with very high CHA... I mean, I've known some likable idiots in my time... but when you get down in the '3-4 INT' range with 20+ CHA (in 3.5 that was the 'Sorcerer Spread') I just have a hard time envisioning it

Yep. Same goes with physical stats, although you don't see those very often. How could this guy train his muscles to 20 STR with a 3 CON. How can this lady can move with superhuman agility (20 DEX) while barely be able to move at all (3 STR)

[X3r4ph]

Honestly, every German Shepherd I've met has been completely daft. Maybe a wise old Border Collie?

Haha. Thats hilarious. Well, I was thinking of guard dogs in general. You know, the kind that can spot a "bad" person a mile away and starts barking at them. The ones that can track prey and smell fear. All of that?

Border Collies knows tons of commands. I would think them more intelligent than most orcs.

[X3r4ph]

The dichotomy I have a hard time with is very low INT with very high CHA... I mean, I've known some likable idiots in my time... but when you get down in the '3-4 INT' range with 20+ CHA (in 3.5 that was the 'Sorcerer Spread') I just have a hard time envisioning it

[Naanomi]

A kid with an obvious disability maybe popular, but I wouldn't generally consider them charismatic... I wouldn't expect convincing arguments (Persuasion) or lies (Deception); and I work with that population... social skills deficits are almost universal with significant cognitive disabilities

Likewise with the sports jock, he may have a 6-8 INT but I wouldn't characterize him as a 3 INT (nor a 20 CHA)

[Honest Tiefling]

A kid with an obvious disability maybe popular, but I wouldn't generally consider them charismatic...

I don't work with kids with special needs, but I have met a few people who might have been and they were kind, decent folk who didn't let others bring them down. I wouldn't consider it typical which I think is the thrust of your argument, but I also wouldn't necessarily say it is impossible, either.

Likewise with the sports jock, he may have a 6-8 INT but I wouldn't characterize him as a 3 INT (nor a 20 CHA)

Some jocks are actually quite intelligent, others just don't apply themselves. Also, I must disagree with any argument that potentially involves underage abs.

[Sigreid]

I view the 3 this way

Intelligence: a combination of memory, logical thinking and general education. Someone with high intelligence is good at working through puzzles, has a good memory for facts and a broad education covering many topics.

Wisdom: Your ability to be in the moment, not just aware of but understanding what things mean as they happen. This is also the little inner voice that tells you "That guy is using magic to mess with your head. @#$% that guy".

Charisma: Emotional and social intelligence and ego/confidence.

[scalyfreak]

I would RP it as a person with little theoretical/academic knowledge, relying instead on first-hand experience. Kind of person who has to "do it" to learn. High Wisdom suggest that the character is aware of its limitations and thus will be able to work around them; its low INT will not be apparent to others until they know the person well. The character might lack "fancy words" and use a lot of slang to refer to things, but this should not impede any but the most academic / aristocratic conversation.

Jayne Cobb. Sam Gamgee. Han Solo, perhaps.

Some jocks are actually quite intelligent, others just don't apply themselves.

I was just about to post this. I would even argue that professional "jocks" who aren't intelligent sooner or later fail at their chosen career. Whether European or American football, it's a complex game that requires quick thinking and analysis.

[Naanomi]

I don't work with kids with special needs, but I have met a few people who might have been and they were kind, decent folk who didn't let others bring them down. I wouldn't consider it typical which I think is the thrust of your argument, but I also wouldn't necessarily say it is impossible, either.

Now envision that same person, the kind and decent person... and they are sneaking through the castle, and have to lie to the guard to convince them they should be there (A Charisma: Deception check)... would they be good at that? Kind and decent doesn't (to me) correlate with Charisma in the game-statistic way

[Hrugner]

That seems like the intuitive character. The sort of person who would say "I don't know how I know, I just know!". They'd probably come off as pretty smart, knowing other people and anticipating their needs would give them a surprising wit that would let them seem intelligent by rapidly grasping something, but they'd never get beyond that initial epiphany.

I think Finding Nemo's "Dory" is a great example of this; she understands people and the world amazingly well, but knows nothing. Bilbo is a less extreme version of this, he knows nothing about the world outside the Shire, but his lack of knowledge doesn't get in the way of creative but flawed thinking and gives him an otherwise idiotic bravery. He's quick witted, perceptive, cunning, but an absolute imbecile when it comes to anything else. Any stoner character would work for this mix as well.