PDA

View Full Version : RP Question



Shotaro
2007-01-07, 11:38 AM
So I have a wizard with high INT, low WIS and CHA and decent CON and DEX.

I don't want to be the obvious incredibly clever but bumbling no common sense guy so I had an idea

Autism

The stats are perfect for an autistic character, who is young but he would need a minder i think.

How would you go about it? what would you guys recommend?

Khantalas
2007-01-07, 11:40 AM
No.

An autistic person could not even learn new spells, let alone cast them.

And he would not necessarily have a high intelligence score.

Asperger's, maybe. Autism, no.

Ikkitosen
2007-01-07, 11:46 AM
You don't have to play a bumbling genius with those stats. Low wis doesn't have to mean bumbling; it can mean you have a knack for making the wrong decision, not necessarily a dumb one. You may be very attentive, but in all the wrong places at the wrong times.

Low charisma doesn't mean you're tongue-tied, or weak. It can mean you say all the right things in the wrong way, or to the wrong person. You could sweep into a room and have a confident word with eveyone; you might just leave a few mildly annoyed people in your wake!

I don't think you have to go looking to autism et al to explain your statistics, and you walk a thin and potentially offending line by doing so*.



*I'm not offended, but some people might be is what I'm saying.

Zherog
2007-01-07, 12:13 PM
So I have a wizard with high INT, low WIS and CHA and decent CON and DEX.

How low is low?

Daedrous Avari
2007-01-07, 12:15 PM
Not true about how autistic people can't have high int. There's a child in my school who's autistic, and he was writing out 30 values of pi.

Khantalas
2007-01-07, 12:16 PM
They can. But it's not a rule.

Most people seem to think so, though.

Dark Knight Renee
2007-01-07, 01:01 PM
In my group, the main party wizard has high int and a Wis and Cha of 6. He's socially akward, and while not quite bumbling or totally lacking in common sense, he's... not very perceptive. And most certainly not wise. He could be called a dweeb. You could just play the geeky and absorbed type.

Premier
2007-01-07, 01:05 PM
Not true about how autistic people can't have high int. There's a child in my school who's autistic, and he was writing out 30 values of pi.

Thing is that in D&D terms, the Intelligence attribute does not exclusively equal good math skills, let alone good memory. The same autistic person who can multiply many-digit numbers and memorize the phone book might be unable to complete a rather simple jigsaw puzzle, or to answer one of those "gloves are to hands what socks are to?" questions - and those sorts of skills are also covered by INT.

Matthew
2007-01-07, 07:44 PM
Low Wisdom and Charisma might suggest weak Wilpower. Easily led by others, gullible or something of that sort. A personality easily subsumed by others. Picks up other people's habits, that sort of thing. Clingy? Always looking for validation? Tons of potential for the weak minded, even if otherwise very intelligent.

Piedmon_Sama
2007-01-07, 09:03 PM
Play the character you want. An autistic savant could make a very interesting and unique character. I would give him a degree of self-reliance, though--he shouldn't need people to help him dress himself. At that point you'd just become a burden on the rest of the party.

The way I'd play it, I'd pick a few people--at least one of whom should be a fellow PC--to be "trusted" individuals. You have complete faith in these individuals and regard them as a sort of "compass" to help you gauge a situation (because you know you can't rely on your own sensibilities.) Everyone else is a "stranger"--never trust ANYTHING a stranger says, unless one of your Friends backs it up. These are simple rules you've used since childhood to navigate a dangerous and complicated world.

I'd use Charlie from Land of the Dead (the fourth Romero movie) as a good example. He was "slow," but he knew his limitations and could handle himself as long as he had his "big brother" looking out for him.

the_tick_rules
2007-01-07, 10:16 PM
well i'd say ya stat profile could be used for autism, be a hard character to role play.

purple gelatinous cube o' Doom
2007-01-07, 10:22 PM
personally, I think that character would be more of an absent minded professor type. I would play that type of character as someone who is really book smart, but not very street smart. As for the charisma thing. Seems to me a person with low charisma, is someone who really doesn't have as much of a way with words as someone who has a high one, nor a likeable. Personally, I would stay away from the autism idea, or anything similar.

Piedmon_Sama
2007-01-07, 10:56 PM
That's exactly what he said he DIDN'T want to play.

I don't see why you guys are all so down on the autism idea. Autism can manifest at many different levels, and many people with autism manage to handle themselves well enough in society. It could actually be a pretty interesting RPing idea.

Diggorian
2007-01-07, 11:59 PM
Given the variety of presentations Autism can have, it might be better to say you wanna play him like Dustin Hoffman's Rainman -- or another example, if that's what you have in mind when you say Autistic. That would be a pretty low Wis and Cha to justify that.

To use recognized examples, I could portray these as Varsuuvius with the awareness of Elan and the charm of Miko.

Yeah, Miko likely has a high Cha, but if you break it down to aspects of assertiveness and likability she might have 30 for the first and 6 for the second to give an average 18 of Cha.

Sabattus
2007-01-08, 02:49 AM
You could always bounce off that earlier idea that someone had about him being weak-willed and just play him as an alcoholic drunkard. Weak-willed, prone to making somewhat less-than-wise decisions, and almost always reeking of booze. But damned good with the spells nonetheless, and perhaps prone to crazed suicidal (unwise!) stunts.

There was one such character in a campaign I was in. We called him Thomas the Grappling Mage for his tendency to grapple and pin enemy spellcasters, then stab them to death with his dagger. And always, ALWAYS drunk. *grin*

The_Pope
2007-01-08, 03:30 PM
You know, low Charisma doesnt mean he has to have a "social disability". He could just be very quiet. Doesnt like people, doesnt like to talk to people, prefers to keep to himself. You could even factor in the low Wisdom by having him have internal monologues that he unknowingly says aloud. Kinda like Edwin from BG 1 & 2.

Fax Celestis
2007-01-08, 03:39 PM
A low CHA means a weak personality, so you could play someone who is easily manipulated and/or coerced. Perhaps a coward or even just someone who is severely shy.

A low WIS means a poor sense of judgement, so you could potentially play someone who slings fireballs at groups that contain friend and foe, or perhaps are easily tricked into doing what the BBEG is trying to trick you to do.

If you really want to get angsty about it, give your character severe 20/20 hindsight, so that he beats himself up for his many and frequent social errors.

themightybiggun
2007-01-08, 03:44 PM
you can be...

Rainman!!!

Shotaro
2007-01-08, 04:06 PM
wow never expected this topic to get so many replies.

I like the idea of an alcoholic, though the rainman idea or the Asperger's is quite good too. Its not for a little while yet anyway but i want to get the backstory in. I think I'll go for the suicidal alcoholic to begin with i got my standard wizard equipment which lets me move at normal speed i might take it up to just under a heavy load with ale - then buy more as soon as possible

Fhaolan
2007-01-08, 04:18 PM
With a low WIS and a low CHA, you could also play the person as unreasonably arrogant. He sweeps into the room and views all with condescension which immediately pisses off a good number of people (low CHA, how to make enemies and influence people). The low WIS would be how he’s *completely oblivious* to the effect this has. He can’t understand why people don’t immediately do whatever he says. I view Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, as a perfect low WIS, low CHA but supposedly high INT character. He used his wits to make loads of money (perhaps even legally), but nobody liked him and he didn't understand why that mattered.

Of course, this is hard to play in most gaming groups as I find a lot of players will start taking it personally. :smallsmile:

Shazzbaa
2007-01-08, 04:41 PM
I think you could go with the idea you're going for without calling it autistic, if you're worried about this "offending people" thing. The idea that many associate with autism, of being really, really good at ONE THING and really behind in other aspects -- magic could be your "one thing." You might be brilliant with magic, and be able to talk magic to anyone, but completely oblivious to other things. Those who actually have had dealings with autistic peoples might be irked they see the way you play an autistic character and think "Autism doesn't work that way!" but I don't think that makes the character you've got in mind any less valid. Just take off that label.