Rangers with Personality? Are wise or intelligent characters always quite?

[PartyChef]

Hi everyone. So this is really a cry for help in building a personality and gathering interesting quirks for a Ranger/Mystic (I have dm permission and yes I am taking advantage of Nomad) with high wisdom and intelligence.

Generally, I am used to building charismatic rogues that lie, flatter, and con their way through most situations using charisma far higher than their wisdom or intelligence. Likewise, I can easily play a honor obsessed meat head that flies into a rage at the slightest insult. These guys are always fun to play and highly involved in social encounters, if not always beneficial.

Even a high intelligence wizard can be fun by making them prattle on about one topic or another or become obsessed with studying the minute details of something.

However, in my experience, any character with a high intelligence and a high wisdom suddenly becomes a huge introvert. I especially feel that rangers get stuck in this rut and are the perpetual strong silent type. Thus, the question is how do you make these characters involved and interesting? What do you do, or have seen done, to encourage these characters to become involved and social?

The closest thing I have come up with is creating a Bones (Star Trek) character that is always tagging along but commenting on how this idea or another is outrageous and we are all gonna die. I do however feel that route requires significant caution so you don't become the perpetual nay-sayor.

[GrayDeath]

quite...what?





sorry, could not resist. ;)

No, not necessarily.

He wont talk "in the face" of everybody, but People like that tend very much towards the Mentor archetype.

Take a while to "thaw", then wax philosophically/teach.

ist not a personality mix for the frivoulous, but neither do you Need to go the classic "Quiet and deep" route.

[Aett_Thorn]

Have him always relate things back to nature. Dealing with a troublesome noble? "This reminds me of a badger I once tried to raise by hand." Come across a troubling puzzle or impediment? "Remember, crew, nature shows us that with time, even water can defeat rock." Party can't choose which way to go? "I saw a flock of sparrows this morning that flew off to our left, so I think that we should go that way, too."

[Chugger]

So we're talking an almost Kenku-like speech limitation - to metaphors and figurative speech and wise sayings and instructive stories - I like it!

Sadly role-playing seems to mean "maximizing a minor defect that doesn't much or significantly cripple play".

I'd like to see a campaign where each player has to have a serious and very very real and significantly damaging "downside" - a paladin with no arms maybe - a warlock who hallucinates badly and attacks his own team 25% of the time (has to roll) - um - maybe too "significant" there ... but there's got to be a way to push flaws closer to the edge and still not TPK all the time.

[hymer]

High intelligence could mean someone very inquisitive and curious. Ask questions, and argue about everything. Examine everything you have the time to examine. Dispute as much as possible to find the flaws in the reasoning.

[Beelzebubba]

Eh, I'd say that type of character can be incredibly talkative. They just pick their times and places.

Like, if they are with a scared prisoner they just rescued, they intuitively know what to say to make *that specific person* feel better. A little kid? Talk soothingly, distract them so they don't dwell on it, and give them a toy. A noble? They use elevated language, and treat the noble with deference and follows higher class conventions to give them their dignity back. A tough fighter? They ask about the tactics the capturers used, to get them thinking in terms of tactics and pumping them for information.

You have to bring a lot of that to the table, though. It's hard. So quiet is often better, so (in my case) I only say stuff when I can think ahead enough to not be stupid.

[Thrudd]

The ability scores inherently say nothing about someone's personality. A character can act in any way you want, talk a lot, be open and friendly, be quiet and somber.

A high charisma only means that people react and respond well to the character, it does not reveal the specific way the character acts or the means they use to get people to like them. It doesn't need to mean they are talkative and witty. It might mean they are inspirational and intense and draw people with natural magnetism - or they are subtle and quiet but extremely likeable and people naturally trust them.

Intelligence and wisdom likewise just say what results your character is good at getting, not the way they do things. You are perceptive and have strong willpower, you have a good memory and have studied lots of things, you know magic of one sort or another. That's all it says about you. Everything else is up to the player.

[Unoriginal]

However, in my experience, any character with a high intelligence and a high wisdom suddenly becomes a huge introvert.

I... don't see how you got this impression, to be honest.

Is Gandalf an introvert? Is Yoda? Is Professor Layton? Is Phoenix Wright?

Having high intellect and high wisdom generally make you have quite a few things to share with your fellows. Sure, you could argue that you would need Charisma to make others like what you express, but it's not the question.

You can be a extrovert hedonist who loves to share his thoughts with others and be smart and wise.

Sure, some authors like to make supposedly smart characters not talk about their plans, and make supposedly wise characters silent and distant, but those are just tricks to not have to bother with actually coming up with intelligent/wise things to say.

[Sir cryosin]

Have him always relate things back to nature. Dealing with a troublesome noble? "This reminds me of a badger I once tried to raise by hand." Come across a troubling puzzle or impediment? "Remember, crew, nature shows us that with time, even water can defeat rock." Party can't choose which way to go? "I saw a flock of sparrows this morning that flew off to our left, so I think that we should go that way, too."

This help me thank you I just rolled up a Arcane cleric and didn't know really know how to show his wisdom and intelligence while playing him this helps. Thanks

[CaptainSarathai]

I played a very grouchy Dwarf once, who had high Wisdom and dumped Cha.
Didn't mean he was quiet, just meant that he was an a** sometimes. He was always the one to point out,
"I told'yer so"
Whenever things happened as he predicted.

He was always grumbling about how things should be done sensibly, logically.

Of course, he was also a disgraced dwarf who's chosen weapons were a pair of gauntlet axes, and when he finally lost patience (which happened quickly) he would usually punch/chop everything near him halfway to hell.

[Honest Tiefling]

I would think that a high wisdom character would be well aware that certain subjects others would not be interested in. However, this character is both knowledgeable and able to read others. What if they just...Don't care? You have to explain that poor charisma somehow, so what if they just said what they wanted to say? Screw other people, I wanna talk about this. It could be used in combination with the idea of just talking about nature. Because nature is good and screw your granddaughter becoming high priest, let's talk about otters.

Another idea is to see if any character in the party has a high charisma. You could just try to help them along, nudge them here and there with good advice. You might not be talkative to others, but you're talking to the party and trying to help them, so there's that.

You could also go full nerd. Your character has a specialty, such as nature. They're committed to learning as much as possible about it, and they're willing to ask any potential scholar, any potential hunter, any potential source of information for more knowledge.

[GlenSmash!]

It seems to me that whatever numbers I have in my Wisdom or Intelligence scores would have far less effect on how I would roleplay a personality than the Personality Traits, Bonds, Ideals, and Flaws the character has.

As far as introverts or Quiet types being interesting, I think they can be just as interesting as extroverted or loud types. Introverts just spend a lot more time thinking than talking.

Instead of describing what your character would say, describe what he does.

Keeping his eyes moving for threats, shifting his weight from side to side or pacing when getting impatient, wringing hands when distraught. smirking sarcastically, or even dropping a one-liner on occasion.

[Koren]

I like stats better as guidelines rather than definitive law when determining character personality. A low Cha person would have a hard time passing rolls but that doesn't mean your character can't be outgoing and chatty. A high int, high Wis character would rock as a Wizard but you can still have them make some really stupid decisions.

That aside, there have been some great ideas for a high Wis/int character already. If s/he's high cha (and that matters to you) you can make him/her someone who loves to impart their wisdom where it matters, someone who has seen just the thing that can help get them through. A ranger in particular would have seen all sorts of things, as they could potentially have history both in and outside of a city.

Low charisma could just mean you're really bad at actually conversing, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't. Maybe you have a quirk where you know you aren't supposed to say things, but thinking about it makes you blurt it. Maybe you try way too hard to be friendly. Maybe since you're a "lone wolf" ranger you don't know how to talk to anyone who isn't yourself.

[ZorroGames]

High intelligence could mean someone very inquisitive and curious. Ask questions, and argue about everything. Examine everything you have the time to examine. Dispute as much as possible to find the flaws in the reasoning.

So, a gnome?

[Honest Tiefling]

So, a gnome?

I could think of worse backgrounds for a ranger/wizard then being raised by gnomes. He could have adopted gnomish habits (such as being endlessly curious and going out of his way to learn something), but others find it weird. And while many people might expect such behavior from a non-gnome, especially not a six foot tall muscular human.

[Herobizkit]

So, a gnome?Or a Smurf.

https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/smurfs/images/d/d0/Brainy_Magic_Flute.jpghttps://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/smurfs/images/b/b3/Papa_smurf_magic_flute.jpg

[OverdrivePrime]

I tend to play rangers with strong mental stats, and how extroverted I play them often depends on Charisma. High charisma to me indicates a natural gravitation toward the focus of attention. Lower charisma means your character is either uncomfortable pulling focus, or doesn't do a good job of it. Mid-range charisma just suggests that he's a regular person, comfortable being the center of attention sometimes, but not all the time.

Anyway, with high wisdom and high intelligence, your ranger might gravitate toward trying to teach or guide others. They're passionate about the wilderness, otherwise they'd just be a fighter or rogue. So, use those smarts and insight to show others the way. If you want to be really outgoing and wild about it, think of the great Steve Irwin, the quintessential Beastmaster Ranger. He'll have an urge to teach and explain, and will try hard to keep city slickers from attacking natural creatures out of ignorance.

::Party comes across a cockatrice::

"Ah, see now, here we've got a right beauteous specimen of a cockatrice. She's a bit feisty and territorial, so we're gonna wanna give her plenty of space. Don't let her peck ya, or she's liable to turn ya right to stone!"

::Wizard readies a spell and Fighter draws weapon::

"Hey now, don't get too hasty! She's probably more scared of us than you are of her. Just give her space, and we can be on our merry."

A ranger like that might feel like a caretaker of the wilderness, and will try to keep humanoids and beasts/monstrosities from running afoul of one another. He'll probably either be completely enthralled by or totally opposed to aberrations.

[2D8HP]

Keep plenty of notes, so that your the one who actually remembers the NPC's names.

Talk down the high CHA member of the party.

Oh, and try to sound like you have Helen Mirren's or Patrick Stewart's speaking voice.

"Perhaps someone more alert should should handle this, you dim-witted doormat".

EDIT:
Benedict.Cumberbatch!