playing a charisma char that isn't charismatic?

[n00b]

Starting a Warlock char this week. Obviously this is a Charisma based class but I don't want to be that charismatic character. Looking for tips or alternatives on how to play him. Background is Cloistered Scholar so I see him as being rather bookish if anything. We have others that are more than capable of being the party face so I don't need to worry about that. Race is Duergar.

[Desteplo]

He’s good at people. Not with people.

He’s studied the right way to negotiate, but when it comes to the practice he’s very short.

He doesn’t get you to like him, he gets you to respect that he’s not dumb. No fluff just logic. “No, we will not pay 5k gold ransom. You will send her at this location and we won’t destroy your camp.”

Otherwise he is the consultant. Party face looks to you for the numbers or advice. You are the guy but he’s the pretty face.

Otherwise in the beta testing warlock was an intelligence caster. Players liked charisma like in 3.5 so they changed it for the 5e

[Naanomi]

You can go intimidating in a creepy/unsettling way as well... proficiency in intimidation but no other social skills; stare people down in silence and the like

[Erys]

Or be shy.

I mean, there are dozens of routes you can go here.

[dragoeniex]

You can go intimidating in a creepy/unsettling way as well... proficiency in intimidation but no other social skills; stare people down in silence and the like

Seconding this; unsettling charismatic can be a blast!

I'm running a warlock-masquerading-as-wizard in one campaign, and he's a mix between absent-minded professor and dissonant serenity. Has a soft, gentle voice and interested demeanor when talking with people. Once he gets the answer he was (or wasn't) after, though, he might just go "hmm," and walk away before the other person has finished speaking.

Asks polite questions about squicky subject matters as if it's a normal course of conversation. Helpfully offers information when asked, does a great job at delivering it, then sorta... keeps delivering it, as he spins off into professor mode.

And then a lot of moments of just watching and being vaguely interested in whatever the party's doing to balance it out, haha. Someone so in his own little world he can sometimes catch another person up in it.



Personal experiences aside, though, you don't have to play to a stat if you don't want to. Your secondary stat could easily be more of a RP focus if you prefer it, or however you want to interpret your spread! The 'charismatic by making sense instead of friends' approach suggested earlier is also a good option.

Another could play off this: I've noticed charisma saves typically come on spells or effects tied to someone's essence or soul. Banishing them to another plane, possessing them, binding them, etc. So in my head, high charisma has become tied to a character who has a vivid sense of self and a strong grip on their own essence. Whether that's them being especially grounded and hard to sway or actually being able to manipulate their own soul energy varies. But it's a cool idea to poke at, coming from an internal angle instead of social.

[Mortis_Elrod]

You could be so deadpan that everyone believes your lies. Just don't smile/laugh/blink and put points in Deception.

You could also go the Stare into your Soul type of Intimidation. Give off the impression that you are thinking about dissecting the person your talking to.

[Tiadoppler]

Stats are not personality.


Can you imagine a really Strong character who uses melee in combat, but doesn't like to lift heavy things and break doors down, and would rather try picking locks or finding clever solutions?

Can you imagine a really Dexterous character who doesn't like to be sneaky or pickpocket people, but prefers to openly approach their goals?

Can you imagine an incredibly Tough person who hates getting hurt?

A Smart person who'd rather bludgeon problems into submission than solve them?

A Wise person with no common sense?

How about a Charismatic person who doesn't like talking to people, or is so forceful that they're off-putting? Someone who'd rather have a fistfight than talk things out?


Stats represents a character's capabilities, not their personality.

[Sigreid]

I'd go with the strong, determined personality that doesn't give two coppers for petty interactions with people. Perhaps take the intimidate skill to represent his unapproachable resolve and power.

[Darth Ultron]

A good example would be Gyas Baltar, from the reimaged Battlestar Glatictca. He has a high enough charisma, but just acts weird often.....but, people don't hold it against him.

[Mercurias]

I would find it completely hilarious in roleplay if your Warlock had no idea how scary their striking features and arcane demeanor make them seem, and thus had to roll entirely unnecessary Intimidation checks when interacting with people.

You could also play a compulsive liar and rocket up your deception skill as an aspect of your pact (that would work well for Fey, Old One, and Fiend I bet. Make telling the truth really difficult and let it get your character in lots of trouble with lies stacking on top of one another until you pray nobody ever asks you anything!

You could also play a Warlock who tries not to draw in too much attention to themselves by just giving them a huge secret and then work with your DM to determine what that secret is. By the time the party figures it out, the character's personality will have been cemented as The Quiet One. That could help be an excuse to get your Warlock out of the library, too!

I've always wanted to play a Warlock who uses intimidation and Deception on a daily basis and lets the real party face handle the social stuff. That way I get to play a CHA caster AND kind of a thug at the same time! The trick would be to not act like such an enormous jerk that it makes the game un-fun or bothers the other players. So a light dusting of butthole sprinkles for flavor rather than an overbearing double-portion of butthole icing, I guess.

[Hooligan]

Look boss, you are thinking too much about this. How do you not be charismatic? Relax. Don't do it. Not even when you want to go to it.

Simply play the warlock as you've described: as a bookish, cloistered homeless man or whatever. You have a high score in charisma but that does not mean you are obligated to be charismatic. Hell maybe even propose using Int instead of Cha for your casting stat.

[Nifft]

I came here to recommend Intimidation, and am pleased to see it already well represented.

One other thought:

- Compelling -- "I just can't get him / her / it out of my head." -- not an active personality trait, but you seem to attract creepy stalkers because your animal magnetism is just too strong.

[Trask]

Someone with undeniable magnetism and power over others. Inspires fear, begets loyalty with nary a word.

[GlenSmash!]

Don't describe what your character does in ways that your DM thinks would call for a charisma check.

[Nifft]

Don't describe what your character does in ways that your DM thinks would call for a charisma check.

"I walk into the room without fanfare. The setting sun does not glint like a halo of divine righteousness over my shoulders, and sunbeams do not refract from the droplets of water that fly from my flaxen mane like a dusting of angelic glory as I swiftly scan the room."

[GlenSmash!]

"I walk into the room without fanfare. The setting sun does not glint like a halo of divine righteousness over my shoulders, and sunbeams do not refract from the droplets of water that fly from my flaxen mane like a dusting of angelic glory as I swiftly scan the room."

Bam! You just earned Inspiration!

[Asmotherion]

Don't take proficiency in Deception or Diplomacy.

You could take a safe bet for Intimidation, to at least make something out of your high Charisma, without being a People's Person (and using the fact that you know Eldritch Magic and you're not afraid to use it as the backround needed for it).

At the same time, you don't interfere too much with the Party's Face who's usually about Diplomacy and Deception (and Performance, which you probably don't need, unless you build around).

From that point on, since you're bookish, get yourself Arcana, and an other profficiency of Choice, and even if you don't have an Amazing Int as a Wizard would, your Prof Bonus will keep you Relevant.

[Laserlight]

Preferably, ask to use INT rather than CHA.

Otherwise... just don't do the negotiating. At one point I was tired of Always Being The Party Leader, so I made a CN pixie (4e). If they asked me for an opinion--"should we go east or north ?", for example--I might answer "I like butterflies!" or "I'm pretty sure I didn't actually burn down ALL the Feywild", but I would never answer with anything relevant.

[Seekergeek]

I know it's seen as an unbalanced or otherwise impractical position to take, and I know it doesn't address the OP's question, but I've always had a somewhat different take on what I'd like to see with a warlock.

In my view, as a warlock, you are a conduit for arcane power that is not, strictly speaking, your own. For that reason, when I DM I like to use CON as the stat mod for warlocks. You are channeling magic through a receptacle that has neither been trained nor bred to withstand it, and your physical toughness is all that is holding you together in the process.

[LichPlease]

I know it's seen as an unbalanced or otherwise impractical position to take, and I know it doesn't address the OP's question, but I've always had a somewhat different take on what I'd like to see with a warlock.

In my view, as a warlock, you are a conduit for arcane power that is not, strictly speaking, your own. For that reason, when I DM I like to use CON as the stat mod for warlocks. You are channeling magic through a receptacle that has neither been trained nor bred to withstand it, and your physical toughness is all that is holding you together in the process.

My idea for how a Warlock uses charisma as its casting stat is similar to this. Your powers don't come from yourself but from your patron. You are a conduit of your patron. You could be the most socially clumsy or despicable individual but you have your patron's reputation backing you.

[ImproperJustice]

Preferably, ask to use INT rather than CHA.

Otherwise... just don't do the negotiating. At one point I was tired of Always Being The Party Leader, so I made a CN pixie (4e). If they asked me for an opinion--"should we go east or north ?", for example--I might answer "I like butterflies!" or "I'm pretty sure I didn't actually burn down ALL the Feywild", but I would never answer with anything relevant.

This!
The class makes more sense as an INT based class.

[Expected]

According to dictionary.com, charisma is defined as "compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others." So, in order to play a Charisma-based character that isn't charismatic, I would suggest roleplaying him as someone who does have presence and can charm/persuade people by just being near them, however, he or she doesn't actively attempt to do so. Regardless, it will be difficult to do if you roleplay a character true to their ability scores (e.g. oblivious if you have low Wis, sickly with low Con).

Charismatic people, depending on their morality, can convince people to do terrifying things--take Charles Manson or Jim Jones, for example.

[Nifft]

According to dictionary.com, charisma is defined as "compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others." So, in order to play a Charisma-based character that isn't charismatic, I would suggest roleplaying him as someone who does have presence and can charm/persuade people by just being near them, however, he or she doesn't actively attempt to do so. Regardless, it will be difficult to do if you roleplay a character true to their ability scores (e.g. oblivious if you have low Wis, sickly with low Con).

Charismatic people, depending on their morality, can convince people to do terrifying things--take Charles Manson or Jim Jones, for example.

Confidence may be the easiest charismatic trait to fake at the table.

Also, it's very easy to see how high Confidence + low Sanity = extreme danger to anyone over whom the charismatic person holds influence.

[BurgerBeast]

I’m sorry to be the nay-sayer, here, but no.

If you have a high charisma score, it’s because you are charismatic. If you want to play an uncharismatic warlock, then assign a low charisma score.

You can use any of the suggested “workarounds,” but they’re really not work-arounds. They’re a complete denial of what the Charisma score represents.

Go ahead and do what you want, but don’t try to claim that it makes sense, or you’ll fail. Miserably.

It’s just as nonsensical as saying I want my character to have 18 strength but be weak, or to have 18 Dexterity but be clumsy.

[Tiadoppler]

I’m sorry to be the nay-sayer, here, but no.

If you have a high charisma score, it’s because you are charismatic. If you want to play an uncharismatic warlock, then assign a low charisma score.

You can use any of the suggested “workarounds,” but they’re really not work-arounds. They’re a complete denial of what the Charisma score represents.

Go ahead and do what you want, but don’t try to claim that it makes sense, or you’ll fail. Miserably.

It’s just as nonsensical as saying I want my character to have 18 strength but be weak, or to have 18 Dexterity but be clumsy.


The OP didn't say he wanted to be uncharismatic, he said he didn't want to be "that charismatic character" and everyone knows what that stereotype is:

The Charisma Character is the face of the group. He's good at Persuasion and Deception, he does all the haggling, he talks to every NPC (and flirts with most of them). He presses the "increase quest reward" button on every questgiver, and the "we didn't do it" button on every guard.


It's fine for an 18 Strength character to not enjoy running or jumping, and avoid it where possible. Sure, they can carry a lot, but they don't like to.

It's perfectly okay for an 18 Dexterity character to be afraid of heights, loud, and obvious. Sure, they can be kind of quiet when have to be, but they hate it and have a tendency to start humming.


There's no need to min-max every character into a specific role determined by the Race/Class/Stat combo, and there's no real need to "justify" a character choice like this when you're in non-optimized game. If you're playing a combat-heavy challenging campaign where every character is built for a specific role, you'll just irritate people by showing up with a strong, tough, pixie barbarian who's only trained in Performance, Persuasion and Sleight of Hand.

disclaimer: I play comedy games that are pretty casual and un-optimized, because that's what my table enjoys. YMMV

[BurgerBeast]

The OP didn't say he wanted to be uncharismatic, he said he didn't want to be "that charismatic character" and everyone knows what that stereotype is:

The Charisma Character is the face of the group. He's good at Persuasion and Deception, he does all the haggling, he talks to every NPC (and flirts with most of them). He presses the "increase quest reward" button on every questgiver, and the "we didn't do it" button on every guard.


It's fine for an 18 Strength character to not enjoy running or jumping, and avoid it where possible. Sure, they can carry a lot, but they don't like to.

It's perfectly okay for an 18 Dexterity character to be afraid of heights, loud, and obvious. Sure, they can be kind of quiet when have to be, but they hate it and have a tendency to start humming.


There's no need to min-max every character into a specific role determined by the Race/Class/Stat combo, and there's no real need to "justify" a character choice like this when you're in non-optimized game. If you're playing a combat-heavy challenging campaign where every character is built for a specific role, you'll just irritate people by showing up with a strong, tough, pixie barbarian who's only trained in Performance, Persuasion and Sleight of Hand.

disclaimer: I play comedy games that are pretty casual and un-optimized, because that's what my table enjoys. YMMV

Oh, yeah. My bad, then. I didn’t read it that way.

Yeah there are plenty of charismatic people who are some form of subtle or understated.

But some of the answers provided by others seem to have also missed this and went in directions that may have warranted my response had I directed it at them.

In any case, I was wrong. Sorry to the OP.

[dejarnjc]

Starting a Warlock char this week. Obviously this is a Charisma based class but I don't want to be that charismatic character. Looking for tips or alternatives on how to play him. Background is Cloistered Scholar so I see him as being rather bookish if anything. We have others that are more than capable of being the party face so I don't need to worry about that. Race is Duergar.

Use INT instead of CHA for all of your warlock spell casting and any other warlock features. Nothing will be broken and you get to play the character you want to play.

[TWrecks]

You could think of Aragorn from LotR. He was charismatic not in an entertaining / jovial way but through force of will and determination. Smiles aren’t the only personality trait that makes someone charismatic.

Strength of character, certainty, force of will, determination, humbleness, competency are all very charismatic traits.

[Finback]

I think there's a tendency for people to conflate high Cha with "good looks/personality", forgetting that Intimidate, for instance, is about threatening someone into submission. That can be because the PC is hideously ugly, freakishly large, or just all out scary. Intimidate can range from "I know where your family sleeps" to "GRUG HAVE VERY BIG ROCK AND SHORT TEMPER".