Does Charisma even make sense?

[Knightofvictory]

I don't know why so many get confused about CHA. I think its pretty well defined in game, and by archetypes like the Bard and Paladin. I've known plenty of people in real life, not particularly book smart, or wise (poor real life decisions), that make friends effortlessly and get people to constantly do things for them... even against their own interests. People just listen and react to them in a natural way that's hard to explain. Conversely, I'm sure we all know people that are smart and 'wise' that are shy, and can barely convince someone to hold a door open for them. CHA is basically confidence/self esteem/ social manipulation/ inner determination all rolled up together. A little overlap with the other mental stats, but you could say the same of STR and CON.

In D&D it is further stressed that INT is a learned, 'bookish' strength, while CHA is an inherent, 'natural' mental strength, and WIS is an 'in-tune, self aware' ability. Though this probably isn't quite true in real life, I think it's a pretty good abstraction