Illiteracy: The optimizer's choice?

[Tinydwarfman]

Everyone loathes being the big dumb barbarian who can't even read, but that's just because we haven't thought of the implications of being illiterate yet!
In a real game, any of the few things you'll need to read can be read by your party members, there's no need to have everyone invest in such an over-valued skill. The downsides are really very small.

However, the benefits of being illiterate are limitless! You gain free immunity to so many incredibly powerful spells, such as Explosive Runes, and Sepia Snake Sigil!

So I ask you, fellow optimizers, how can we have all of our characters illiterate, instead of just those fortunate enough to have taken levels in barbarian or totemist? Surely there must be a way to tap into this power with other characters!

[JasonP]

Why not just house rule a flaw, probably with the requirement of Int =<10

[Kylarra]

Take the trait?

[Eldariel]

Take the trait? Honestly, it's not a bad option, but I still make every damn one of my characters literate simply because not being able to interact with texts is a huge drawback in-game. All other party members aren't always available. They don't always have the spell available to speak the language. They aren't always of the right race or class or whatever to cover the magical writings. They don't always have the appropriate knowledges to make sense out of what they're reading. It's also often convenient to convey information in a written form. And use scrolls.

Overall, I feel there are just too many considerations in-game that affect the damage of illiteracy to be able to make a decision on its power beforehand; usually I use Illiteracy-trait just to boost a skill beyond normal max and spend my two skill points to become literate again.

[mucat]

In a real game, any of the few things you'll need to read can be read by your party members

I know you're kinda joking, but are your characters joined at the hip to their party members? Soomer or later, you're going to be in a situation where reading something would make a huge difference, and your friends won't be nearby to help you crib it...

Or at least, that's what would happen if I were DMing...

[Sophismata]

Hah, this just made me think of MinMax.

[Gametime]

Choosing to be illiterate for an extra boost of power just screams "Please, cruel and omnipotent Dungeon Master, put my character in situations where his illiteracy will become a world-damning flaw."

Unless you're the face or the brains, being illiterate probably won't get you into much trouble in your standard, action-oriented campaign. A barbarian or totemist is probably never going to have to read something, because it feels like kind of a jerky move on the DM's part. (Unless well-executed, in which case it can make for compelling tension, but that's really hard to do with reading.)

But deliberately becoming illiterate? It's like taking a trait that makes you tastier to dragons. Your campaign could be set in a Gotterdammerung-like era where the magic is gone from the world and the last dragon died centuries ago, and you'll still be accosted by dozens of flying lizards who see your head replaced by a cartoonish smoked ham.

[Malacode]

I totally agree, Illiteracy is an awesome class feature. I have one character that used to fake illiteracy, but that didn't give all the benefits of the real thing... Only that others assumed he was dumber than he really was, and this gave him an advantage in social situations.

[Tequila Sunrise]

So I ask you, fellow optimizers, how can we have all of our characters illiterate, instead of just those fortunate enough to have taken levels in barbarian or totemist? Surely there must be a way to tap into this power with other characters!

Get your DM to run a slightly more realistic game? (Where you need a good reason to be literate, rather than a reason to not be literate.)

Why not just house rule a flaw, probably with the requirement of Int =<10

I really hope the second part of this sentence is a joke.

[Starscream]

Choosing to be illiterate for an extra boost of power just screams "Please, cruel and omnipotent Dungeon Master, put my character in situations where his illiteracy will become a world-damning flaw."

"You find yourself in a room with a lever and a sign on the wall. The sign has a drawing of something that sort of looks like a flagon of beer. Underneath is some of those squiggly symbols the wizard is always looking at."

The text actually reads Master Chamber Pot cleanser. After pulling, stand clear before waste is dropped into Otyugh pit

[Akal Saris]

You think illiteracy is good in D&D, you should try it in Call of Cthulhu! Everyone else loses their minds reading the forbidden text, but you're safe as can be!

[tahu88810]

You think illiteracy is good in D&D, you should try it in Call of Cthulhu! Everyone else loses their minds reading the forbidden text, but you're safe as can be!

But it's Cthulhu, you could be blind, deaf, dumb, and nonsentient and somehow you would still experience something that drives you insane.

[Irreverent Fool]

Get your DM to run a slightly more realistic game? (Where you need a good reason to be literate, rather than a reason to not be literate.)

A realistic game where every Tom, Richard & Harry of a pseudo-medieval fantasy setting is literate?

obnoxious
sig

[Kobold-Bard]

"You find yourself in a room with a lever and a sign on the wall. The sign has a drawing of something that sort of looks like a flagon of beer. Underneath is some of those squiggly symbols the wizard is always looking at."

The text actually reads Master Chamber Pot cleanser. After pulling, stand clear before waste is dropped into Otyugh pit

On the plus side if you make it out alive you get Iron Will as a Feat.

[Skaven]

In a real game, any of the few things you'll need to read can be read by your party members, there's no need to have everyone invest in such an over-valued skill. The downsides are really very small.

You do realize you'll likely eventually be missing out on the +1-5 to stats books like manuals of gainful exercise?

[Tinydwarfman]

Wow, that was even worse than expected. I guess it really is hard to show sarcasm over the internet. Probably didn't help that it wasn't a very good joke to start with.

[ScionoftheVoid]

If you were illiterate could you cast Comprehend Languages whenever you needed to read something? Not for Wizards, obviously, but Sorcerers could do that. It would certainly be funny.

[Heliomance]

Our DM goes with the "everyone is assumed illiterate" approach. If you don't have ranks in Forgery or Decipher Script, or have it as a class skill, you can't read or write.

[UglyPanda]

I've found a couple of times that some players will choose to remain illiterate because they think it's funny. And you could punish them again and again for it and they'll just laugh.

You do realize you'll likely eventually be missing out on the +1-5 to stats books like manuals of gainful exercise?

That's a good point, but you can get the same effect from Wish spells.

[Tiki Snakes]

Choosing to be illiterate for an extra boost of power just screams "Please, cruel and omnipotent Dungeon Master, put my character in situations where his illiteracy will become a world-damning flaw."

You know what, I once had the idea of playing a Half Orc in a certain way, (essentially a response to the concept that Half Orc's had to be kind of socially inept and not very smart, which always kind of annoyed me). Essentially, A Half Orc (Barbarian) who, though essentially quite pleasant at the best of times, probably had a learning difficulty or two. Possibly some kind of ADHD, Autism mix, but basically, mixed with his Orcish blood, well. He'd end up getting into situations that his brain just couldn't quite follow or comprehend, through no fault of his own.

And, well. The more confused he'd get, the more frustrated, till he'd just start flipping out and trashing stuff.

And now I have this image of him being sent to the Library to fetch the book of spells that will end the demonic incursion and prevent the encroaching Old Ones.

And then the Library is on fire and the Half Orc is both Furious and Inconsolable.

Stupid Books.

Gametime? I think your warning actually makes me want to play this more.

[Starbuck_II]

But Illiteracy means you can't you the +X stat wish books.

[Tiki Snakes]

But it's Cthulhu, you could be blind, deaf, dumb, and nonsentient and somehow you would still experience something that drives you insane.

Well, I'm not sure about deaf blind and dumb, but if you were just illiterate the Necronomicon etc could still do their work.

Because they usually contain many and detailed informative illustrations.

[Optimystik]

A realistic game where every Tom, Richard & Harry of a pseudo-medieval fantasy setting is literate?

obnoxious
sig

As long as Tom, Richard and Harry are PCs then yes
Even Fighters go to college!

[Evard]

Because of the many things that a person can read a level 14 wizard asked me if he could become illiterate :p the others wanted to join suit. Traps that would change characters into bullywugs until they got to a room that had the magic would be dispelled in made them laugh/sad lol

[Optimystik]

Because of the many things that a person can read a level 14 wizard asked me if he could become illiterate :p the others wanted to join suit. Traps that would change characters into bullywugs until they got to a room that had the magic would be dispelled in made them laugh/sad lol

An illiterate wizard? Did he think that through?

[NEO|Phyte]

An illiterate wizard? Did he think that through?

Nowhere does it say that Read Magic requires you to be literate to let you read magical gubbins.

[Optimystik]

Nowhere does it say that Read Magic requires you to be literate to let you read magical gubbins.

But a spellbook isn't a magic item.

[NEO|Phyte]

But a spellbook isn't a magic item.

The writings inside are. Why do you think the only spell a wizard can prepare without his book (barring Spell Mastery) is Read Magic?

[Optimystik]

The writings inside are.

No they're not. They're diagrams/instructions that relate to magic, but are not themselves magical.

Live by the RAW, die by the RAW.

Why do you think the only spell a wizard can prepare without his book (barring Spell Mastery) is Read Magic?

To scribe magical scrolls into the book.

[Jack_Simth]

The writings inside are. Why do you think the only spell a wizard can prepare without his book (barring Spell Mastery) is Read Magic?

And why you don't have to know Elvish to read an Elf Wizard's spellbook?