..but I'm not THAT dumb!

[CLAY MORE]

I'm having trouble roleplaying a character with below average INT (8) in what has become an intrigue-heavy campaign. I can be rude, impolite, rush and thick-headed like the dumb fighter I'm supposed to be, but I find really difficult to not contribute on investigations, puzzles, riddles, and diplomatic situations. Actually, everytime I try to say something above basic affirmations like "I'm hungry/tired/pissed", NPCs react like I'm babbling something incomprehensibile. I know, I'm doing wrong by trying to "act smart", because it's patently off-character... but If I stay by my side, and let the supposedly "smart PCs" do the deed, I feel like a castaway from most of the RPG pillar. Any advice? It's right to step back to the bookworms, and keep my (off character) deductions for myself ?

P.S.: No native speaker here, sorry if I'm "babbling something incomprehensibile" :')

[TriciaOso]

I'm having trouble roleplaying a character with below average INT (8) in what has become an intrigue-heavy campaign. I can be rude, impolite, rush and thick-headed like the dumb fighter I'm supposed to be, but I find really difficult to not contribute on investigations, puzzles, riddles, and diplomatic situations. Actually, everytime I try to say something above basic affirmations like "I'm hungry/tired/pissed", NPCs react like I'm babbling something incomprehensibile. I know, I'm doing wrong by trying to "act smart", because it's patently off-character... but If I stay by my side, and let the supposedly "smart PCs" do the deed, I feel like a castaway from most of the RPG pillar. Any advice? It's right to step back to the bookworms, and keep my deductions for myself?

P.S.: No native speaker here, sorry if I'm "babbling something incomprehensibile" :')

One thing to consider is that low INT doesn't mean you can't contribute to diplomatic situations - how's your CHA and WIS?

One way to contribute to riddles/puzzles might be to be the "rubber duck"; ask your cohorts to explain the situation to you in simple terms and ask the 'dumb' questions to help them talk their way through it.

And ultimately, an INT 8 is just -1 to Investigation checks....

[Willie the Duck]

What are the rest of your character's stats? A reasonable Wisdom and good Charisma could set you up with a character who is dumb (or just dense), knows it, and is trying to hide it. One of my favorite characters of recent times was a lessor noble who was had a 7 Int, 12 Wis, 16 cha, and the deception skill. He successfully played himself off as a slightly hard of hearing character who wasn't really paying attention anyways (since the other people in the discussion were usually non-nobles), and if he wasn't understanding what was happening, it was likely because of one of those two reasons.

[Kyutaru]

I think you may be overestimating the 8 Int impact. Having 8 Int is basically what every kid in school who complains that math is hard has.

[HolyDraconus]

you can ask the dm to allow you to reshuffle your stats. below average means below, and from what it sounds like is that you dumped int and don't want the roleplaying penalty that comes with dumping it.

[Man_Over_Game]

I'm having trouble roleplaying a character with below average INT (8) in what has become an intrigue-heavy campaign. I can be rude, impolite, rush and thick-headed like the dumb fighter I'm supposed to be, but I find really difficult to not contribute on investigations, puzzles, riddles, and diplomatic situations. Actually, everytime I try to say something above basic affirmations like "I'm hungry/tired/pissed", NPCs react like I'm babbling something incomprehensibile. I know, I'm doing wrong by trying to "act smart", because it's patently off-character... but If I stay by my side, and let the supposedly "smart PCs" do the deed, I feel like a castaway from most of the RPG pillar. Any advice? It's right to step back to the bookworms, and keep my (off character) deductions for myself ?

P.S.: No native speaker here, sorry if I'm "babbling something incomprehensibile" :')

It is actually a big problem I've noticed, and I've made more than one thread on the topic. Although, from my experience, don't be surprised if people tell you that there isn't a problem.

What I'd do is talk to the DM. Ask to allow you to create solutions to problems by just being yourself. Maybe the arrogant noble that the team is convincing is used to dealing with all kinds of banter, but cowers at the sight of a warrior. Or maybe the complex puzzle that was designed to keep out mages is actually vulnerable to the classic solution of kicking open the door.

One such dungeon I ran involved the Temple of the Unyielding Force. A puzzle in the temple had a number of odd objects, and a door that was closed. There was an overly complicated way of using the objects, but simply attacking the door caused it to disappear and reveal the next area.

Tell your DM that you want to be more involved by playing the way you want to play. That's not selfish. There's always an expectation that everyone wants to enjoy a game, and right now, you're not.

[CLAY MORE]

The problem isn't from a mechanical standpoint: I know I've dumped INT (actually my DM dumped for me, it's my first character, he did it for me, and I think he did a good job nonetheless - non EK fighters usually dump INT). I can accept by limitations, and I can accept I don't even get to roll CHA to try convince NPCs because "I'm too dumb"... but I don't know what to do during those huge sizes of the campaign when there is a lot of talking and not much fightering. So I'm asking to you, seasoned veterans, if there's a way I can contribute to the party without trying to look smarter than the 16 INT rogue.

EDIT (12 wis, 10 cha)

[DMThac0]

INT score vs relative INT in real life


6 = no schooling/pre-school (You learn by doing your normal daily tasks, rudimentary knowledge of day to day life)
8 = Elementary/Primary
10 = High School
12 = Trade/Vocation school / First year college
14+ = higher education, single or multiple degrees, potential genius level intelligence.

People are caught up with the "negative" value associated to the modifier, that is selling the stat short. Unless you are below a 6 intelligence you are going to be able to function in society just fine.

[TriciaOso]

I don't even get to roll CHA to try convince NPCs because "I'm too dumb"...

I think the problem is that your DM is being extremely punitive about the INT penalty, honestly. The idea that a dumb person can't be persuasive or charming is... not borne out by reality.

[Kyutaru]

INT score vs relative INT in real life


6 = no schooling/pre-school
8 = Elementary/Primary
10 = High School
12 = Trade/Vocation school / First year college
14+ = higher education, single or multiple degrees, potential genius level intelligence.

People are caught up with the "negative" value associated to the modifier, that is selling the stat short. Unless you are below a 6 intelligence you are going to be able to function in society just fine.

Yeah, this is what I was getting at. You almost literally cannot try to be smarter than the 16 int rogue because he has genius-level prodigy intelligence. Someone with 18 int is probably beyond even Elon Musk, capable of almost psychically knowing the answers to everything. When you hit that 20 int stage, you're the inventor of the time machine and fully comprehend planar physics that operate in non-Euclidean geometry scenarios.

[Sirithhyando]

I'm having trouble roleplaying a character with below average INT (8) in what has become an intrigue-heavy campaign. I can be rude, impolite, rush and thick-headed like the dumb fighter I'm supposed to be, but I find really difficult to not contribute on investigations, puzzles, riddles, and diplomatic situations. Actually, everytime I try to say something above basic affirmations like "I'm hungry/tired/pissed", NPCs react like I'm babbling something incomprehensibile. I know, I'm doing wrong by trying to "act smart", because it's patently off-character... but If I stay by my side, and let the supposedly "smart PCs" do the deed, I feel like a castaway from most of the RPG pillar. Any advice? It's right to step back to the bookworms, and keep my (off character) deductions for myself ?

P.S.: No native speaker here, sorry if I'm "babbling something incomprehensibile" :')

I played a character with 6 intel and 4 wisdom, needless to say, it was funny for the most part. (in the end, he had 20 in str/dex/con)
What we did was, for the sake of fun (I mean, who wouldn't laugh at the big brute finding the solution to a problem where the others couldn't). I mean, it's not because the character is under average that he can't contribute.
What we did for this character was that he could, once per session, have a moment of clarity and get the good idea while the rest couldn't.
I mean, this character was meant to take things literally in a dumb and funny way. He was also the character with the most charisma (at 14... now that I think of it, its strange for my RL group to have no characters with higher charisma than this, but, oh well )

The druid usually told him what to do and he did it to perfection!
The druid never asked to hold the door, for he knew he would've simply taken the door and hold it, following the druid. (lots of fun)

[Friv]

The problem isn't from a mechanical standpoint: I know I've dumped INT (actually my DM dumped for me, it's my first character, he did it for me, and I think he did a good job nonetheless - non EK fighters usually dump INT). I can accept by limitations, and I can accept I don't even get to roll CHA to try convince NPCs because "I'm too dumb"... but I don't know what to do during those huge sizes of the campaign when there is a lot of talking and not much fightering. So I'm asking to you, seasoned veterans, if there's a way I can contribute to the party without trying to look smarter than the 16 INT rogue.

EDIT (12 wis, 10 cha)

Your DM is a jerk.

In D&D, an Intelligence score of 10 is average. That means that almost half the population is below it. There are five entire Intelligence points lower than 8 that are still scores that normal humans are capable of having.

You need to talk to your DM and say, "Hey, my Intelligence is 8, not 3. I am a little bit dumb. I'm also a character that's more perceptive than the average person and about average charming. Why are you treating me like a mobile block of wood?" This is doubly true because your DM is the one who gave you Int 8, knowing what the campaign they were designing was going to look like.

To be blunt: Intelligence 8, Wisdom 12 is someone who is a probably little direct, struggles with really complex things, but also pays attention to the world around them and is good at noticing what's really going on. You don't know facts, but you know people. You investigate by spotting things that don't make sense, asking other party members quietly why that one guy seems nervous, that sort of thing.

[Keravath]

The challenge of 8 intelligence depends on what you interpret this to mean in game terms.

Historically, int corresponded more or less to IQ.

1ed PHB " Intelligence is quite similar to what is currently known as intelligence quotient, but it also includes mnemonic ability, reasoning, and learning ability outside those measured by the written word."

This affects how a lot of folks might choose to role play a low int character.

In 5e the definition is ...

"Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason."

However, intelligence only becomes a factor in anything when you are called upon to make a dice roll for an intelligence check.

"An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning."

Intelligence covers a range of abilities - reasoning, education and memory. If you want an option for role playing a low intelligence you could possibly pick being particularly bad in one area as contributing to your low intelligence statistic. For example, you could have good reasoning skills but only average memory and a really poor education which might be contributing to the low score on the character sheet but may not mean that your character needs to be played as poor at reasoning at the same time.

Anyway, when I am playing a low int character, I will often take proficiency in the investigation skill as a role playing choice to indicate that the character has deductive reasoning capabilities and the ability to solve things but perhaps not the background/education to do it well. This gives me (the player) a role playing excuse to contribute to the investigations and activities even with a lower intelligence on the character sheet. (Mechanically, being proficient in investigation lets you take the help action to assist someone who is really good at investigation so it even opens the opportunity to mechanically contribute as long as you get someone else to roll the dice :) ).

[GlenSmash!]

I'm playing a 9 Int 14 Wis barbarian right now.

When it comes to challenges I either to notice things and then tell the rest of the party and make very few deductions, or come up with silly reasons why my character succeeded at a puzzle.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Pretty much anything below a 6 is animal/beast level intelligence. I can see 6 being a level that you couldn't make conversation, but 8? and it isn't even in your charisma stat. All the Int stat does on a day to day basis if you're a fighter is how well you can make tactical decisions.

[Damon_Tor]

I think you may be overestimating the 8 Int impact. Having 8 Int is basically what every kid in school who complains that math is hard has.

Int 8 is the half-way point between an average human and an ape.

[Jophiel]

you can ask the dm to allow you to reshuffle your stats. below average means below, and from what it sounds like is that you dumped int and don't want the roleplaying penalty that comes with dumping it.

It sounds more like the DM is overplaying how much of a detriment 8 INT really is. A character with 8 INT and a decent charisma should be able to come off as a bit of a charming airhead (who can still have flashes of brilliance when they succeed on a roll) instead of a drooling simpleton unable to function in society.

[Keravath]

The problem isn't from a mechanical standpoint: I know I've dumped INT (actually my DM dumped for me, it's my first character, he did it for me, and I think he did a good job nonetheless - non EK fighters usually dump INT). I can accept by limitations, and I can accept I don't even get to roll CHA to try convince NPCs because "I'm too dumb"... but I don't know what to do during those huge sizes of the campaign when there is a lot of talking and not much fightering. So I'm asking to you, seasoned veterans, if there's a way I can contribute to the party without trying to look smarter than the 16 INT rogue.

EDIT (12 wis, 10 cha)

Just a comment, but if your DM made a fighter character for you with 8 int, 12 wis and 10 cha then they have likely over invested in the physical skills for a fighter. Most fighter builds will decide whether they want to focus on strength (with heavy armor usually) or dexterity (with light or medium armor, ranged and finesse weapons). Barbarians on the other hand, will often have mental stats like this since they have good reasons for high str, dex and con simultaneously (their unarmored defence is con+dex mods for example but they can only use strength on weapon attacks when raging).

Here is an example:
I have a human variant dex based battlemaster fighter with the following stats: 10 16 14 10 10 14 .. he primarily uses ranged weapons but could also use finesse melee weapons. With a 14 in charisma and proficiency in deception and persuasion he can be fairly useful in social situations. If the character had 8 int, I might have taken the investigation skill for role playing reasons but a 10 is pretty average intelligence so I don't see any role playng problems contributing the figuring things out with a 10 :) ... though if die rolls come up I will try to defer to someone with a better modifier to make the actual die roll.

Alternatively, I could have put the 14 in int and gone with an Eldritch Knight archetype fighter.

Anyway, I would have a chat with your DM about exactly what an 8 int should mean from a role playing perspective and then use it to indicate an average or even above average reasoning ability coupled with a lack of education and perhaps a poorer than average memory if needed.

[CLAY MORE]

Let's try with a couple examples, shall we?
1- the party is facing a puzzle that for me, the player, it's pretty easy to solve, while the 16 INT rogue player is struggling to get a grip. What should I do?
2 -while against the scheming evil politician, I know the evidence that could frame him, while the 18 CHA bard is taking his time. What to do?
Act oblivious? Feign brain damage?

[Friv]

Both cases - Notice a key clue, go to the person who is good at doing things with clues, have your character give them the clue and say, "I dunno what it means, it just looks kind of important."

[MaxWilson]

I'm having trouble roleplaying a character with below average INT (8) in what has become an intrigue-heavy campaign. I can be rude, impolite, rush and thick-headed like the dumb fighter I'm supposed to be, but I find really difficult to not contribute on investigations, puzzles, riddles, and diplomatic situations. Actually, everytime I try to say something above basic affirmations like "I'm hungry/tired/----", NPCs react like I'm babbling something incomprehensibile. I know, I'm doing wrong by trying to "act smart", because it's patently off-character... but If I stay by my side, and let the supposedly "smart PCs" do the deed, I feel like a castaway from most of the RPG pillar. Any advice? It's right to step back to the bookworms, and keep my (off character) deductions for myself ?

P.S.: No native speaker here, sorry if I'm "babbling something incomprehensibile" :')

Int 8 is really quite dumb. It's your old army buddy, the guy who had trouble passing high school Geometry, and with whom you really don't have anything in common, and everything he says about a hard topic like politics is rather trite and nothing you haven't heard a hundred times before. You might like him as a person or enjoy playing soccer together, but you don't play puzzle games with him.

This is exactly why I hate playing low-Int characters: it makes me feel like it would be inappropriate to open my mouth most of the time, because anything a low-Int person would think of to say is probably already obvious to everyone else in the scene. I think it's wrong of your DM to make the NPCs "react like [you're] babbling something incomprehensible", though.

Since you're already in the middle of the game, and it's too late to change your stats now, I'd have a frank discussion with your DM about the fact that the way he is interpreting low Int is making it not fun for you, and try to work out a compromise where everyone has fun, whether that involves declaring yourself an idiot savant at one particular aspect of life (riddles?) and playing those things with your normal intelligence, or intentionally contributing wrong answers or rolling a die to figure out when you're going to actually open your mouth.

The problem isn't from a mechanical standpoint: I know I've dumped INT (actually my DM dumped for me, it's my first character, he did it for me, and I think he did a good job nonetheless - non EK fighters usually dump INT). I can accept by limitations, and I can accept I don't even get to roll CHA to try convince NPCs because "I'm too dumb"... but I don't know what to do during those huge sizes of the campaign when there is a lot of talking and not much fightering. So I'm asking to you, seasoned veterans, if there's a way I can contribute to the party without trying to look smarter than the 16 INT rogue.

EDIT (12 wis, 10 cha)

Whoa there!

A DM who deliberately creates a PC for a first-time player who will be treated as "babbling... incomprehensible [gibberish]" when he tries to engage in riddle-oriented play, when the DM knows full well that he's going to have lots of puzzles, intrigue, socializing, etc. in his game... that DM is a jerk. Intentionally or unintentionally. They need to fix their mistake. If your DM created the character for you, it's on them, not on you, and I'd say, "Please Mr. DM, may I have a normal intelligence so I can engage in the fun part of the game like everyone else is doing? I don't care how you do it--you can give me an Int-boosting potion or a headband of intellect or brain surgery from a mind flayer--but you created this PC, and it's not fun for me. Please fix it so I can have fun like everyone else."

[Man_Over_Game]

Let's try with a couple examples, shall we?
1- the party is facing a puzzle that for me, the player, it's pretty easy to solve, while the 16 INT rogue player is struggling to get a grip. What should I do?
2 -while against the scheming evil politician, I know the evidence that could frame him, while the 18 CHA bard is taking his time. What to do?
Act oblivious? Feign brain damage?

Ask questions that solve the answer.

"Shouldn't we just show the evidence?"

"Hey, what happens when you press the button and pull the lever at the same time?"

They'll still think you're clueless, but they'll be amazed by your incredible luck/"insight". You still solve problems, but not in a way that breaks the character's narrative.

[CLAY MORE]

Both cases - Notice a key clue, go to the person who is good at doing things with clues, have your character give them the clue and say, "I dunno what it means, it just looks kind of important."

Thank you, that's the kind of advice I need.
Also, I'd like to thank everybody for their insightful posting. All very interesting, but I'm searching for an actual modus operandi.

[DMThac0]

Let's try with a couple examples, shall we?
1- the party is facing a puzzle that for me, the player, it's pretty easy to solve, while the 16 INT rogue player is struggling to get a grip. What should I do?
2 -while against the scheming evil politician, I know the evidence that could frame him, while the 18 CHA bard is taking his time. What to do?
Act oblivious? Feign brain damage?

My take:

An int 16 character trying to resolve a cipher, let's just use the classic Cesarian Cipher. They could brute force their way through it recognizing the patterns of common combinations of letter and word frequencies. They wouldn't necessarily need a clue to do this either.

An int 8 character trying to resolve this cipher would need a clue, such as F = T. Then the player could slowly figure out how the cipher is resolved.

---

An int 16 character trying to piece evidence together in order to uncover a plot against the king would have almost the same troubles as an int 8 character. The evidence is the logical side, the facts, that's something both of them could piece together just fine. However, the int 8 might miss some of those clues, giving them less to put on that list of facts.

The trick here is it's wisdom that will help both of them truly figure out the plot. Facts can get you so far, it can give you the information in a digestible manner so that a person could potentially figure out the plot. Wisdom is the stat that would allow both of them to infer what that information is trying to tell them. So it's a combination of both of those attributes that would get them to the answer, not just int.

[Rakaydos]

Int 8 is the half-way point between an average human and an ape.

Even an ape can use a smartphone/tablet interface to ask and answer simple questions.

Edit: https://truththeory.com/2017/06/20/b...h-words-watch/

[Waterdeep Merch]

How's your Wisdom? Intuitively figuring things out can be your whole shtick. More 'street smart' over 'book smart'.

Roleplay it by asking questions regarding the details of things, especially lore (shouldn't be hard if you're new to the hobby), but being fully capable of making good guesses as to the nature or intended function of those same things. You might not know what an owlbear is or any details on its ecology, but you can deduce that it's acting territorial and might have a nest nearby. Stuff like that.

[CLAY MORE]

How's your Wisdom? Intuitively figuring things out can be your whole shtick. More 'street smart' over 'book smart'.

Roleplay it by asking questions regarding the details of things, especially lore (shouldn't be hard if you're new to the hobby), but being fully capable of making good guesses as to the nature or intended function of those same things. You might not know what an owlbear is or any details on its ecology, but you can deduce that it's acting territorial and might have a nest nearby. Stuff like that.

12 WIS. Actually 13, took the Resilient feat.

[Spore]

Personally I feel like Int is EDUCATION not INTELLIGENCE. Int 8, Wis 18 is incredibly street wise and gives great advice. But they might not know the current ruler of their kingdom, they lack basic deduction skills.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Let's try with a couple examples, shall we?
1- the party is facing a puzzle that for me, the player, it's pretty easy to solve, while the 16 INT rogue player is struggling to get a grip. What should I do?
2 -while against the scheming evil politician, I know the evidence that could frame him, while the 18 CHA bard is taking his time. What to do?
Act oblivious? Feign brain damage?

Whisper to the player who has the right stats.

[CLAY MORE]

Whisper to the player who has the right stats.

But that's metagaming :/
Both the DM and my fellow players are really strict against it.