Roleplaying a High Wisdom Score

[Soul Hunter]

I got a little question here, something I've been doing that MIGHT piss people off. Do I have to care what someone's cha is? IRL and IG, I DGAF HOW you say it, I care WHAT you say. People throw that cha roll at me, and I ignore it. People try to tell me to do things, then make a dice roll, and all I care about is what they said, and if it makes sense to me. Should there be a factor in this? Can high int and wis help a person ignore cha? It does IRL, IMHO.

I always decide on a case by case base myself. If its something game altering then Im less likely to follow a die roll unless I think my chracter might do what ever.

an example would be Bluff, if they roll a bluff check on saying there is a bridge from this berg to that one over there but its an Invisible bridge I'm not going to roll Ill just not believe no matter how good they roll. however if they say that there was a man in a green outfit looking for me and seemed pissed and roll a bluff check I may try and counter roll. if I fail Ill acted like I believe what they said.

Why, because while what they say IC may seem weak and poorly written or thought out that is actually the players OOC writing failure and not the IC words of the character and so I give leeway.

Few of us have the ability to Bluff or have wisdom in the 30s so there is no way that we can realistically play our characters as such. That is why the die rolls are there for, to help guide the players on both sides as to what is happening IC.

my 2cents worth

[ChukchiDog]

I agree pretty much with what Akai said. This is a game where pretending to be something you're not is a major factor in the fun, and whatever you are pretending to be should be respected by the other players. Therefore you should react appropriatly to a high charisma score, i.e. RP that you notice it, but you know what your character will and won't do, and there are certain things, different for each character, that no matter how hight the other character's charisma is they aren't going to convince you to do.

I do not require other players to respond to my character's high charisma, although I am pleased if they do. I do expect it to be taken into account when dealing with NPCs, though, which is where it becomes useful.

[zsenf]

Good points made here, good points indeed, but is there not a counter to cha? The only way I'd counter someone with high strength grabbing me is with a dex check(since there is no dodge roll), or by going etheral, but shouldn't wis or int allow one to see through superficiality(cha), and get to the bottom line, results? Shouldn't everything have some kind of checks and balance, a counter as it were?
And to keep RPing realistic, isn't it easier to make a char with similar alignment and mental stats to your own? I'd have a hell of a time trying to RP someone LG, or CE, or with any cha at all, but then, I"m a crappy actor, so that's just me.

[NWDuneAuron]

Leave the caring about rolls and stuff to DMs and NPC interactions. Personally if you're rolling for in game things between players that are nonhostile, you're missing the point of RP a little.

Personal preference, though.

Also, it should be reiterated that there is no right way to play a low or high stat. There are some wrong ones, however. For example, an int 8 character should not be witty and eloquent, and a dex 30 character should not be tripping over their own feet constantly.

[ChukchiDog]

Whatever attributes the player wants his character to have, other players should respct that by RPing them. The concept of "do unto others" applies. You would not want your characters talents and skills ignored or belittled, neither does anyone else.

This means that if a character is strong, other players should say things like: "We need Brock for this; he's really strong and could lift this I bet!", and emote stuff like: "Watches, impressed, as Brock moves the heavy timber with ease."

If a character is charismatic, or intelligent, or dexterous, or whatever, exactly the same thing applies.

You should acknowledge the other character's charisma, even if you intend not to take it into account in your actions. Your character should not think: "Rosalee is not at all charismatic, I do not see her charm at all." Instead he shoud think: "What an amazingly charismatic person, but I am not swayed by her charms." The charisma exists, just like the strength does; you can ignore it, but you ought to recognize that it exists. It is not an illusion that disappears when disbelieved, nor is it a superficial attribute.

It is easy to settle PvP iseues that have to do with strength, dexetrity, and constitution; just make those rolls. But it is my feeling that in interactions between players, mental and emotional stats should not be rolled like the physical stats. Players should have more leeway to react the way they feel their character would react. If someone makes a great roll and says to you: "You should do what I say because I'm so magnetic", or "You could never hit me because I'm so cute", that is going too far. Those sorts of things are what Dominate and Charm Person are for; very charismatic people don't get 'em for free. Nevertheless, if faced with this type of situation, you should at least try to acknowledge the other characters charisma when you react, even if you do not react the way they want you to. An example would be still hitting that cute person, but emoting a momentary hesitation while you summon the strength of will to do it.

Respect is the key. The more players (and DMs) respect each other, the more fun the game is.