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Survey on wisdom Posted: 20 Mar 2007 03:59 PM |
| How do you play a character with a high or low wisdom? What does wisdom represent for a PC? |
T'mok Gurzi Resident Gnoll Warlord patron for the noble yet drink addled Timik Gorozai the Mistake |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 20 Mar 2007 05:13 PM |
Wisdom is a somewhat overlooked attribute in my experience. Some seem to incorporate some of its attributes into intelligence, thereby rendering wisdom a so called 'dump stat'. In my opinion intelligence is a characters capacity to hold knowledge and retain memories. It is their ability to reason and deduce a conclusion. Wisdom on the other hand is common sense and intuition. That would then encompass a characters empathy and judgment as well as their perceptiveness and the level of self reflection they would be likely to undertake, if any. So a low wisdom character might be a number of things; rash, headstrong, dull of senses, unworldly, naive, impatient, irritable, narrow-minded, lacking of empathy, shallow, etc. They would most likely not possess all these traits, just a few. A low wisdom character can still be patient, though they might then just be unperceptive of others emotions and the world about them, for example. |
Me: “Hrothgar is not crazy, he is blessed!” Wicked Keen/Sa'koless: “Vilyave must have been PMSing when she blessed Hrothgar...” |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 20 Mar 2007 05:25 PM |
| oh oh! me! me! :) |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 20 Mar 2007 05:29 PM |
Wisdom is a somewhat overlooked attribute in my experience. Some seem to incorporate some of its attributes into intelligence, thereby rendering wisdom a so called 'dump stat'.
Usually CHA is the dump stat, but not for everyone: http://llbbl.com/data/RPG-motivational/target4.html |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 20 Mar 2007 05:36 PM |
| Short and sweet for me...intelligence is knowlege obtained...wisdom is knowledge applied. |
Willom Wilde--Actor, Playwrite, Head of Wilde's Vials, and fearful of all things cheesy
Califus Sarten--Mercenary for Hire
Bennigan Songsinger--Brooding bard. |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 20 Mar 2007 05:59 PM |
So a low wisdom character might be a number of things; rash, headstrong, dull of senses, unworldly, naive, impatient, irritable, narrow-minded, lacking of empathy, shallow, etc.
Ophelia has a wisdom score of 8 and she is all those things. If that helps any. |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 20 Mar 2007 07:46 PM |
oh oh! me! me! :)
Thanks.... |
T'mok Gurzi Resident Gnoll Warlord patron for the noble yet drink addled Timik Gorozai the Mistake |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 21 Mar 2007 04:12 AM |
Wisdom also represents self control, the ability to learn from experience.
An intelligent, yet unwise, character might keep trying something destined to fail thinking that this time, they have it right.
A wise but unintelligent character may know the right way to do things, if only because they have learned from their own experience, or the experiences of others.
In My Opinion.
- Paul
PS: High Int, Low Wis is fun to RP |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly. -- "...Cause he mixes it with love And makes the world taste good." -- <@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 21 Mar 2007 06:01 AM |
Higher INT, lower WIS: daddy knows everything about gadgets and technology and tinkers a lot, but does not have as much common sense.
Lower INT, higher WIS: mummy may not know how to operate a computer, but Mum Knows Best (Or Else). |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 21 Mar 2007 06:33 AM |
Heh, one of my instructors distinguishes between "book learnin'" and "mother wit".
I play Salt with many prejudices. In fact, he's a downright racist. That's how I've tried to get my hands around his low wisdom and create an RP style for him. There are other things... I think he's outraged a few other players from time to time with his lack of insight. I'm never afraid to blunder in the wrong direction with a storyline (provided it doesn't completely screw other players and the story) because it really does conform to the way I play him.
Yeah, like Paul says, its fun to RP and I absolutely learned it from other players on Vives (Frobozz gave him more than just a sexy pajama set and a blue moustache).
Vrodo is full up with "mother wit" and I try to hint that there's a lot going on behind his eyes. That, and once or twice in each RP session I try to give him something really insightful to say or do, something that stands out from his typical utterances.
I think wisdom can be tied into alignment in that low wisdom ought to lend itself towards a certain kind of ignorant evil, and high wisdom ought to lend itself to intentional good. I suppose it could just as easily be the other way around. There's ignorant good as well as ignorant evil. But I'll bet you could use your score in wisdom to help guide how you RP your alignment. |
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about dying."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means lying in the ground with dirt on your face and holding your breath forever."
-Burt Reynolds, "The End" |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 21 Mar 2007 10:36 AM |
Not sure I would tie it necessarily to an alignment, it's just as easy to be ignorant or stupidly good in my opinion.
I think on balance I would see high and low intelligence more as 'book learning', studiousness or quick wittedness and ability to think on one's feet, or an absence of those traits.
Wisdom, or high wisdom, for me is a matter of empirical learning, knowledge born of experience usually learned the hard way. I always like to think of it as a slow burning fuse, the wiser person with low or 'average' intelligence taking longer and using more reasoning to arrive at an answer.
But then that's just the way I play it, everyone's different, same as any other aspect of RP. |
ELVES! |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 21 Mar 2007 01:06 PM |
Have to chime in with my take on the mental stats
Intelligence- logic, visualization, analysis, memory, planning/strategy, speed of learning Wisdom- intuition, perception-awareness-sensitivity, will power, self-knowledge, self-awareness, self-control Charisma- expression, wit, ego, personality, self-projection, social influence, social intelligence |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 22 Mar 2007 06:29 AM |
I'll come out of lurking to say I just love playing high int/low wis characters! So much fun
I always play/played Macha as being smart enough to know that she was missing something vital to figuring things out, but just not wise enough to put it all together and make the best choice. This usually resulted in her learning just enough information to jump to a (wrong) conclusion and then act on it emotionally (lack of wisdom!).
But..as the Ranger said, that's how -I- chose to play it.
I myself, and through conversations about it, came up with:
Intelligence: 'smart', able to learn things or understand concepts. Wisdom: the ability to apply that learning to real life situations; common sense. |
Trishy Macha Sparrowsong - Song is my life Coretta Alandar - Cleric of Midoran Dekla Debena - whatever
Not all people who wander are lost.
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 22 Mar 2007 07:40 AM |
in·tel·li·gence /ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-tel-i-juhns] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.
wis·dom /ˈwɪzdəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[wiz-duhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
:D |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 22 Mar 2007 09:30 AM |
| I like the fact that it seems we view wisdom as having a lot of parts or options ie wiggle room. I've also taken it to mean, in certain circumstances, the ability to defy logic and rely solely on faith; in other words a purely emotive focus rather than an intellectual one. The only reason I propose this option is to encompass the fanatical high priest, who I would normally consider to have a low wisdom score, but because of the wisdom-cleric link this doesn't seem to be the case. I would love to hear better options. |
T'mok Gurzi Resident Gnoll Warlord patron for the noble yet drink addled Timik Gorozai the Mistake |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 22 Mar 2007 02:11 PM |
I like the fact that it seems we view wisdom as having a lot of parts or options ie wiggle room. I've also taken it to mean, in certain circumstances, the ability to defy logic and rely solely on faith; in other words a purely emotive focus rather than an intellectual one. The only reason I propose this option is to encompass the fanatical high priest, who I would normally consider to have a low wisdom score, but because of the wisdom-cleric link this doesn't seem to be the case. I would love to hear better options.
Wisdom also represents willpower, which the archetypical cleric has in abundance. That could possibly represent a strong faith as having the willpower to stick to it even when facing elements that put that faith in doubt. Aside from that, I think wisdom represent a lot more in a cleric than just faith. I consider Intelligence to be a sort of "material knowledge" while Wisdom to a sort of "spiritual knowledge". Clerics are nothing if not spiritual in their basis.
The stats like Wisdom and Intelligence in this game can be broken down to many attributes, which don't have to go hand in hand - Wisdom and Charisma are prime examples for that. A fanatical high priest might have high wisdom, but in breaking it down, he might lack (as an example) some aspects common sense, prefering to react based on what his faith taught him rather than the contradicting facts before him, but he can still be as insightful and strong willed as the next sage - he could even possess a great deal of common sense when it doesn't contradict his faith.
The end of the line is - attribute stats as well as any other element of the D&D character sheet are stupid and couldn't possibly represent something as complex as a person, and can even contradict themselves in some cases. |
WickedArtist: I think he needs a proper elf. WickedArtist: A christmas elf! Tasra: Any sort of elf that actually smiles ;o
Gasp! Scandalous!!! |
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 22 Mar 2007 04:59 PM |
Similiar to what others have already stated, I view Intelligence as "book smarts" and I see Wisdom more along the lines of "common sense".
Therefore a high intelligence character might know all the ins and outs of the fireball spell, but possessing low wisdow does not utilize effectively in combat (i.e. casting it into a small room with his in the doorway). |
-Kalos
"When in doubt, tell the truth. It will amaze most people, delight your friends, and confuse your enemies" -Mark Twain
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Re: Survey on wisdom Posted: 22 Mar 2007 05:25 PM |
Similiar to what others have already stated, I view Intelligence as "book smarts" and I see Wisdom more along the lines of "common sense".
Therefore a high intelligence character might know all the ins and outs of the fireball spell, but possessing low wisdow does not utilize effectively in combat (i.e. casting it into a small room with his in the doorway).
I disagree on the last part.
Yes, what I put as "material knowledge" is, as an example, knowing the ins and outs of a fireball spell, I personally attribute something like tactics to both Intelligence and Wisdom. Intelligence, in basic terms, is the ability to acquire, hold and apply knowledge - tactics being part of the appliance - such as, an intelligent person could craft a tactical plan because he is aware how to effectively apply the knowledge he possesses. At the same time, a wise person would also realize that throwing a fireball into a group of people would be effective, because its common sense. An intelligent plan would be done through calculations, while a wise plan would be done through insight and common sense - the same possible results, only a different train of thought. |
WickedArtist: I think he needs a proper elf. WickedArtist: A christmas elf! Tasra: Any sort of elf that actually smiles ;o
Gasp! Scandalous!!! |
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