Wisdom

[Trollfiend]

Seems to me that people RP being invincible when their wisdom gets drained. Seems backwards to me. I'll illustrate:

Fear is a spell or spell like ability resisted with a Will save whose primary modifier is Wisdom.

Intimidate is a skill that is resisted by a check against level + wisdom to not be afraid of the one bullying you.

Seems to me that having a low wisdom makes you a coward, not brave.

[highknight]

Aug 3, 2012 12:10:51 GMT -5 Trollfiend said:

Seems to me that people RP being invincible when their wisdom gets drained. Seems backwards to me. I'll illustrate:

Fear is a spell or spell like ability resisted with a Will save whose primary modifier is Wisdom.

Intimidate is a skill that is resisted by a check against level + wisdom to not be afraid of the one bullying you.

Seems to me that having a low wisdom makes you a coward, not brave.

The reason people do this, from my experience, is that Wisdom kills your common sense.

Ergo, "I'LL BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THAT FIRE ELEMENTAL WITH MY BAREHANDS AND CLOTH ROBES!"

[Trollfiend]

I attribute that to a low intelligence. Only someone universally stupid would do that! LOL

I like to RP my low wisdom people as being extremely skittish.

You wouldn't see a wizard with a 30 intelligence jumping on top of a fire elemental while wearing cloth

[highknight]

Aug 3, 2012 12:38:31 GMT -5 Trollfiend said:

I like to RP my low wisdom people as being extremely skittish.

This is your perogative. Not everyone RP's everything the same way.

[Trollfiend]

I never implied otherwise.

[ConcreteSequential]

Wisdom, amongst other things is common sense.

From d20srd: Wisdom describes a character’s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition.

My pc might normally have the common sense not to go running into what's probably an ambush, but drain some wisdom and oh well.

Others may play it differently and that's all right. I'd say that the pc's reaction is best determined by their personality and the situation at hand.

[iangallowglas]

When Seamus would get wisdom drained, he'd let his horny side run wild. Being a Sunite, he wasn't all that inhibited to begin with, but when wisdom drained he'd start going after his wife, trying to convince her that the middle of the woods with ghosts, and other adventurers all around was still a good place and time to make some whoopee.

She quickly learned that when he'd start saying certain things, or start removing his clothes in the middle of the woods where the ghosts were, that he needed to drink his little green potion of restoration. It got the point where all he would have to say is "You know babe" and she would immediately say "Seamus, drink your potion." ;D

[Trollfiend]

Exactly! A low wisdom may make you more of who you really are- In Seamus's case, it's a sex crazed fiend. It may make an evil person in disguise reveal some secrets about himself.

[Andros]

Wisdom also controls your physical senses so having low wisdom can be RPed in a non-suicidal way by implying your senses are starting to fail you, vision is getting blurred, can not hear orders properly or been completely unaware that the party is getting flanked and just wait there after your immediate foe is killed, for example

Another way of doing it is to start proposing nonsensical plans, like insisting for the mage to take point so the fighter can flank off him and such.

[probablyamage]

Wisdom is often attributed to common sense. Typically, when my wizards are wisdom drained they eloquently engage in pointless disputes, or in one unfortunate incident, blame the victim whom he had wronged because she made -such- a good target.

[sky]

*throws alchemist fires at the fire elemental* = low wisdom
*tries to tackle said fire elemental* = low intelligence
*tries to run up and put out fire elemental with a watering can* = low wisdom AND intelligence.

[Munroe]

Aug 5, 2012 15:03:02 GMT -5 sky said:

*throws alchemist fires at the fire elemental* = low wisdom
*tries to tackle said fire elemental* = low intelligence
*tries to run up and put out fire elemental with a watering can* = low wisdom AND intelligence.

I'd attribute all of those to low wisdom.

A low intelligence, high wisdom character wouldn't know what it was, but would have the sense not to test if it was painful by touching it.

[Carpe]

Wisdom: n. knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

Antonyms: carelessness, folly, foolishness, heedlessness, idiocy, illogic, imbecility, imprudence, indiscretion, irrationality, recklessness, senselessness, shortsightedness, silliness, unreasonableness

I don't know about you, but I'm noticing a trend, here.

[avclubbonus]

Wisdom also has a lot to do with perspective and risk assessment.
Low wisdom people will tend to be superstitious, or even have OCD type behavior, like deciding a pattern of events is lucky and repeating it. Low wisdom people would hear about something random and bad happening, like (IRL of course) a plane crash, and then decide never to fly again, even though the odds are tremendously low. Low wisdom people will make wild bets based on their "gut instinct" when gambling, where high wisdom would study the game (if they bet at all) and bet carefully. Etc.

It doesn't have to mean making stupid choices that put you in direct danger in battle, there are a lot more indirect (and frankly, more interesting) ways you can go. And anyway going into a dangerous dungeon in the first place is an incredibly foolish thing to do, so the scales are tipped towards "low wisdom" for most of us before we even get started.

[ritefoot]

Some would say that a wise person would not bet at all!

I forget who said that gambling was the taxation for the mathematically inept.

..... well it was me too.

Rite.

[Fluffy the Mad]

They way I play Kori, (and this isn't saying anyone else needs to play high wisdom this way) is that she's very observant and insightful in dealing with people, though she's stubborn to a major fault when her mind is made up. She stays quiet and listens when other people have something to say, pitching in when she has something useful to say herself. In her work she is much the same, but takes extreme care with how she operates, not taking any risks with healing unless she has to.
(EDIT) My lower-wisdom characters are less so in most areas... they're less cautious, less patient, and aren't nearly as stubborn as Kori is. That's not to say they aren't sensible to a point, but they're more prone to change their minds or take unnecessary risks and that sort of thing.