Just as a recent thread asked for tips on a specific character with high wisdom, I found myself wondering on some concepts of an extraordinarily bright NPC who's currently travelling with my party to keep them out of trouble. Focused in one thing, and one thing only (A 20 intelligence universalist wizard) He's exceedingly brilliant, but at the same time, most of the archetypes of the "brainy" magi type characters we see are always withdrawn, or obsessive with their narrow interests. He's actually got a suprisingly decent wisdom and charisma as well, and thus I'm trying to think of some way of showing that intelligence in roleplay without just being extremely withdrawn, dark, or only coming forward about obscure tidbits of knowledge that most of the party wouldn't understand anyway.
Don't get me wrong, I respect that type of character, but there's got to be more than one shade of a brilliant mind.
Just as a recent thread asked for tips on a specific character with high wisdom, I found myself wondering on some concepts of an extraordinarily bright NPC who's currently travelling with my party to keep them out of trouble. Focused in one thing, and one thing only (A 20 intelligence universalist wizard) He's exceedingly brilliant, but at the same time, most of the archetypes of the "brainy" magi type characters we see are always withdrawn, or obsessive with their narrow interests. He's actually got a suprisingly decent wisdom and charisma as well, and thus I'm trying to think of some way of showing that intelligence in roleplay without just being extremely withdrawn, dark, or only coming forward about obscure tidbits of knowledge that most of the party wouldn't understand anyway.
Don't get me wrong, I respect that type of character, but there's got to be more than one shade of a brilliant mind.
If you have a high int, and a good char and wisdom, then (at least as far as stats are concerned) i would play him as Intuitive and charming. He should have a good sense of things. He need not be an introvert if you dont wish him to. He can be outgoing, he just makes good choices about it.
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Don't get me wrong, I respect that type of character, but there's got to be more than one shade of a brilliant mind.
Ok, how about:
Sherlock Homes Driven to solve puzzles, almost manic in that sort of pursuit.
House (from the TV show): Wry, sarcastic, though abit antisocial
Scotty from Star Trek: Very workman minded, but give him an impossible task and he'd find a way to do it.
Chris Knight from Real Genius: Witty, sarcastic, brotherly and inspiring, Very independant.
Nate Ford: Mastermind, Leader, Idealist, Protective.
I could go on and on, but here is the secret. You don't really need intelligent archtypes. You just need to add any sort of discriptor to intellegent and "poof" you have your archtype.
How about Smart and Loves Gadgets = McGyver
Smart and Obsesive = Monk
Smart and Sloppy = Columbo
Smart and Sneeky + James Bond, and Micheal Westin from Burn Notice
You can go on and on.
Ozymandias from Watchmen.
Or Jeff Goldblum's character from Jurassic Park.
Or Doc Holiday as portrayed by Val Kilmer in Tombstone.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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One way to look at it is in terms of plans and execution. A high Int means you can come up with good, workable plans. A high Wis means you are probably personally good at seeing those plans through and adapting to changes as they happen. A high Cha means you are good at coordinating, motivating, and leading others into getting those plans done. So:
High Int, low Wis, low Cha: great plans, but you're probably somebody else's smart minion. Think Mentats from Dune, or the computer programmer that works for a less intelligent millionaire. You probably plan for contingencies, but if something happens your plan doesn't account for, you are unlikely to be able to adapt.
High Int, high Wis, low Cha: you're probably tremendously efficient and effective by yourself, or as a member of a team where somebody else is responsible for running the show and coordinating efforts. You probably avoid leadership.
High Int, low Wis, high Cha: you have a vision, but you need help to see it through. Fortunately, you're great at pulling together other peoples' talents in order to make it happen.
High Int, high Wis, high Cha: you're utterly formidable. You make awesome plans, drive yourself and others to complete them, and you can quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Ozymandias from Watchmen is a great example of this kind of guy.
It doesn't take smart to know about some obscure topic.
The guy is really smart, so he knows everything about everything (or at least has spectrum of knowledge that is both broad and deep). Add in good wisdom and charisma and he will know when to speak and when to shut up, and when he speaks, he will not only be right, but also be able to convince others that he is right. Plus, he's insightful enough to put it in words others of lesser intellect understand.
Besides the fact that his memory is great (meaning he quickly memorises things, has a great store of memories and knowledge, and retains information for a long time), he's also very bright, able to quickly grasp even complex concepts and think fast, do complex calculations in his head without effort, figure out things easily and think ahead several steps.
Big Bang Theory has a wealth of 'brainy' misfits, all without repeating or stepping on each others' set of quirks.
Oh gawd! Sheldon as a BBEG!