low int should not know lots of facts or do the math.
High wis should make choices that are going to good over all.
example of crossing a damaged bridge with wis is not to take the risk unless the possible fall is some thing you have to do.
example of crossing a damaged bridge with int is to examine the bridge's condition to determine if it can support your weight.
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Mage: Okay, identifying this guy's boots. Gimme a second.
Cleric: My momma always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where the go, where they've been. I've worn lots of shoes, I bet if I think about it real hard I can remember my first pair of shoes.
Mage: Stop that. Boots of flying, who needs 'em?
Cleric: He says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere.
Mage: STOP THAT.
Definitely made my day :D
Zen and Taoism both provide good inspiration for a character who rejects intellectualism and "seeming smart" for real wisdom and harmony.
Or, you can do what my friend once did and collect fortune cookie fortunes, then pull them out whenever the high-wisdom character speaks. However, the general quality of fortunes from cookies has declined sharply in recent years.
"I said, Edith Bunker from 'All in the Family'! Not too bright, but wise as all hell. Or to take a counterexample, Richard Nixon. Get it?"
-Joel Rosenberg, "The Sleeping Dragon". (Karl explaining the concept to novice player Andrea)
"I said, Edith Bunker from 'All in the Family'! Not too bright, but wise as all hell. Or to take a counterexample, Richard Nixon. Get it?"
-Joel Rosenberg, "The Sleeping Dragon". (Karl explaining the concept to novice player Andrea)
Now that is a series I have not seen in quite some time.
greg
Just thought I'd point out that people often play an 8 like it's a 4. 8 isn't low unless you consider a 12 to be high. It's just below average. Many folks I knew in college were 8 Intelligence.
It's less Forrest Gump and more "Career in fast food".
Low Int with high Wis can result in a character who knows things through intuition, not knowledge.
"We should expect traps if we go in there." - Won't be able to say what sorts of traps, or where they might be, but he's certain the bad guy will have trapped the entrance to his lair.
"Something's not right about that preacher." - Won't be able to figure out the preacher is a succubus in disguise, and won't be able to unravel the nefarious plot, but knows what makes him nervous.
High Int characters should be brilliant tacticians, who master the battlefield in their minds. They understand what the enemy will do, and why, how to counter it, and how to turn the enemy's efforts back upon them.
High Wis characters have a grasp of the rules of life. They suggest more subtle paths, such as reminding the party that you can sometimes go around the enemy that's in your way, or that negotiation might be less costly for all involved. They feel their way through situations.
High Cha characters don't need to do either. Their poop doesn't stink and they can just ask the enemy to surrender. Or they can incite a riot and gather up an army to help them.
Thanks for all of your insightful posts; I am starting to see a clearer picture of him now.
I'll play him as an optimistic, thoughtful, and deliberate guy, whose words always seem to carry a kernel of wisdom. My wife and I had three sessions so far, and I seemed to have given her the wrong impression that he is "a little spaced out." During battles, she and the wizard (who both have high initiatives) always seem to be waiting on the cleric because he tends to go last in a given round (-1 initiative). She feels that she can rely more heavily on the party wizard, who is always ready to offer up suggestions and multi-layered plans which the party can then execute (18 int). Also, my wife told me that her ranger is falling for the wizard because of his aura of self-assuredness and his competence in battle (he specializes in battlefield control, which incidentally helps keep her safe). She says she feels bad for the cleric because she is starting to treat him like a source of healing and nothing more. This is ironic because the cleric has higher charisma than the wizard, who I play as callous, arrogant and a little disinterested in people (LN; Cha 8).
With regards to imparting folk wisdom about the way the natural world works, my wife's knowledge (nature) check far outstrips his as she is a ranger. I put his limited skill ranks in knowledge (religion) and heal, but I am not sure how I can play up those strengths.
Of course, I can explain any changes to the cleric's personality as maturity -- the entire party consists of 18 year olds after all. Ultimately, I want this character to be an interesting source of roleplay and interaction as opposed to just: "Hey, give me some healing!"
I have a paladin of Erastil with higher Wis and lower Int myself. I tended to keep in mind that among Erastil's areas of concern are farming and family. While he is an adventurer and a holy warrior, he tends to keep simple tastes and a folksy attitude. He'll stop to discuss crops and the weather with local farmers, say a few words of condolence to those survivors of a goblin attack. He's not good with fancy words, but always there with the right ones.
As a DM I tend to allow ranks in Profession to substitute for certain rolls usually covered by Knowledge. For example, a character with Profession(farmer) would have a working knowledge of plants, soil, seasons and weather as a matter of course. Also, they might have insights into certain types of animals, especially ones that tend to feed on their crops or livestock. See if your DM would allow this sort of play, that way you can use that high Wisdom to your advantage.