From: kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov
Subject: Re: PC vs. Player INT
Originator: kjenks@gothamcity
Keywords: dumb vs. smart
Organization: NASA/JSC/GM2, Space Shuttle Program Office
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 14:41:16 GMT

This is really one of the shortcomings of role-playing games of all
kinds.  If the player isn't smart, wise or charismatic, and the PC is,
should the GM "help out?"  How?  When?

The way I've worked it out is to let the player "drive" the PC at all
times.  If the PC gets into a sticky situation which (for example) a
cleric with 18 Wisdom and 16 Intelligence should be able to think his
way out of in a minute, but the player can't figure out in an hour, I
just attribute the apparent stupidity to other factors.  For example,
the cleric might be pondering on the intricate monthly sacrifical
ritual, and not have his mind fully concentrating on the task at hand.
Or the magic-user might be distracted by all of those spells stuffed
into his head, so much distracted that he can't figure out how to beat
the ogre at "Indian wrestling" (when the obvious answer is, "don't play
that game with an ogre!").  But I sometimes give the smarter PC's hints
that I don't give to PC's with lower INT and WIS scores, like "you
noticed that the basilisk's grunts and the rattling of his chains
repeats every two minutes."  This was a hint that the basilisk was an
advanced illusion.  Unfortunately, the player didn't figure it out in
time, and they had several deaths that night.  (PC death is rare in
my campaign, and permanent PC death is extremely infrequent.)

On the other side (smart player, dumb PC), I sometimes have to caution
the player to keep his character more in the dark.  But on the whole,
I simply give the player fewer clues about his character's surroundings,
and I use the "penalties" built into the game mechanics to simulate
most of the "dumb PC" attributes.  They don't really work, but it's
something.

Charisma is really the hardest thing to work.  I've had players who are
really wall flowers who have characters with the charisma of a
President.  I've had players who are natural leaders of any group and
take charge of the party no matter what character they're playing who
play characters with all the charisma of your average janitor.  It's
almost impossible to instill charisma in a person who has none, but
it's almost as hard to ask a charismatic person to follow more, lead
less, and basically become a wall flower.  But those are the challenges
of any role-playing situation, including acting in a play.  And it 
takes cooperation between the DM and the players to figure out how
the character should work.

I suppose, as a DM, I "should" increase the INT, WIS and CHA scores of
characters whose players demonstrate those qualities and decrease the
scores of characters whose players don't exhibit them, but it's awfully
hard on the unique friendships inspired by role-playing games to say,
"I'm sorry, Betty, but I'm going to decrease your Elf's Wisdom score
because he's been acting impulsively, rashly, and generally without
regard to the consequences of his actions."  Or, "Say, Grond, you've
been leading the party and handling most of the interactions with
NPC's lately, so I'm going to increase your Charisma score."  It
would only lead to hard feelings.

What I actually end up doing is to match the character with the
player.  I discourage wall flowers from playing paladins or other
high-charisma PC's.  I encourage smart people to play spell casters.  I
discourage smokers (a sure sign of low Wisdom) from playing wise
characters of any kind.  And I do fudge ability scores when a player
creates a new character.  This fudging is usually only in the upward
direction, but I sometimes offer the player the choice (which I know
he'll take) of increasing Strength, Dex, Con or Hit Points at the
"cost" of decreasing an Int, Wis or Cha score which doesn't match the
player.

In actuality, this is one of the real challenges of role-playing: to
put oneself completely into the character, and to pretend all of the
advantages and limitations of the character.  Some of us call this
acting.  And very few people can be good actors without a whole lot
of practice and training.

To stretch your group's acting ability, you might try a game or two
where you ask your players to play characters which are utterly
different from themselves.  If everybody is trying to stretch this way
simultaneously, they'll point out the differences to each other with
little or no animosity.  I find this to be fun and challenging, both as
a DM and as a player.  Give it a try in your game.

-- Ken Jenks, NASA/JSC/GM2, Space Shuttle Program Office
      kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov  (713) 483-4368

     "Good ideas are not adopted automatically.  They must be driven into
       practice with courageous impatience." -- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd