So, how would you play a character with low wisdom?

[Lord Foul]

Starting a new game, and I find myself with two characters who have very low wisdom scores. Not the first time I've had this to deal with, but I wonder what kind of approaches others take to this role-playing challenge.

As an example, the last time I played a character with really low wisdom it was a human fighter who also had big strength and big charisma, so I played him as a big grinning handsome chap, with a very positive outlook, who tended to rush in without thinking things through. In play, every time I had an idea he would immediately act on it, regardless of whether it was sensible or not. It made for some interesting scenes, but I could easily foresee others getting fed up with this after a while. That game didn't last long enough to find out, but it was a concern.

So, how would you do it?

[clintmemo]

I saw the time we came to post basically... What you just said.

I supposed to elaborate on that, it would be a person that generally does not learn from their mistakes, and does not learn from mistakes of others.

But another way to spin that would be as a person who always had to think everything out, every time. Maybe they have low wisdom scores, but average intelligence scores. They can reason something out, but they can't remember the lesson they learned. So the next time they run into that situation, they have to reason it all out again, and hopefully get it right.

[[red]]

Easily foolef, but willing to follow friends' lead.

Immediately rushing in isn't necessary. Come up with obviously terrible plans once in a while and let your teammates shoot them down. Buy in to anyone's plan, good or bad. Believe everyone.

[clintmemo]

Easily foolef, but willing to follow friends' lead.

Immediately rushing in isn't necessary. Come up with obviously terrible plans once in a while and let your teammates shoot them down. Buy in to anyone's plan, good or bad. Believe everyone.

But once, in a while, be brilliant. Not constrained by wisdom and experience, once in a great while, you notice something that others might not or think of things that others might not.
Young children often excel at this.

[Azhrei Vep]

Low wisdom characters I've played have had a few different ways in how it's gotten represented, but it can usually be summed up as "Doesn't stop to think things through." Reckless swashbucklers, raging barbarians, arrogant nobles who seize on their first idea and don't consider anything else.

Some (most) of them are also pretty high on intelligence, too, because I like my characters smart. The difference there is if someone stop them and forces them to give some thought to their actions, they'll come up with workable plans or ideas, it's just not their natural inclination.

Oh, and then there was my lovely alchemist. He was a mad scientist. Certifiably insane. Even sitting him down to make him think about things that didin't involve SCIENCE!!! ALCHEMY!!! would still get ridiculous, terrible ideas that only made sense in his less than accurate worldview. ... And the damn party kept listening anyway.

[Leoff]

Gamma-Ray played one very-low wisdom cleric as having very bad vision. He actually took his glasses off for the game. Cinaeth was very knowledgeable and capable in talking and reading (by good light up close), but simply didn't see things fast enough, or often enough. just wasn't aware of surroundings beyond an arm's reach, and fine details beyond a handspan.

[John]

Bad impulse control is great for creating exciting situations and I recommend it.

Another oft-ignored angle is laziness. PCs tend to act like they're being directed by someone outside their head who wishes for their well-being and advancement. Real people tend not to. I had a long running low-wis character who was just lazy. He wasn't malicious or useless (he was a good healer) but hell if he was getting up early, passing on a third helping of pie, or engaging in any kind of physical activity he didn't absolutely have to.

[Lord Foul]

Some really good ideas there. I may borrow some of those to help in playing my new characters. I do want to make them different from each other. Thanks everyone.

[tombombodil]

Another oft-ignored angle is laziness. PCs tend to act like they're being directed by someone outside their head who wishes for their well-being and advancement. Real people tend not to. I had a long running low-wis character who was just lazy. He wasn't malicious or useless (he was a good healer) but hell if he was getting up early, passing on a third helping of pie, or engaging in any kind of physical activity he didn't absolutely have to.

This is honestly my go-to example, but I've never played a character that way because it would basically be a 1 to 1 adaptation of people I've known in real life and that would be in bad taste even if I was the only who knew.

To me low wisdom is being lethargic, apathetic, complacent, and incurious and not having the self awareness to see the ways these traits negatively effect both their own lives and the lives of those around them.

[Lord Foul]

So, I've recently started these characters off, and at present I'm going for two different approaches:

One, with 6 WIS, is rash and doesn't think things through before acting. He's going to be causing all kinds of trouble, for himself and others. He is also unconcerned with consequences, other than his immediate desires.

The other, with 5 WIS, is easily led and far too trusting of things and people. A perfect patsy for any passing confidence trickster, like the hobbit with 19 CHR being played by another player. He will tend to take things at face value, regardless of my own suspicions.