RP'ng someone smarter than you are.

[kendo]

RP-ing someone similar to yourself is easy enough. But what about someone who's smarter for example ? I'm interested in opinion.

Driving someone dumber would seem doable, but I've noticed people overestimate their base intelligence and so when they "dumb down" an avatar they overdo it in an attempt to compensate.
Either smarter or dumber have a tendency to gravitate towards the driver. I wanted something challenging and thought i'd RP someone bipolar. would randomize in the morning then check that against a premade chart(using government data) to determine the mindset for the day. I think the overall outcome was he mutated into a weirdo... Bipolars tend to talk a lot when manic, So i'm purposely yapping away and not giving them a chance to get a word in. It's soo hard to watch your avatar doing something that incredibly cringeworthy, there's something oddly satisfying about it too though.


Concerning smarter avatars, you'd think it wouldn't be possible because after all's said and done it was your fixed intelligence coming up with it. I mean, you could sit a laptop next to you and google things and seem more intelligent, but it's not the same. I found this online

Playing Characters Smarter than Yourself For Dummies:

Step 1: Lower your expectations.

Step 2: Lower them further.

Step 3: Accept the fact even super-geniuses do stupid things from time to time, especially in stressful situations.

Step 4: Accept that there will be a limit to the help you get from the DM. Hints are nice, and have their place. However, player input is vital, even when it's stupid. Otherwise, the game is playing itself.

Step 5: Accept that the relationship between you and your character is... complicated.

Step 6: Learn to savor the times you actually do choose the smartest action. Learn to savor the time when you ironically and incongruously choose the most bone-headed maneuver even more.

Pro-tip: This applies equally well for characters wiser and more charming than you!

[Malarky]

Say more with less.

Volunteering your intellect can work against you. Sure, it helps you relate to people but it also helps them shape you up. Your mystery can work for you if you choose how much you're willing to say even when you want to say so much more. Keep an agenda in mind and it becomes a little easier.

[Voxaroth]

The good thing about a game like Underlight is that no one really knows anything. The "smartest" dreamers don't pretend to know the intricacies of the game, because it ends up just making them sound dumb. And the people who have an answer for everything tend to alienate themselves.

Cunning holds a lot greater value in our game, I think.

[Pickman]

I play Sala as the smartest man in the room who absolutely has no problem telling you that he is. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, but he's confident in himself to the point of sickening arrogance and he remains oblivious to the fact he might be wrong. Luckily he's gotten away with it for years.

[Uthanatos]

Vox has a huge point, Uthy is a repository of knowledge, absorbing every scroll he can get his hands on with near perfect recall, sometimes it's useful, often it isn't, but I have found that, that type of knowledge aggregation tends to alienate a lot of people. It's his ability to look at things from odd angles while still being logical that really make him useful. With a game like Underlight, there is tons and tons of data you can collect and reference to be sagely, but it's a combination of wisdom and wit, that are harder to bring to a character if you don't possess it naturally. An incredibly intelligent character can lack common sense, or even be largely unable to vocalize their thoughts in a way that others understand. So playing an overly intelligent character is a combination between having the data at hand and being able to bring it to bear without it seeming like you are looking it up behind the scenes. If you want that character to be sociable and sensible, that's another story.

[kendo]

every one of you make excellent points.
Malarky: Totally true, speak as little as possible without appearing cold or antisocial
Vox: Good stuff, if i don't understand a question I'll use a metaphor or reflect the question back indirectly. Acting like you have the final answer alienates for sure. I agree completely with cunning.
Pickman: totally true, crystallized intelligence tends to go hand in hand with appearing oblivious if not balanced with fluid intelligence or wisdom, unless you're very good at it, so kudos to you. The differences are subtle, I still remember an example from an old d and d handbook. Intelligence(crystallized) tells you it's raining and wisdom(fluid intelligence) tells you get under a roof.
Uthanatos: yes. complete, orderly notes can be used to mimic intelligence. In fact i noticed immediately that uthanatos answered a question on drain self immediately and confidently. It left an impression on kendo for sure. I'm not implying you had to mimic intelligence lol, just that it was impressive and well spoken.

Ken's going through a very interesting self-roleplay now. I might need more input on various characteristics in the future. Thanks again