Spectator said:
I absolutely hate having low charisma and low wisdom characters. IRL those people end up homeless, LOL.
I'm with you on the CHR. It's important. But, think about it. The avearge human CHR score is 10. A -2 is a standard modifier. Thus, a CHR 7 really isn't that low. If someone is just below average in personal power, they'd be reflected in the game with a -2 modifier.
I bet you know a lot of people like this in your life--people, for whatever reason, that do not particulary draw others to them. Look at that old John Hughes movie, The Breakfast Club. I bet at least some of those characters have a CHR 7 with the -2 modier, certainly the "geek" and the "wierd chick". I could see "the geek" as a CHR 8 character, with a -1 modifer, and the "wierd check" with a CHR 6 or 7...a -2 modifier.
Mathematically, a -2 modifier means that the character is only 10% less likely to achieve a throw than a normal, average person.
When I slapped that CHR 7 on that barbarian above, it seems very appropriate, especially given the background I gave the character.
Also, remember that the six stats that defines every character in the game are, by necessity, very broad based. The CHR score reflects the characters personal power
in a broad sense,
on average. Certainly, the character's close friends and family members might not look at him that way. In the game, this would be reflected by circumstancial modifier (maybe a +4 or more for a close family member?).
Remember, too, the Reputation rules in the game. These rules create modifiers to a character CHR score.
So, the -2 CHR modifier for my barbarian above is really the modifier he uses with the world at large. His Reputation score could modify this inside Cimmeria. And, the GM should put circumstantial modifiers on CHR due to Attitudes toward the character (see the Diplomacy skill). Something like this would not be outside the spirit of the Diplomacy rules:
Hostile: -4 to CHR checks.
Unfriendly: -2 to CHR checks.
Indifferent: +0 to CHR checks.
Friendly: +2 to CHR checks.
Helpful: +4 to CHR checks.
So...
Let's look a little closer at the CHR 8 Barbarian I created above. Let's say that he's trying to convince Finn, his clan chieftain, about this or that, and the GM has decided to figure the outcome on Morghun's CHR throw.
-2 for base CHR score.
+4 because Finn is Friendly towards the character.
+2 cirucumstance bonus, the GM allows, because of the established relationship between Finn and Morghun
+2 Allegiance (clan) bonus
+1 bonus due to Morghun's Reputaton score.
----
+7 to the CHR throw.
That's a pretty good modifier, and it reflect the relationship between Finn and Morghun.
If this throw were being made, with, say an Aquilonian city watchman, with Morghun trying to convince the NPC to allow the barbarian entry into the town at night, the check would be much different. Maybe something like this...
-2 base CHR modifier
-2 because the guard is Unfriendly towards the character.
-4 circumstance modifier because the guard has been ordered not to open the gates past dusk.
+0 Allegiance because Morghun has not allegiance to this town or this guard.
+0 Reputation bonus because, using the Reputation rules, the distance modifier has reduced Morghun's Reputation bonus.
-----
-8 to CHR check.
CHR checks should be a fluid thing, based on the situation at hand, and the game rules allow for that (even if you don't use the modifiers I suggested for NPC attitude). The above shows two widely different probable results based on a number of factors, not just the characters base CHR modifier.
Really, looking at the modifiers, CHR 6-7 and CHR 8-9 are just below average--these are those people with quirks about them that, in general, doesn't attract others. But circumstancial modifiers can even make these characters quite persuasive, because everybody has friends and family and those that they influence.
Charles Manson would be given a low CHR stat, but within his click, his bonuses made him quite influential.
