Make Intelligence Your Dump Stat and Show How Smart Your 5E D&D Character Can Be

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted put on their thinking caps to explore using dump stats and low ability scores in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. They talk specifically about Intelligence in this case, discussing different approaches for roleplaying and perspectives on how and why a character might have a low score. This broad topic can apply to any RPG, even games without a specific Intelligence score or even ability scores at all. Portraying a character with below average smarts can be a lot of fun but this particular ability score, like a lot of nonphysical attributes in any game, can also be tricky. It’s a lot easier to imagine an exceptionally strong or agile character or conversely a weak or clumsy one but when it comes to what we often refer to as mental stats roleplaying becomes a bit more challenging. Since Dave and Ted cover Intelligence itself, I’m curious about different kinds of intelligence. You may have heard the term ’emotional intelligence’ before and this got me thinking of ways for RPG characters to display their own types of intelligence inspired by other ability scores. So let’s get into it and come up with ideas for characters who dump Intelligence to showcase their own smarts in 5E D&D.

Playing smart in different ways in 5E D&D

After a quick search for different kinds of intelligence the first thing I came across is an article called 9 Types of Intelligence from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. When it comes to 5E D&D I suppose we’ve got four more types of Intelligence than we need since there’s only five other ability scores beside Intelligence — Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom and Charisma. We’re already ahead of the curve!

My goal here is to show how even if your character dumps Intelligence it doesn’t mean they’re devoid of intellect. In fact higher order brain functions include things like sensation, perception, memory, association, thought, and voluntary physical action. The party wizard might be the expert on academia and a creature or character of vast Intelligence might apply their knowledge is countless ways. But don’t count the rest of the party out just yet either. Here’s a few ideas on how the other ability scores can display their own kinds of brilliance.

Strength — Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence

“Bodily kinesthetic intelligence is the capacity to manipulate objects and use a variety of physical skills. This intelligence also involves a sense of timing and the perfection of skills through mind–body union. Athletes, dancers, surgeons, and crafts people exhibit well-developed bodily kinesthetic intelligence.”

A character with high Strength certainly has this kind of intelligence. Knowing how to apply physical power can be hugely important and with the action packed excitement or many RPGs including 5E D&D this brand of smarts probably comes into play more than you might think. From a roleplaying perspective you might display your strong character’s body intelligence whenever others struggle with physical activity. Take climbing for example, where a barbarian might Help a weaker companion scale a treacherous cliff face not by physically aiding them but instead explaining how to apply leverage and strength to make the right hand and foot holds and pull themselves up.

Dexterity — Spatial intelligence

“Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in three dimensions. Core capacities include mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic skills, and an active imagination. Sailors, pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects all exhibit spatial intelligence. Young adults with this kind of intelligence may be fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing or daydreaming.”

Characters with high Dexterity can be considered to possess this kind of intelligence. Agility, reflexes and balance require awareness of your own body and your relationship to the world around you. Running across a sheet of ice, concealing an object on your person, sneaking around, dodging attacks and quickly sizing up an incoming combat situation are all ways for a high Dexterity character to show off this kind of acumen. Roleplaying Dexterity as spatial intelligence can be as simple as describing how your character analyzes their surroundings and makes note of the interactivity between elements they see. For example quickly traversing perilous terrain might be more about sizing up the area and determining the optimal path forward in advance rather than dashing forward relying on pure instinct and reflexes.

Constitution — Intra-personal intelligence

“Intra-personal intelligence is the capacity to understand oneself and one’s thoughts and feelings, and to use such knowledge in planning and directioning one’s life. Intra-personal intelligence involves not only an appreciation of the self, but also of the human condition. It is evident in psychologist, spiritual leaders, and philosophers. These young adults may be shy. They are very aware of their own feelings and are self-motivated.”

Roleplaying high Constitution as this form of intelligence seems like a bit of a stretch but hear me out. You might consider a character with high Constitution is as keenly aware of their thoughts and feelings as they are of their stamina and vitality as a measure of their own overall health. Pushing beyond normal limits is as much a function of mental fortitude as it is endurance. A character with high Constitution can extend their self awareness to others as well, and perhaps recognize some of the internal roadblocks holding others back. These observations might come out bluntly but the kind of plain speak these characters might share can be surprisingly astute.

Wisdom — Existential intelligence

“Sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, why we die, and how did we get here.”

Deep thoughts are the bread and butter of a high Wisdom character and considering this kind of intelligence it’s easy to understand why it’s the most important ability score for clerics and other characters concerned with the higher powers of the multiverse. Characters with high Wisdom are the ones people rely on for guidance because they offer meaning and context in what can sometimes feel like a world of chaos without meaning.

Charisma — Linguistic intelligence

“Linguistic intelligence is the ability to think in words and to use language to express and appreciate complex meanings. Linguistic intelligence allows us to understand the order and meaning of words and to apply meta-linguistic skills to reflect on our use of language. Linguistic intelligence is the most widely shared human competence and is evident in poets, novelists, journalists, and effective public speakers. Young adults with this kind of intelligence enjoy writing, reading, telling stories or doing crossword puzzles.”

Characters with high Charisma are masters of interacting with other creatures using words and expression. These are people with deep understanding of the power of words and their effect on others. Any writer or public speaker can tell you the words you choose and how you express yourself has a tremendous impact on the message. Communication, specifically mass communication, is a fascinating subject and characters with this kind of intelligence understand how to effectively utilize it. It takes more than charm and a winning personality to convey a message that’s properly received by an audience. The process might be instinctual but nevertheless there’s a degree of intelligence required to be successful with any communication whether the one transmitting the message is aware or not. In the case of Charisma as a form of intelligence, assume the latter.

A dump stat for any occasion

Portraying other ability scores as different forms of intelligence suggests these attributes are not simply instinctual facets of a character. High ability scores can represent a thoughtful approach to any attribute. I like this style because it acknowledges there’s more to a character than the numbers on the character sheet. Your characters aren’t just strong, agile, tough, insightful and charming but they also understand how, why and where to apply these attributes. They possess a greater degree of self awareness when it comes to their own capabilities and they can extend this knowledge to others.

I’m already excited for a new installment of this series. Examining the 5E D&D ability scores as different forms of intelligence was a lot of fun and I’m curious where this will take us next. Charisma as a form of strength? Dexterity as a form of Wisdom?

Now it’s your turn to share how your 5E D&D or other RPG characters display different kinds of intelligence. Does your brutish warrior intuitively understand position and movement of the parts of the body by means of sensory organs in the muscles and joints? Is your character’s exceptional vitality mean they are keenly aware of what’s taking place within their own self or mind? I love hearing stories about immersive RPG experiences and complex characters so let’s hear them and until next time, stay nerdy!