Knowledgeable but not Smart

[Anaraxes]

"Just knowing things" is a skill, and often a valuable one. Some character concepts are built largely or entirely around knowing stuff. If you want to be smart, yet not have practical skills, don't buy the practical skills.

Note the similarity with Taboo Traits. You don't get a point break for "can't be a doctor" when you didn't intend to be a doctor in the first place.

If you want not to be smart, leave IQ at 10. If you want to know a lot despite lack of talent, put a lot of points into knowledge skills. If you pick more than five knowledge skills, it won't be the point-optimal way to get those skill levels, sure. But it's the concept you're asking for.

Dabbler covers the case for knowing just a little about a lot of things, as opposed to a lot about some or many things. Knowing a lot about a lot of things (and not others) is just having high levels of knowledge skills (and not others).

[whswhs]

Skills that have that effect are, by definition, Expert skills. Buy them with a lot of Expert skills and not a high IQ at all.

Bill Stoddard

[The Benj]

Hobby: Trivia.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Skills that have that effect are, by definition, Expert skills. Buy them with a lot of Expert skills and not a high IQ at all.

Bill Stoddard

With the GM's permission, you could even add Talent:Trivia, which only adds to Expert Skills. I'd call that a 5 pointer, but I could see the argument for 10.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

With the GM's permission, you could even add Talent:Trivia, which only adds to Expert Skills. I'd call that a 5 pointer, but I could see the argument for 10.

Or even Expert skills and Hobby skills dependent purely on knowing things. It could include Current Affairs and Area Knowledge skills too.

There is also the ! skill Encyclopedist in GURPS Supers, which is pretty much designed to do the cinematic version of this.

Bill Stoddard

[doulos05]

As someone with this exact "super power", I'd say I'm IQ 10 with about 5 dabbler perks, a few points in History, and Eidetic Memory (Only for Useless Trivia -40%). And OPH: Know it all (-10)

[Dwarf99]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

Not what I want, although that's a good one. What I want is someone who won't be really generally better at a skill (like a Talent OR IQ would), who is not noticeably smart (like having a decent I.Q. would do), but just knows a lot.

Hobby Skill (Trivia)
Expert Skill (whatever he needs knowledge but not application for.)

[mmeloche]

Well, as you keep mentioning, you're not asking for a lot.

I believe this is the kind of thing that usually falls under an unusual background... "Reads constantly" - [10] should do it. Combine that with sinking points into the Speed Reading skill to keep him current. You also wouldn't be out of line to give him "Compulsive Reading"