Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-08-2013, 02:40 PM   #11
JCurwen3
 
JCurwen3's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Quote:
Originally Posted by NineDaysDead View Post
Perk: Seems Smart [1/level]. For every level of this perk you have you will seem to others to have an IQ 2 points higher than you do.
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.
__________________
-JC
JCurwen3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 02:45 PM   #12
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCurwen3 View Post
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.
How is it that someone would know a lot without being noticeably smart?. Wait, I know, Get IQ 10 and a lot of one point skills with the speciality (Useless information)
David Johnston2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 02:45 PM   #13
NineDaysDead
Banned
 
NineDaysDead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCurwen3 View Post
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.
Why not give them a talent for expert skills? Expert skills are about knowing not doing.
NineDaysDead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 02:48 PM   #14
Kraydak
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCurwen3 View Post
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.
You are describing IQ 10-11 and a bunch of skills with 1 cp invested (maybe Dabbler). I'm failing to see the difficulty.
Kraydak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 03:20 PM   #15
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

What's the game mechanical effect? That's what you pay for. The rest is just flavor text.
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 03:36 PM   #16
Turhan's Bey Company
Aluminated
 
Turhan's Bey Company's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: East of the moon, west of the stars, close to buses and shopping
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCurwen3 View Post
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.
How is that not what you want? You keep describing someone who can't actually do anything. Since skills allow you to do things, you're describing someone without skills. A perk which allows access to buzzwords seems reasonable to describe the impression a well-read layman might make.

One possible alternative is the Current Events skill, allowing him to keep up on the state of scientific literature without understanding the science. The character might know that Professor Foo of the Bar Institute has published a paper on plate-and-saucer tectonics or the Higgs Boson's Mate without knowing anything useful about geology or physics.
__________________
I've been making pointlessly shiny things, and I've got some gaming-related stuff as well as 3d printing designs.

Buy my Warehouse 23 stuff, dammit!
Turhan's Bey Company is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 03:40 PM   #17
Ulzgoroth
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCurwen3 View Post
I don't want them to be especially good at those skills. Or have an IQ that allows them to be clever and figure out stuff, or have a good memory. They're just well-read. They're the fictional archetype that knows about everything, but can't actually perform at a decent level at any skill. They've just read about it all - it's all academic, but they know about almost everything, but can't do anything useful. IQ 10 makes sense, as I want this person to be about average real world I.Q.

I guess how would you build an average I.Q. 100 guy that has spent virtually all their time reading about almost every subject matter but has never specialized, even a little bit, as isn't particularly good at feats of memory or of problem solving (as I.Q. 100 would suggest).
They're knowledge skills. Knowing things is what they do.

If you're worried that some of the skills do have applications, you could take an abstract specialization in 'theory'.

You also might be looking for something akin to Hidebound.
__________________
I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident.
Ulzgoroth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 03:42 PM   #18
vierasmarius
 
vierasmarius's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Don't forget OPH: Useless Know-It-All.
vierasmarius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 03:56 PM   #19
Figleaf23
Banned
 
Figleaf23's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Build a character with instant access to a digital encyclopedia, then re-skin it to suit the vibe you're looking for.
Figleaf23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2013, 04:20 PM   #20
Not another shrubbery
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: Knowledgeable but not Smart

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCurwen3 View Post
I don't want them to be especially good at those skills. Or have an IQ that allows them to be clever and figure out stuff, or have a good memory. They're just well-read. They're the fictional archetype that knows about everything, but can't actually perform at a decent level at any skill. They've just read about it all - it's all academic, but they know about almost everything, but can't do anything useful. IQ 10 makes sense, as I want this person to be about average real world I.Q.

I guess how would you build an average I.Q. 100 guy that has spent virtually all their time reading about almost every subject matter but has never specialized, even a little bit, as isn't particularly good at feats of memory or of problem solving (as I.Q. 100 would suggest).
It looks like people are just not getting what you want from your description. Just based on your first post, Figleaf's idea is the way I would do it.
Not another shrubbery is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
intelligence, knowledge, limitation

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:56 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.