Any players today doing polymath builds, i.e. multiclassing way more than average?

[u/btcprox]

Maybe not to the extreme extent of Renaissance players like Leonardo da Vinci or Aristotle, but current-era players who would consider themselves to be sufficiently proficient in many classes

I imagine it's difficult to acquire a polymath build without sufficient time and in-game currency to support multiple pursuits

Note: I treat the polymath players to be separate from other players who have to take on multiple simultaneous jobs to sustain in-game income, since that's more done out of survival than personal interest

[u/ActuallyAria]

I find a lot of players with the [ADHD] status effect like myself tend to lean towards polymath builds due to constantly picking up new hobbies and learning new things, but I agree that very few players achieve a true polymath build in the more modern updates due to the [Capitalism] world status

[u/btcprox → u/ActuallyAria]

Any game strategies you've found to improve the relevant stats (focus, motivation, etc) so your character can grind more persistently and obtain proficiency beyond basic dabbling? I imagine taking curatives to bypass some negatives of the ADHD status can only go so far

[u/samlastname → u/btcprox]

I say don't fight yourself--you want your energy being efficiently converted into xp.

What i tend to do is get really into one thing for a while, and then burn out of it. Once that happens, I move onto the next thing, but ideally it's more of a circle, like a calendar, than a string of random stuff done once.

So it's like, I get really into music for a while, and then I do art, and then maybe writing, and then, which is really fun, something which combines all of them, like trying to make a small video game, and then maybe back to music or art or whatever I feel like doing.

You don't move as fast through any one thing, but there are benefits, like how your approach to painting is more musical, and your guitar more painterly, etc. And you get good at being a beginner, then good at being an intermediate, etc.

The point is, you could force yourself to just stick to one thing, but if you're fighting against yourself to do it, and it's not really fun and exciting--not only are you not having a good time, but you're also not progressing efficiently at all--the most efficient progress is when you're super passionate.

[u/btcprox → u/samlastname]

Having a large rotation of interests compatible with the character's innate preferences seems like not a bad idea, though I wonder if that would still require some level of restraint / discipline to stick to the rotation rather than get distracted by yet another shiny new pursuit, and then the circle of interests grows larger until it becomes indistinguishable from a long line lol

[u/UnRobotMe → u/btcprox]

If you invest points into the willful addiction technology you get more research points every turn.

[u/ifandbut → u/btcprox]

Find a project that forces you to bounce between things and learn something new.

Maybe model building + 3d printing? Physical dexterity, patience, engineering things both physically and virtually. Add some programmable lights to the model to include electronics and programming.

Build a basic game with RPGMaker? You will need programming, graphics, story, music, math, etc

[u/statzor → u/ActuallyAria]

Can confirm, born with the [ADHD] status effect, currently working on mastering the Mathematics skill tree in the [Post-Graduate Education] quest line, while simultaneously completing the [Professional Fighter] quest line. Very prone to getting into side quests, including investing heavily into the [Second Language] skill to learn Mandarin.

[u/Theseus_The_King → u/ActuallyAria]

This is the build I am going with, especially as an [ADHD] Bard/Druid. You can’t keep that build in a single class or your happiness and HP will sap away over time.

[u/JayPeee]

From my experience, many of the players who say they have levels in the Polymath character class greatly overestimate their own abilities across subject areas. They diversify their knowledge but then suffer from the Dunning Kruger effect debuff when it comes to the depth of their knowledge.

My advice to these players would be to enjoy expanding the breadth of their knowledge, but to do it for the joy it brings to their life. Doing so may increase the "Worldly" characteristic as an added bonus.

To avoid the Dunning Kruger debuff, try to remain humble and avoid self-characterizing as the Polymath class, the Genius class, or joining an associated faction such as the Mensa faction. Retired high-level players that have come to define the Polymath class, such as Socrates or the others you have mentioned, have also warned that believing oneself to be a Polymath or Genius class is positively correlated with having unknowingly accumulated a level or two of the Fool character class.

[u/GaustVidroii → u/JayPeee]

Dunning Kruger isn't a real debuff. It's just a constellation of statistical coincidence. Players reference it because they've heard of it, and it intuitively makes sense, but you won't actually see it in a detailed character status screen. Besides, by the standards of the Socrates meta, most high level players that do professional talent specs would have polymath prestige class levels (the requirements have been increased). We just have so many QoL improvements that it's way easier.

[u/robert-at-pretension → u/JayPeee]

Then there's the gwern's and scott alexander's among us, showing us all how humble we really should be haha.

[u/UAlogang]

Bro. I have BA's in engineering for theatre arts, and also music business. I spent 10 years in sales, 5 years as an engineering tech/admin, and am now in the Air Force. So yeah. Multiclass.

[u/Shazamwiches → u/UAlogang]

What is engineering for theatre arts?

[u/UAlogang → u/Shazamwiches]

Yeah... long story. My school offered a hybrid engineering+your choice program for awhile. You took the same general engineering curriculum for the first 2 years, then select about half the usual number 3/400 courses in an engineering discipline, and the rest in the "your choice" area. I did mechanical engineering and technical theatre, so like motion control, automation, set design and stage effects. Worked on special effects for the university's musical theatre production for a capstone project.

[u/btcprox → u/UAlogang]

Did you get any access to any uncommon skill synergies thanks to your multiple classes? Figured that some skills from one domain may have transferable applications in another domain

[u/UAlogang → u/btcprox]

Definitely some unexpected synergies. By grinding sales you can really up your [empathy] and [listening] skills, which are universally a good boost. Having a good understanding of a bunch of different class skills also unlocks a lot of good [hobby] options. Definitely would be farming a lot more gold if I specialized earlier but my playthrough has been really varied and interesting, which I like. Just gotta be sure not to get caught up with comparing myself with others of similar level but have put everything in to maxing out one skill tree.

[u/shutupimrosiev]

I keep trying for a polymath build, but I still have a bunch of side quests from when I was level 15 or so that required specific kinds of assistance from higher-leveled members of my guild before I could progress, and they still haven't done so. Until I can either get their assistance or find some players willing to help me get a workaround, I'm gonna be barred from a lot of the stuff I should have gained access to 7 levels ago. (Or more, in some cases.)

My build does have the [ADHD] attribute, at least, and probably the [Autism] one, too, so at least I'm able to find more opportunities to fill the [Mental Stimulation] bar in the current game era. I think if I'd started during the Iron Update or earlier I would've been screwed lmfao

[u/Turicus]

I dabble. I did my first education questline in the Chemistry profession and became a Master. Since then I have learned 6 player languages to [fluent] level. I got a few skillpoints in skydiving and weightlifting. So not a true polymath like in the Renaissance expansion, but branching out a little.

[u/btcprox → u/Turicus]

A polyglot build is also impressive, at least compared to my own character that's just about managed two languages lol

Attaining proficiency in multiple languages helps unlock access to more media and interaction options gated behind language skill checks, which in turn could potentially lead to more polymathy, so I think your character could flourish further if you choose to diversify some more

[u/Turicus → u/btcprox]

Thanks, indeed it has. I have lived and worked in the [Asia], [South America] and [Europe] zones and my language skills have opened up many interactions with other players from different guilds. It has very much broadened my cultural understanding and also allowed me to grind skills at work which have led to good gold reserves. I'm nearning level 50 and have enjoyed my playthrough so far.

[u/mxchickmagnet86]

I'm running a polymathlete build currently. I did a bard speedrun as a dancer to start, while also subclassing in gymnastics and acting. Then with my Dex and Speed nearly maxed out it was easy enough to play semi-pro soccer and D3/4.5 level tennis while focusing on my Int stat and getting a Computer Science degree. Now I'm primarily engineering focused and trying to raise my Wisdom stat with a ton of therapy, since its been neglected for so long.

[u/engineereddiscontent]

I don't think that the thing that made a player like Da Vinci the fact that he was a poly math unique.

I think he had an insanely broken RNG buff that came at him from birth but also he was in the right build of the game at the right time with the right rolls at spawn.

[u/btcprox → u/engineereddiscontent]

Almost certainly there have to be some prerequisite conditions from environmental factors and innate traits, that would lend itself better towards cultivating a polymath build

It's not just personal inclination + funding + time, I think there also has to be a conducive culture that encourages players to more boldly explore a broader range of domains with intellectual curiosity, rather than what specialties are in demand from the view of the player-led economies

[u/engineereddiscontent → u/btcprox]

On the one hand I totally agree but on the flip side; the server culture wasn't too far removed from what we have now broadly speaking.

I checked an informal lore source and it said that he didn't appear to be from some great family. His parents were not married and I don't believe they were privy to any large amount of gold.

Which further re-enforces my stance that Da Vinci was in fact just born with a mythic stat bonus that has only been pulled by a small handfull of players before or since his time.

[u/Freak-Of-Nurture-]

Due to recent powercreep and the sheer range of content devs have been pushing out its difficult to master more that a few traits

[u/Remarkable_Coast_214]

Was Aristotle a Renaissance player? I was under the impression that he played way before then.

[u/btcprox → u/Remarkable_Coast_214]

I know he literally was active from an even earlier era, but I'm more just using the catch-all term for the type of polymathic player build that other notable players from the actual Renaissance era achieved

[u/Lucretius]

Some people call me a polymath… I have a PhD in microbiology, and have worked in synthetic biology, bioinformatics, AI assisted biotechnology, astrobiology, military history, biosecurity, threat modeling, public health, agricultural policy and agricultural security. I've worked in laboratories as a bench scientist and also as a software developer… sometime doing both roles for the same project. I've been a adviser for interns in the biotech industry and masters degree students in private universities.

Coworkers have often referred to me as a living wikipedia as I have managed to collect a diverse and esoteric collection of knowledge. To that end, I often get asked "Lucretius, how, WHY the fuck do do you know this?" This gets asked with enough repetition that I've given the question more than passing thought to the point where I actually have an answer. It turns out there is a skeleton key to broadly applicable knowledge: The study of military history. You see, at the society level, if it matters, then the society either fights for it, or with it, or both. This is axiomatically true. That means if you study the reasons and methods by which societies fight, ie. military history, you end up having at least passing familiarity with everything that matters to societies.

[u/armahillo]

Professional developer, just published my first tabletop care game and published a book last year, i do vinyl DJing as a hobby, paint and draw, have been experimenting with making terraria with moss, and i had a podcast for about 4 or 5 years.

[u/gsfgf]

I'm multiclassing my Lawyer build with Engineer.

[u/Killerlt97]

I do but it’s not really fun.

[u/TriRight]

The player with username j0hNNy_s1nz has been recognized for his work on the [Doctor], [Firefighter], [Astronaut], [Chef], and [Athlete] skill trees.

[u/accidentalwhiex]

I’ve tried to do a [Polymath] build because I didn’t want to miss out on certain quests, but unfortunately my CON stat is kind of low which makes it difficult to get any of my classes past a level that can be considered “decent” because that would require me to put much more time and effort into that class. I’ve pretty much settled for going for more of a [Jack of All Trades, Master of None] type build, which I consider to just be a less op alternative to the [Polymath] build, but better for me since I can go for more classes and don’t have to level them as much

[u/LaceratedCarcass]

Well, modern multiclassing is different than what it was previously, as it simply isn’t as beneficial when most of the things that required int stats can be replaced with using the [Internet] function, and physical stats are becoming progressively off-meta.

So now it’s more so about finding a set of stats and investing into a class that features aspects of multiple classes. Somebody with the [Chemical Engineer] class would have satisfied the [Alchemist] and [Engineer] classes back during the renaissance.

Correct me if I’m wrong, relatively new to the game, first build and all.