Bree-Hobbits now have the highest Parry in the game

[Zulgolra]

Do not forget please, that there are no real warrior-callings (and so rulewise no warriors in TOR) except maybe "leader".
This is the beauty of TOR: The callings (from the core rules at least) do not make you better at combat, so a wanderer is as adversible as a treasure hunter or as a warden, or even a scholar..!

Because a calling is no "class" but a calling, a function you were ment for and therefore a way to tend to things and to do them.
So in consequence backgrounds with higher wits are not necessarily non-warriors.
Maybe a scholar is like the very educated Faramir, listening to wizards all the time. You still would consider a captain of Gondor a warrior, wouldn't you!?

[Stormcrow]

Because a calling is no "class" but a calling, a function you were ment for and therefore a way to tend to things and to do them.
So in consequence backgrounds with higher wits are not necessarily non-warriors.

Yes, but don't take that too far or you get to the point where every player character is a warrior and the game is a string of fights. The game already skirts dangerously close to that. Hobbits are quite the fighters in The One Ring, even if you don't try to make them such.

[atgxtg]

The mechanics of TOR don't make this distinction; everything is averaged into the Parry score.

Yes, and that's the problem, becuase..

...being a studious sort does not automatically mean you are better at blocking weapon strikes with your own weapon.

No, but it does mean that you will have a better Wits score and thus a higher Parry score. And so a functionally better defense. That's why the Bree Hobbit thing is pinging the radar. In the game it's a LOT easier for a high Wits character to develop combat skills over time (the higher Parry helps a lot) than it is for someone with good combat skills to somehow improve his Parry all that much.

[Indur Dawndeath]

A scholar would not choose a reinforced shield nor a combat oriented virtue for better parry.
Yes, a smart warrior who is quick and nimble will be hard to hit compared to a warrior with focus on strength and endurance.

I recomend that you decide what type of character you want to play first, and then decide how the attributes should be.

High wits is not equal to a scholar, just a smart person.

A strong and stupid warrior is not as dangerous as a smart one

[Stormcrow]

...being a studious sort does not automatically mean you are better at blocking weapon strikes with your own weapon.

No, but it does mean that you will have a better Wits score and thus a higher Parry score.

No, it doesn't mean that. Let's take a look through some backgrounds, shall we?

Bardings (Range of Wits: 2-4)
The only "studious" background is Wordweaver: "you look forward to your chance to win renown with your cunning." Body 4, Heart 6, Wits 4; Favored Skill: Riddle.

Beornings (Range of Wits: 2-4)
There are two "studious" backgrounds, who store old tales:

• Keeper of Tales: "You treasure [your grandfather's] tales as an invaluable inheritance." Body 6, Heart 5, Wits 3; Favored Skill: Lore.
• Voice from the Past: "The elders and ancient warriors of your tribe spend the long evening hours talking in front of the hearth... you loved to listen to their wise words as they exchanged tales and songs..." Body 7, Heart 4, Wits 3; Favored Skill: Song.

Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain (Range of Wits: 4-6)
Eloquent Orator is the tale-teller of the dwarves: "But the words that come easier to your lips are those recounting deeds of courage and valour or, even better, those exalting the craft of your forefathers in works of cunning and skill." Body 5, Heart 4, Wits 5; Favored Skill: Persuade.

Elves of Mirkwood (Range of Wits: 5-7)
I'd call these two more intellectual than the others:

• A Musical Legacy: "[Your father's] talent [for minstrelsy] passed along to you, but transformed into a love for the music that lies in plain speech." Body 5, Heart 4, Wits 5; Favored Skill: Courtesy.
• Envoy of the King: "Standing by [your father's] side, you have learnt much in a handful of months, more than in years spent in the gilded cage of your home." Body 6, Heart 2, Wits 6; Favored Skill: Lore.

Hobbits of the Shire (Range of Wits: 4-6)
A Good Listener: This is as scholarly as hobbit backgrounds get. Body 4, Heart 7, Wits 4; Favored Skill: Riddle.

Woodmen of Wilderland (Range of Wits: 5-7)
Wizard's Pupil: "Many years ago, you and your sisters and brothers used to challenge each other to recall the stories depicted in the woven tapestries hung along the walls of the great hall of Rhosgobel... [Radagast] taught you that there are important lessons to be learnt from the past..." Body 3, Heart 5, Wits 6.

These backgrounds do not call for the maximum Wits possible in a culture; some even call for the lowest possible Wits. Conclusion: the more intellectual backgrounds do NOT necessarily call for higher Wits. Wits ≠ intelligence. Intelligence is a component of Wits, but so are levelheadedness and perceptiveness. A character could be very intelligent but panics easily and is focused inward; that character would have low Wits even though he is very intelligent. Or a character could be very levelheaded and perceptive but not especially intelligent; that character would have high Wits even with average intelligence.

So: if you want to justify a higher Parry for a high-Wits character who is not a regular combatant, evaluate his levelheadedness and perceptiveness.