In Post#10, the list of combat mechanics according to the ability fivesome, is looking pretty good. I added a couple more things, and updated the Original Post with it.
[sblock=The Original Post used to look like this]
Athletics Score
• Attack bonus to melee. (Now standard weapons and finesse use the same ability for attack).
• Attack bonus to thrown weapons, like axe, boulder, and dagger.
• Checks to jump, climb, swim, and if applicable run, even fly by wings.
• Checks for bodily agility and mobility, for anything related to sports, gymnastics, etcetera.
• For completion, Athletics includes balance, running across tree limbs, brachiation, catching oneself before a fall, maneuvering a dive, rolling a landing from a fall, and so on.
• Reflex save to dodge.
• Endurance save versus fatigue.
Size Score
• Damage bonus to melee, like sword or kick. (Maybe not light or finesse weapons.)
• Damage bonus to thrown weapons, like axe or boulder. (Maybe not light or finesse).
• Reach in melee combat.
• Hit point bonus (where the body mass is tough to absorb impact, and little things are squishy).
• Access to heavy weapons.
• Access to heavy armor.
• (Maybe) lift and carry bonus; bigger bodies carry more.
Perception Score
• Attack bonus to missiles, like bows and guns, where steady hands and keen aim matter.
• Attack bonus to surprise sneak attacks, where target is unaware or helpless.
• Perception checks of physical senses to notice faint stimuli: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch.
(Even if perceived, perceivers might not recognize what they are looking at. See Education.)
• Perception save versus invisibility, hiddenness, darkness, fogginess. (Or passive defense.)
• Stealth bonus, to become less noticeable, move quietly, stay out of sight of target.
• Precision checks for tasks that require slow precise cautious movement.
• Bonus versus being surprised.
• Bonus to surprise.
• Checks for manual dexterity, alchemical measuring, craftsmanship, artistic technical skill.
Education Score
• (Maybe) damage bonus to missile weapons, such as bows and guns, where intelligence and training learns what to aim for and how to optimize trajectories.
• (Maybe) damage bonus to surprise sneak attack, versus target that is unaware or helpless.
• Damage bonus if successfully exploiting a vulnerability in a target.
• Knowledge checks to recognize vulnerability in target.
• Knowledge checks to recognize, investigate, or figure out an ambiguous perception.
• Access to complex technology or its equivalent.
• Book smarts.
• Bluff check; know enough about something to fake it, do forgery, fraud, or plausible falsehood.
Charm Score
• Social skills; including checks for persuasion, intimidation, and leadership to inspire.
• Saves versus persuasion and intimidation, charm and fear.
• Emotional intelligence; including empathy and insight into motivations of others.
• For completeness, includes academic discussions about psychology (instead of Education).
• Bonus to casting magical charm and fear, and similar.
• Will saves, sense of self, larger-than-life personal presence, willpower, personal magic.
• Telepathic combat if applicable.
Tier Score
• (Tier isnt really an ability, but represents general experience and ways to compensate for weaknesses, and comes with leveling, so is moreorless the same thing as the Proficiency bonus. Heh, but if I add a ‘T’, then the acronym becomes ASPECT. The combat ‘aspect’ quantifies the combat experience of a character.)
Interestingly, these five abilities − Athletics, Size, Perception, Education, and Charm − correspond to the trope of the ‘Five Guy Band’: Jock Guy, Protector Guy, Rogue Guy, Smart Guy, and Heart Guy, respectively. So this ability set may resonate with useful archetypes.
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[sblock=Now the Original Post looks like this]
Athletics
Body mobility, coordination, jump, tumble, speed, fitness, stamina, and gross motor skills.
• attack bonus to melee attack
• attack bonus to thrown weapon
• attack bonus to unarmed attack
• attack bonus to grapple versus Size
• attack bonus to shove versus Size
• Initiative bonus
• gymnastic check to jump, climb
• gymnastic check to catch from falling, or to roll landing after falling
• gymnastic tumble movement thru hostile space
• gymnastic check to balance, during movement or keeping still
• gymnastic check to perform a stunt
• bonus to charge attack
• reflex save to dodge to avoid hit
• quick draw
• sleight of hand (pickpocketing, distracting audience while finessing a legerdemain trick)
• AC bonus if no armor, or light or medium
• stamina check for lengthy endurance exercise
Size
Size, brute force, and toughness.
• damage bonus to melee attack
• damage bonus to unarmed attack
• damage bonus to thrown weapon (but not light weapon)
• bonus to resist shove
• bonus to break out of gappling hold
• hit point bonus while leveling
• prereq to use heavy weapons
• prereq to use heavy armors
• reach
• bonus to push
• lift, carry, push, pull
• fortitude save to withstand punishment
• hit dice to recover from combat
Perception
Physical senses, slow sensitive movements, precision, steady hand, and fine motor skills.
• Perception versus Stealth to determine surprise
• Attack bonus to ranged attack (bow, crossbow, gun)
• Attack bonus versus unaware or helpless (including Sneak Attack)
• Passive perception defense versus hidden, invisible, obscured, faint
• Perception check versus hidden, invisible, obscured, faint
• Stealth check to hide, move quietly
• Medicine check to stabilize dying
• Manual dexterity check to disable a trap
• Manual dexterity check to set a trap
• Disguise check to sculpt a convincing mask or replicate a forgery
• Perception check to see thru disguise
• Disbelieve save versus illusion
• Illusion sensory magic
Intelligence
Ways of knowing, intuition, discernment, education, memory, calculation, and anticipation.
• Damage bonus to ranged attack (bow, crossbow, gun)
• Damage bonus versus unaware or helpless (including Sneak Attack)
• Knowledge check for weakness in target (low ability, damage type vulnerability)
• Knowledge check to discern if creature is Undead
• After Perception: Investigate check to recognize/discern what is going on from obscure clue
• Deception check to falsify plausible information
• Lucidity save versus confusion
• Intuition check to get a ‘vibe’, or discern/deduce a special insight, for unknown situation
• Arcane check to identify spell effects
• Wizard scholarly magic
• Cleric intuitive magic
Charm
Social skills, sense of self, empathy, willpower, and influence.
• Willpower save versus charm, fear, domination
• Sanity save versus madness, corruption, etcetera
• Persuasion check to avoid combat, end combat, or gain ally in combat
• Intimidation check to avoid combat, end combat, or gain ally in combat
• Empathy insight check to identify mood and motive
• Performance check to distract a targets attention
• Check to find best person to talk to to extract information
• Inspiration to boost morale
• Bard social magic
• Paladin willpower magic
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