D&D 5E Making every point count: Ability Mod Variant

[DND_Reborn]

I've often wanted to make every point of an ability score count. It seems like a fairly concept. Without putting to much thought into it yet, here is my proposed house rule:

Ability modifier = Ability Score - 10 (if your strength is 18 you get a +8 to hit and damage)
DC = ability score + proficiency
AC would need to be modified so that plate = 23, but it provides for more granularity for AC options

I understand your goal, but for myself when I've looked into it there is just too much that needs to be changed.

Other than feats which offer a +1 ASI and races which get a +1 to an ability score, most modifications are +2 which result in a +1 bonus.

I've more thought about removing scores completely and just use the modifiers. Few places where the actual scores matter really and then your argument is really more about making every point of modifier count--which they already do.

 

[Esker]

Could you compress the rolls a bit more by succeeding on a tie only if your natural roll is odd? Assuming you don't know the DC beforehand.

Hmm, so this would be equivalent to saying that your ability modifier goes up on even scores against even DCs and on odd scores against odd DCs (or vice versa, depending on whether proficiency is even or odd). It's mostly like giving you an extra 2.5% chance of success for each point of your ability score, except that it's really 5% half the time and 0% the other half the time (assuming even and odd DCs are equally common). It has the slightly weird effect that you're better or worse for several rolls in a row against the same enemy, but that doesn't seem like a huge problem.

 

[Esker]

To keep this from being crazy, how about Presumed Competence? Where you rely more on proficiency modifiers for d20 rolls.

Your save DCs are 8 + 2*Proficiency (so 12 at level 1, up to 20 at level 17). Your attack rolls are 2*proficiency (so +4 at level 1, up to +12 at level 17).

"Vanilla" you get +5 to +11 attack and DC 13 to 19 saves. With this, you have +4 to +12 attack, and DC 12 to 20 saves.

Attributes still add to saves, skill checks and damage, where they are scaled up as you suggest: your modifier is (attribute - 10). Having a 20 strength gives you a +10 strength save, which makes strength-based spells not work well on you.

So a level 1 duelist fighter with 15 strength does a +4 attack for 1d8+7 damage.

"Double proficiency" (aka expertise) instead adds a flat +3.

This keeps max skill modifier more under control:
Before: +5 (stat) + 12 (expertise) = +17
Afterwards: +10 (stat) +9 (expertise) = +19

Next, we can have the rule that if your proficiency modifier is greater than your attribute modifier, you get to use your proficiency modifier. So someone with 8 int and arcana training at level 1 has a +4 arcana, but someone with a 14 int and arcana training has a +6 arcana.

That'll keep attributes from dominating skill checks completely. You can be an idiot who knows a bunch of history (8 int, +5 proficiency mod, expertise means you have a +13 history check).

Saves remain unchanged.

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Adult Blue Dragon CR 16 has a save DC of 18 on everything, because it is based off of Proficiency not stats now.

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This can cause some spellcasters to not care about stats, because the important bit (save DCs) is decoupled.

It's an interesting system, but it's a massive overhaul with massive effects on balance; well beyond giving value to those in between scores. It also somewhat undermines the original goal in that it makes ability score differences not matter at all for more things (and in certain ranges).

 

[CubicsRube]

I'd thought about it as well, but there's so many changes i came to the conclusion I'd change it to:

Ability scores = modifier. So range -1 to 5. ASIs and other bonuses are /2

 

[Esker]

Or, you could just double proficiency, DCs and AC, make modifiers ability-10, and use a d40 (i.e., roll a d4 for the tens place, treating 4 as 0, and a d10 for the 1s place) to resolve everything in place of a d20.

 

[Don Durito]

I don't think I'd do this in 5E. Too much fiddling around. You'd have to rework all the races. +2 is now too powerful, while if you halve the bonus what happens to the +1s?

But it's a great system for hacking out a much simpler version of the game.
You could just about eliminate proficiencies all together. At 20 Strength you're at +10 which is just one point of the maximum you could get with ability + proficiency anyway.

It would also mean that your ability score is identical with the passive score. (Meaning they would actually matter).

 

[Jediking]

I've seen (but never played with) some homebrew where an odd score will give an earlier bonus to skill checks, but not attack, damage, or saving throw. This keeps the "major" (ie combat) rolls still balanced, but gives a little extra bump to odd scores and improving skills.

Eg. A level 1 character proficient in Athletics with a STR score of 15 (mod +2) would have +4 to hit, +2 damage, but have +5 to Athletics, not +4 . If the character increased their Str score to 16, they would then have +5 to hit, +3 damage, but still have +5 to Athletics. Increasing to 17 would then bump Athletics to +6 but nothing else.

 

[Flamestrike]

You could have it so you only pass an ability check or saving throw result that matches the DC exactly if your ability score is an odd number.

 

[dave2008]

Or, you could just double proficiency, DCs and AC, make modifiers ability-10, and use a d40 (i.e., roll a d4 for the tens place, treating 4 as 0, and a d10 for the 1s place) to resolve everything in place of a d20.

I would probably just use 2d20

 

[DND_Reborn]

I would probably just use 2d20

You rebel you!!