• Strength
• Dexterity
• Intelligence
• Charisma
Earlier, I mentioned dropping Constitution from the abilities because it is too passive. In this approach, it merges into Strength. Here the Strength-Constitution merger, emphasizes the aspect of "size". So a Strength score of 17 or higher is Large, or is at least the requirement for a character to be Large. In other words, this Strength merger is more like what some other systems call "Might". Big and tough.
Keep in mind, being Large turns out (accidentally) to balance in 5e. The limitation of only one reaction per round, means only one opportunity attack per round. Thus, reach can be nice, but doesnt matter too much because there is only one target per round. 5e can handle Large characters, well.
Hit points, size, Constitution, and Strength correlate strongly in D&D statistics. The divergences in this correlation can be understood as more like different skills that key off of Strength. Carrying capacity strongly correlates off of size. Thus Weighttraining is a skill that keys off of Strength, in the sense of size. Similarly, large "heavy" weapons also key off of Strength. Heavy armors to be effective also correlate with Strength. Big and tough is a trope, and Strength continues to handle both fortitude and hit points, as well as size, reach, access to heavy gear, and heavy damage dealing. In relation to the Weighttraining skill, Strength contests such as bend bars and lift gates, things that relate to "brute force", are Strength (Weighttraining) checks. Because the need for "endurance training" is too passive, and seldom happens during a D&D game, the Weighttraining skill also handles any endurance training checks that happen every now and then. So, swimming in a stormy sea might call for a Strength (Weighttraining) check in the sense of fortitude and resisting any undertow of waves.
Strength becomes highly appealing ability, considering the heavier damage, the application of brute force to overcome obstacles, the higher hit points, the fortitude, and the flavor of being big and tough can be fun.
Strength correlates with size. Here, the dwarf concept now tends toward a high Strength concept in the sense toughness, but not size in the sense of tallness. In my setting, it is because the dwarf is actually made out of rock. This concept of Strength goes for density rather than height. Even in official D&D, the dwarf situation is something like that, if perhaps not so literally a rock. A dwarf character with a high Strength meets the minimum requirement to be Large, but the player chooses to remain Medium. The dwarf goes for density and broadness, rather than height, and still gains all of the advantages of high Strength, except for reach, but the dwarf can use a heavy reach weapon that does extend reach. Where the dwarf is strong is fine with me. In the Norse view, the dvergar is paradigmatically strong. Like a rock, the dvergar can hold up and support an almost unlimited weight. Things that hold things up, like the buckle that holds the dress up to the shoulder strap, and the rocks that form the "four pillars" that hold up the sky, are all "dvergar". The dwarf is almost unlimitedly strong, especially when it comes to carrying capacity, whence the Weighttraining skill.
Minimum Score: Possible Size
Strength 25: Gargantuan
Strength 21: Huge
Strength 17: Large
Strength 13: Heavyweight (Medium)
Strength 9: Lightweight (Medium)
Strength 5: Small
Strength 1: Tiny
Note, since record keeping, humans have not quite reached 10 feet, but men and women have reached quite close. For a humanoid biped, these human heights are easily Large.
Where Strength correlates with toughness, size, and Weightlifting, Dexterity becomes stronger in the sense of being able to lift and maneuver ones own weight. Dexterity now handles ALL Athletic-Acrobatic skill checks. Acrobatics merges into Athletics. Any body stunt is a Dexterity (Athletics) check, including running, jumping, falling, climbing, balancing, tumbling, and so on. In this sense, Dexterity means body dexterity, thus athletic, in the sense of gymnastic and swashbuckling. To "climb up a rope" and "swing from a chandelier" are both Dexterity (Athletics) checks. Dexterity is one-stop-shopping for all swashbuckling needs. A player who wants gymnastic physical stunts, invests in Dexterity to do it all.
The trope of big and clumsy, means high Strength and low Athletics. Brutes are not necessarily agile. If a Large creature is unusually agile, it means both high Strength and high Dexterity.
I am so tempted to give manual dexterity − aiming a bow, painting a hyperrealistic picture, knitting a sweater − to Intelligence. But for the sake of familiar D&D-isms, Dexterity is both body dexterity as well as manual dexterity. Heh, the upshot is, characters who are highly gymnastic tend to also knit really nice shirts. On the other hand, many D&D-ism now start making much more sense. For example, Dexterity in the sense of dodge and reflex, where a character apparently makes sudden high jumps to leap up out of the way, now sensibly relate to the Dexterity (Athletics) checks. For reflex to make sense, is worth bringing in knitting. Likewise, any hesitancy about "finesse" weapons are gone. Dexterity means athleticism and body coordination. So, "Dexterity" means both body dexterity (athletic prowess) and manual dexterity (fine motor skills). This is natural English, and is probably what most D&D players have in mind anyway − despite the previous mechanics.
So, we only need four ability scores. Thematically, they work quite well.
• Strength (including fortitude and size)
• Dexterity (including Athletics)
• Intelligence (including Perception)
• Charisma (including Willpower)
