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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 5784950" data-attributes="member: 59082">I haven't been able to keep up with all of the threads here, so I don't know if this has been discussed, but Mike Mearls dropped a pretty big hint about the new core of 5E way back in July of last year in <a href="http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20110705" target="_blank">Legends & Lore</a> in which he discussed Abilities as "The Mechanical Core of D&D." Here is a relevant quote:   "…and your entire game engine has its foundation." There you have it: Mike Mearls proclaiming what the mechanical core of 5E will be, the ability scores themselves.     And think about it for a moment. Let's say that ability scores aren't simply raw attributes, as they are often understood to be, but capacity in different areas of activity and ability (thus "abilities" rather than "attributes"). So, for example, Strength is not a measure of raw strength (that is, physical power) but how good a character is at doing strength-related tasks, that is raw strength in a specific context of activity. Some game designers through their systems have argued that attributes are useless statistics in and of themselves; there is no "strength" in a vacuum, only strength relative to related tasks.      One could argue, then, that ability scores could be done away with altogether, but that is only if they are raw attributes which I don't think they need to be. What if, instead, they were general categories that described different areas of activity or ability? They could then form the basis for everything a character can do, from skills to combat to magic to defenses. And they could also form a simple core from which more detail could be unpacked. For instance, the "Complexity Dial" could be turned to different settings:     - Ability Score (e.g. Strength) - Skill Group (e.g. Athletics, Melee/Blades, Melee/Axes, etc)  - Skill Specialty (e.g. Climb Walls, longsword, great axe, etc)     This gives three basic complexity degrees. The second and third degrees are derived from taking the first degree and "unpacking it", which further modifications possible through modular options like <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20110809" target="_blank">"skill talents"</a>, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20110927" target="_blank">"skill ranks,"</a> feats, and other special traits. If one wanted to "dial it up" from the simple core game in which all skills and character capacities are reduced to the six ability scores, there could be a standard modifier (to that ability) that is traded in for modular options. In other words, when creating and developing a character, the player can either take the "default mod"--sort of like the standard deduction in taxes--or they can customize their characters through feats, talents, etc.</blockquote>

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