D&D General Alternate "Ability Scores"

[LuisCarlos17f]

Why not a "module", showed as an option in a future Unearthed Arcana sourcebook? We haven't to change the core rules, only to show an option. My idea is to help other publishers, or players who love homebred versions, to adapt their own franchises with a different rule system in the origin into the new d20 system. Or helping to created hybrid system mixing d20 with others because any players don't want to start learning a new system time after time.

OH MY GOD! We are going to need playtesting and feedback of UA to publish the paper-printed version of (5th Ed) UA!

 

[Faolyn]

[citation needed]

Many moons ago, in an early issue of Dragon Magazine, one of the staff writers--I want to say Roger Moore, but I'm probably wrong--had a tongue-in-cheek column on how to determine your D&D stats. Intelligence was basically your latest IQ test score divided by 10. Charisma was determined by how many times you had been interviewed by the press. I think Con was determined by how long it took you to run a mile. And so on.

Possibly from there, the Int = IQ/10 went memetic.

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Unrelated to your post, but to the discussions on Intelligence as a whole.

I worked with intellectually disabled adults for a living--people whose IQ had been measured at 70 and below, and who usually had other disabilities as well (cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, etc.). In the real world, this sort of low intelligence is caused by brain development issues that often also affects every other part of their body, physical, mental, and social.

In D&D terms, a human with an Int of 6 should have every other stat be low as well and wouldn't be as high-functioning as a D&D gorilla with an Int of 6. What this means is that a low-Int D&D character has an intelligence more akin to a dumb cartoon character than anything based in reality. So... anything goes, really.

 

[cbwjm]

I've seen lot of cases around here (not just these two examples) where a bunch of people swear more ability scores are needed. I've also seen a ton of other groups scream that we need less. The combination helps convince me that the 6 we have is just fine. The standard array may be not absolutely perfect in every way, but it's a reasonable method to model characters, tell a story, and play a game.

I'm generally fine with the current 6, I something think that adding in agility (splitting dexterity into two stats) like they've done in mutants &mastermindswould be a good idea, but I'm honestly fine with what we have. I've also thought about adding in their fighting stat as a way to model the strong bruiser who has trouble hitting the side of a barn but I think it would add a bit too much needless complexity to DnD.

 

[CubicsRube]

I am a big fan of Shadow of the Demon Lord's 4 stats - Strength, Agility, Intellect and Will. It has the great effect of making no stat truly a dump stat.

Agility is of course used for dodging, ranged attacks, defence etc in the way that DEX is in 5e. Strength encompasses the functions of CON and so is not something you'd want to dump either. Intellect for non spellcasters is used for the all important perception, and Will is for Will saves.

It also has the neat effect of making intellect and will viable stats for social interactions depending on your approach (intellect for using reason to convince, will for using emotions)

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

About Des I see a difference between "agility" and " technique". for example playing sports agility would be to steal the ball, but the technique would be to throw the ball into the basket. Agility would be for balance or fast reactions, but technique for prelearnt actions or more about a right coordination: playing music, dance, maneuvers/keys of martial arts, crafting, art. Agility would help to climb, but technique for silent movement to hunt.

 

[cbwjm]

About Des I see a difference between "agility" and " technique". for example playing sports agility would be to steal the ball, but the technique would be to throw the ball into the basket. Agility would be for balance or fast reactions, but technique for prelearnt actions or more about a right coordination: playing music, dance, maneuvers/keys of martial arts, crafting, art. Agility would help to climb, but technique for silent movement to hunt.

I think that's where the proficiency bonus comes in for 5e. Technique would be the proficiency bonus so that the better skilled have a higher proficiency bonus or expertise compared with those who just have raw agility who have 0.

If splitting dexterity into dexterity and agility then dexterity is used for ranged and finesse attacks and agility is used for AC and, I guess, initiative. Agility would also apply to stealth and acrobatics but things like thieves tools would key off dexterity. I think this would solve a large part of the problem for people who currently complain about dexterity being the god stat.