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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 6347124" data-attributes="member: 2067">My rather limited experience with Basic so far is that the hard cap of 20 plus the speed of combat and the broader adventure focus does a LOT to incent people to not care too much about one stat (especially one fightin' stat). Folks thought processes as I've seen them include<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> "Well, I just need to hit 20 by level 20, and I'm already 15, and I've got a lot of levels."</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> "Okay, so I hit on a 6 instead of on a 7, and the goblins already go down in one hit. It's not a big deal."</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> "Your STR can kill a guy, but my CHA can get us through him without losing any HP and he'll thank us for it."</li> </ul>Anecdote ain't worth much, but I do think that overall there's a change in the focus on high ability scores that, heck, even 1e and 2e kept pretty intense (ah, Prime Requisites). 5e might prove to be very accommodating of mediocre scores. I hope that's the case! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />So if I'm hearing right, it sounds like keying different ability scores to swingin' around swords helps play a character that actually swings around swords in different ways. Just as the "finesse" wielder (using DEX) uses precision and fine motor control, a "tactical" wielder (using INT) might read body language and remember attack patterns, and a "driven" wielder (using CHA) would stare her targets directly in the eyes as her blade comes for their throat.That sounds cool! And it definitely looks like this version of the paladin doesn't do that out of the box. They can augment their powerful sword blows with divine blessings and grace, but it is still clear that they are driving these blows with their muscles as they don't ignore STR, either. Hmm...might not be a bad alternative for lay on hands? [SECTION]Indomitable AttackerWhen making a melee attack with a weapon, you use your choice of Strength or Charisma modifier for the attack and damage rolls, using the same modifier for both rolls.[/SECTION]I think where I'd most like to see this, though, rather than in a subclass, is in a more flexible option that any character can use for any ability score. Something perhaps akin to the feat in 4e that let you use whatever ability score for basic attack rolls you wanted ("martial training" IIRC?). Tentatively, I could see a feat in 5e that lets you use an ability score of your choice for melee or ranged attacks (or even as a spellcasting ability or AC!), and gives you a +1 to that ability score. There's a tradition of zen archers and the like. And it'd be kind of awesome to see STR-powered wizards and CON-powered axe-throwers. There's no reason to believe that we'll see such a feat in the PHB, but that feels in the realm of "things a feat can do." I can see a few reasons why the designers might not have wanted to go this route (for instance, if you just dog-pile your melee attacks, ranged attacks, spellcasting, AC, even saving throws just all onto DEX, then suddenly you're better than everyone else and all you had to do was link everything to DEX!), but with finesse weapons and monk and barbarian AC's and the like, there is some dabbling in this area, so they can't be TOO averse to it. If there's some deeper reason, it might be a good DMG module anyway. Swapping an ability score out for another should be a pretty painless exercise.</blockquote>

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