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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Michael Morris" data-source="post: 6007000" data-attributes="member: 87">Today I'm going to move off of class implementation and look at ability scores.  The classic six: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma. Here I'm considering strongly a change that violates the very foundation of what makes a d20 game a d20 game - removing an ability score.Let me make the primary reason for this choice clear - numerology. If we remove an ability we have 5 abilities.  5 alignments. 5 types of magic - see a pattern?But beyond the thematic tie in, it can solve a couple of problems.  First, the fact that players would pick a stat to be a "dump" stat hints that there are too many ability scores to begin with.  But also, the most frequent choice of dump stat - charisma, would imply that this stat gets shorted a bit.Unless you are a spellcaster intelligence and wisdom also get low priority, but if most of the existing charisma skills are divided between these two their importance gets promoted.Finally, it should be of note that I've been playing a lot of a game called Savage Worlds published by Pinnacle Games and it also has 5 stats and no charisma as a core ability.  In that game especially high charisma can be chosen as an edge, and especially low charisma can be chosen as a hindrance, but on the whole the game gets along just fine without a charisma stat (there is a charisma "derived stat")So perhaps that's an influence as well.Next is the issue of which numbers.  Green Ronin's Blue Rose game took off with the idea of dispensing with the ability scores and just using modifiers as scores.  That's along the right track, but I still like the 3-18 spread and want to use it.  In the Legends & Lore articles Mike Mearls (or was it Monte Cook?) discussed the idea of having ability scores be target numbers.  It seems they've went with this idea, but to make it work they're locking ability score progressions down to a 1-25 range overall.I dislike this idea immensely - I'm rather found of the open ended ability scores of 3e.  But it does point out that if ability scores are to be the target number, the current ability modifier scheme is unworkable.  To wit, the ability modifier of a giant with a 31 strength is +10, but d20+10 can never hit DC 31. And it gets worse past that point.There is a solution which I personally disliked when I first realized it, but have warmed up to it since.  When actively testing an ability, let the ability modifier to the roll be ability score - 10.  This creates an open ended schema as two characters of any ability score will have equal odds against each other if they have the same ability score.But it does involve math inflation.  At 1st level a character with an 18 ability is rolling d20+8 for that ability.The system also allows, if the DM wishes, to let the players make all the rolls.  To dodge an attack by an orc with a 15 strength is a dexterity test. Some players and DMs might balk at this while others embrace it just as rabidly, but having the system at its heart not care either way is a great boon.Oh, on the issue of alignment and ability scores...  Each alignment favors one ability score as follows: Valra - Wisdom, Balcra - Intelligence, Sodra - Dexterity, Shunra - Strength, Abora - Constitution.  Returning to the previous post on classes this creates the following relations:Barbarian - STR, CONBard - INT, CON Cleric - DEX, WIS Druid - CON, WISFighter - STR, WISMonk - INT, WISRanger - CON, DEXRogue - INT, DEXSorcerer - STR, DEXWizard - STR, INTMost of these pairings aren't surprising, and all the classes have at least one of their classic prime requisites associated with their color. The Barbarian, Druid, Ranger, and Rogue are especially well matched.  Wizards paired with strength is the biggest stand out, though it makes sense with the thought that their magic is physically the strongest of the five types, even if the wizard himself isn't strong.These aren't absolute of course and still in progress.  If anyone can come up with a better arrangement I'm all ears.</blockquote>

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