D&D General Four Ability Scores
Why not just simplify it even more and make it more elegant? Just use physical and mental for TWO abilites as you almost concluded but didn't quite make the jump--I even bolded it for ya.
As much as I think the Big Six are... less than ideal... I really don't think cutting them down even further is the way to go.
Strength and Constitution can be combined, or not, while Dexterity definitely needs to be split into two abilities. And the three mental abilities just do not serve any coherent purpose whatsoever in their current form.
Strength and Constitution can be combined, or not, while Dexterity definitely needs to be split into two abilities. And the three mental abilities just do not serve any coherent purpose whatsoever in their current form.
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Has anyone actually tried running their D&D game with only four stats? If they have... then it's more beneficial to all of us here on the boards if you tell all of us how it went.
Just saying "The game should be X!" is absolutely useless. No one's going to just decide to change their game because of the whim of some poster just talking out loud... someone who keeps saying "This is how it should be!" but apparently never actually doing it themselves. Why should any of us listen to that person? Don't talk the talk if you aren't walking the walk.
Just saying "The game should be X!" is absolutely useless. No one's going to just decide to change their game because of the whim of some poster just talking out loud... someone who keeps saying "This is how it should be!" but apparently never actually doing it themselves. Why should any of us listen to that person? Don't talk the talk if you aren't walking the walk.
Paul Farquhar
Legend
If I where going to drop any mental ability score it would be Charisma. Intelligence is very different to wisdom.
Aldarc
Legend
I would drop Wisdom. It attempts to be too much - perception, willpower, intuition, some knowledge - and it does trample on both Intelligence (some forms of knowledge, interpretive insight, etc.) and Charisma (willpower). The justification that Wisdom includes common sense is a strike against it rather than for it, since the idea that high wisdom characters demonstrate high common sense is laughable. I don't think that Intelligence and Wisdom are that different even when people cite the clueless professor or the like.
DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
Well, originally will power was part of Wisdom. Although many people seem to think it is part of Charisma now, nowhere in the Charisma description is will power listed.
LuisCarlos17f
Legend
I don't agree.
My house rule is adding four more:
Astuteness (social manipulation or creativity to improvise).
Technique (art, playing, martial arts and maneuvers, dance, crafting)
Courage (facing fear and mental stress)
Grace (karma/luck/fate).
With two different pools of points to avoid abuse by munchkins.
My house rule is adding four more:
Astuteness (social manipulation or creativity to improvise).
Technique (art, playing, martial arts and maneuvers, dance, crafting)
Courage (facing fear and mental stress)
Grace (karma/luck/fate).
With two different pools of points to avoid abuse by munchkins.
You call that simplification? Your system has two ability scores! There should be ZERO ability scores. Beat that!
(Actually, I'm not joking. In my ideal D&D, ability scores would be abolished and everything would be simply "proficient" or "not proficient." If you want to be good at Perception, you don't have to worry about some second-order stat, you just take proficiency in Perception and boom. It won't happen - the time when the Sacred Six could have been altered passed when 1E was still young - but if I could redesign D&D from the days of Gygax onward, that's what I'd do.)
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