Intelligent reflexes?

[Oldtimer]

For a long time I've felt that defence-pairing Intelligence with Dexterity feels wrong. Dexterity works well with Reflex, but Intelligence? I know about "quick thinking", but is that really Intelligence? To me Intelligence has always been about logic, learning and stuff like that. Quick thinking is more on an intuitive level - which would be Wisdom, right?

I realise this is just a matter of taste, so this thread is not about the right or wrong of that, but what the consequences would be if Wisdom was paired with Dexterity (for AC and Reflex) and Intelligence was paired with Charisma (for Will).

What consequences can you see if the rules where changed in that way?

 

[Obryn]

Armor would be the biggest thing. Armor right now is almost completely balanced - Int and Dex classes get Light armor only, and everyone else gets Heavy armor.

You'd pretty much screw over all Int-primary classes without access to heavy armor, especially the Swordmage.

-O

 

[Dannager]

Hybrid Invokers would become even more awesome?

 

[Klaus]

Armor would be the biggest thing. Armor right now is almost completely balanced - Int and Dex classes get Light armor only, and everyone else gets Heavy armor.

You'd pretty much screw over all Int-primary classes without access to heavy armor, especially the Swordmage.

-O

This is pretty much it. You'd have to switch heavy armor proficiency from Wis-based classes and move them to Int-based classes. meaning you now have agile, robe-wearing Clerics, Paladins, Fighters (Wis is secondary for some Fighters), and you also have plate mail-wearing Wizards, Swordmages, Warlocks, etc.

 

[keterys]

There are already Dex secondary fighters, so they're nothing new to the list... and they'd be using hide, not cloth.

Though I'm cool with leather and cloth priests.

And a lot would still just keep on using scale or plate.

 

[S'mon]

IRL IQ correlates very strongly with reflexes, so arguably it's scientifically accurate!

 

[Bold or Stupid]

I consider it planning, I'm so smart I don't need to dodge because I already know where you're going place that fireball.

 

[mneme]

I think Wisdom makes more sense (and so does Int for willpower, really), but you'd still basically have to make an exception for Intelligence-based traditional light armor wearers like Wizards even if you redesigned the system ground-up. It's far from a simple change.

 

[DracoSuave]

Intellegence involves quick thinking.

 

[Oldtimer]

Well, what makes more sense is a matter of flavour and taste. I'm trying to see the ramifications of such a switch.

Obviously the Int-primary classes would get into trouble, since they use light armour now. Personally, I rather like that wizards don't automatically get a fantastic AC and Wand wizards and Orb wizards will still get a reasonable AC. Swordmages are more troublesome. Maybe they need heavy armour now. Are there any other Int-primary classes?

Wis-primary classes could now work in light armour. I can certainly see clerics and invokers in light armour and the rest of them are already using light armour.

Of the Int-secondary classes (that don't have Wis-primary), only the warlock is missing training in a heavy armour. None of the Wis-secondary classes seem to be a problem, but maybe warden is getting too much of a boost on his AC.