D&D 5E Little suggestion change for abilities in 5E

[Trance-Zg]

As many people hate odd ability scores as they give you almost nothing and take up ability point space they should be reworked that every ability point means ability modifier.

Than means killing the sacred cow of 18 and replace i it with 14.

The average would still be 10 and min and max rolled before adjustment would be 6 and 14 or -4 and +4 modifier.

This would give more scaling for creatures that really need low score to describe them.

Until now border between animals and humanoids int was 3. and while 1 was for "lower" animals and 2 was for mammals that is pretty inprecise.

Now the border would be 6. So higher primates would have 5, other predatory mammals 4, other mammals 3, birds 2 or 3, reptiles 2, and insects 1.

Also this is good for low str creatures as beetles.

This would mean that character get more buffer space before their abilities are reduced to 0 as poisons and spells would be rescaled a little, but the sheer power of that high negative modifier would make your character next to use less.


About ability rolling/buying

In point buy you start with all abilities as 9(-1 mod) and all pts to 12(+2) are worth 1 pt, from 12 to 13(+3) it worth 2 and from 13 to 14(+4) it priced at 3 pts.

From average 3e point buy you would have 25, in this case its 12,5 so we'll round it up to 13 points to spend so some examples would be:

12(+2)
11(+1)
11(+1)
11(+1)
11(+1)
11(+1)

that's most balanced, most useless and most boring.


12(+2)
12(+2)
11(+1)
11(+1)
11(+1)
10(+0)

little bi more focused but still saving points, good for M.A.D. classes.


13(+3)
12(+2)
11(+1)
11(+1)
10(+0)
9(-1)

probably the default PC ability array.


14(+4)
11(+1)
11(+1)
10(+0)
10(+0)
9(-1)

Highly specialized ability array(most would called it "the wizard array").


About ability rolling...

this is a little bit difficult to balance but good way would be for rolling

2d4+6,
that puts you between 8(-2) and 14(+4) score with average of 11(+1).
IF you feel that this will give you weak character you can give players 1 or 2 points to spend on 1on1 abilities to buy(highest that can be raised this way is 11 to 12).

Average on roll is above average because PC's are that, above average.

For NPC's roll would be 1d4+1d6+4 which equals range between 6 and 14 with an average of 10( a true average, not like now 10,5).


Edit: abilities increases for leveling.

While with this rule raising the ability by one point is double the advantage from previous rule and reducing bonus points to 2 or 3 in 20 levels is not fun, we have to think something in the middle so:

at lvl 4 you get +1 to the lowest ability(before racial, or magical adjustments),
at lvl 8 you pick one,
at lvl 12 you raise the lowest again,
at lvl 16 you pick one,
at lvl 20 you raise the lowest again,
and so on in epic levels...

this will give out powerfull all around character but not one trick super powerfull killing machines.

 

[Blackwarder]

Edit: abilities increases for leveling.

While with this rule raising the ability by one point is double the advantage from previous rule and reducing bonus points to 2 or 3 in 20 levels is not fun, we have to think something in the middle so:

at lvl 4 you get +1 to the lowest ability(before racial, or magical adjustments),
at lvl 8 you pick one,
at lvl 12 you raise the lowest again,
at lvl 16 you pick one,
at lvl 20 you raise the lowest again,
and so on in epic levels...

this will give out powerfull all around character but not one trick super powerfull killing machines.

No for ability increase through leveling, I believe that ability increase should be game specific and unique, not somthing that should be handed out like a candy.

I would be very disappointed if they ditch the ideal of flatter math by shoehorning in ability score increase.

Warder

 

[mkill]

I've been toying with a similar idea.
Bouncy Gelatinous Cube: Exceptional Bonuses

I like that you get an easy transition between ability score and roll: d20 + bonus has a 50% of rolling higher than the ability score. That makes it easy to implement things like defense rolls or automatic success with skill if the DC is lower than the ability score.

However, while I keep bonus = score - 10, I simply cap the bonus at 15/+5. You can get a 16 or better score, but it gives you some other ability, similar to ability scores over 18 in AD&D. For example, high Con could give fast healing.

 

[trancejeremy]

As for modifiers, the good old

13-15 = +1, 16-17 = +2, and 18 = +3 works for me.

Keeps the traditional 18 (which is going to happen, I'm sure) and keeps the modifiers under control.

 

[Szatany]

I posted some time ago a similar idea, but with a twist. Each ability score produces essentially two modifiers. One is small and used for big, powerful abilities and effects. Other is larger and is used for skills and checks. The small bonus is +1 per three or four points of ability score, so a character with STR 18 would have +2 or +3 to attack rolls, daily uses of powers, that kind of stuff. At the same time, this character would benefit from a full +8 bonus to strength checks and STR-based skill checks.

 

[Trance-Zg]

I posted some time ago a similar idea, but with a twist. Each ability score produces essentially two modifiers. One is small and used for big, powerful abilities and effects. Other is larger and is used for skills and checks. The small bonus is +1 per three or four points of ability score, so a character with STR 18 would have +2 or +3 to attack rolls, daily uses of powers, that kind of stuff. At the same time, this character would benefit from a full +8 bonus to strength checks and STR-based skill checks.

that is still the same problem as now for important stuff, all you did is a small buff to skill side and I think that +8 for jump from 18 str is too much and it will require changing DC's for skills.

My point is that currently score of 13 is equal as 12 and just a waste of character points.

its better to have 12 and 14 than 13 and 13 isnt it?

 

[Szatany]

I think that +8 for jump from 18 str is too much and it will require changing DC's for skills.

Changing DCs is probably the easiest thing under the sun.
And jump isn't a good example, as it is a very mediocre skill. Even +30 bonus to jump (in 3e) is nothing great to have. Useful, but never game breaking.