More stats modifying the same thing

[jasin]

Stealing a bit from 4E, how about this modification to 3.5:

add 1/2 Dex modifier to melee attacks
add 1/2 Int(?) modifier to ranged attacks
add 1/2 Int modifier to AC
add 1/2 Str modifier to Fort
add 1/2 Int modifier to Ref
add 1/2 Cha modifier to Will

Round up for positive modifiers, round down for negative. Meaning, Str 13 (+1) will give you +1 to Fort, but Cha 8 (-1) will give you -1 to Will.

Intended effect: making dump stats less attractive, and being able to ban boring flat bonus spells from supplements (like conviction, which grants morale save bonuses) without having to nerf monsters.

 

[Hawken]

One of the few problems with that is usually "dump" stats are left at 10 or 11. The only time I've really seen (horrible die rolls aside) low stats is when they were generated by an online die roller or the person was using the point buy and really shooting for a high stat elsewhere. So, if dump stats were 10 or 11, your rule would have absolutely no effect.

Did 4e change? I'm by no means and expert, nor do I play it (but I have read the books), but isn't the stat thing kind of an either/or situation? Use Dex or In, Wis or Cha, Str or Con? Or is that your idea to halve the bonuses between two stats? And are these bonuses inclusive or exclusive? Would you still halve your Con bonus to Fort? Or would 1/2 the Str mod just be a bonus?

I think an unintended side effect is the opposite of what you're shooting for; exceptional stats are no longer exceptional. If you halve an 18 Con bonus, that damn good roll is now effectively a 14. And since a +1 rounds down, the common person how has an average range of 10-13 and a +2 stat boosting item becomes worthless.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Yeah, I don't really like this, either. Rounding down means only 10, 14, and 18 are numbers that make much of a difference now. It's already mildly irking that odd numbers are of so little benefit. There's also the fact that casters are a lot better in 3e than 4e. Adding 1/2 int to a bunch of stuff is just a flat boost to wizards and other int casters.

And yeah, I saw your round up rule, but I don't particularly like it. It goes against the conventional rounding rules, and just shifts what the "key" stat numbers would be. 10, 12, 16, 20. Why bother with anything in between those?

Also, you were too limited. Dex whould split attack bonus with strength, and possibly for damage, if you were to use a system like this. Int or Wis could split for initiative. Wisdom to represent awareness of surroundings, but I guess since there are abilities in existence adding int to initiative already, it has more rules support. In turn, wisdom could replace int in your model for what splits the ranged attack bonus (wis modifies spot and having a good view of the target should help with accuracy) with dexterity. I think it both would make sense for dex to affect melee rolls and would be balanced, since as you list it now, dex is basically just getting badly, badly nerfed. Which would then affect other game factors, such as race selection. Elves lose con for dex, already considered a bad trade. Cut all the things dex adds to in half with no additional things for dex to add to? Wow, that looks like an awful race now.

EDIT: You did add 1/2 dex to melee attacks, my bad. if you were going to split the damage attribute, dex would be the first choice, IMHO.