MoonSong
Rules-lawyering drama queen but not a munchkin
I have some similar ideas on removing dexterity from damage, but for very different reasons.Very intriguing ideas here.
I would say, they should remove DEX mod to damage, only, and leave strength alone. Even if you are Dextrous and using a light blade, being able to stick it in deeper into the ogre should benefit from a higher strength. You've already aimed it well, now stick it in, twist the knife. THAT takes a strong arm!
I've often thought that, from a modelling reality point of view, your ability to land a blow with any given weapon should depend on a few things:
1) your dexterity
2) your skill at said weapon, and at fighting in general
3) your strength to a certain extent when using heavier weapons only
4) the dexterity of your foe and their shield or parry bonus
So a high strength would be needed to wield a two-handed sword or axe without a to-hit penalty (or even at all), but a very high dexterity would provide a boost to-hit.
THEN damage is only str-based ability boost and weapon and expertise.
So there is incentive to boost both your strength, and your dex, if you're a melee or a ranged combatant.
This kind of system only works with armor-as-DR though, since you will really want a high str to overcome plate armor. If it costs 5000gp, only 1/10000 soldiers should have it.
What I'd do, if I were redesigning a new edition, is put +1 to each stat bump and skip the even-level-only nonsense (so that a 19 strength is better than an 18), beyond 14, similar to 1st edition. So like others said here, you get AC and to-hit bumps from high dex.
Aside from that, I doubt any of these ideas will make it into 5e, without making Dex even more of a God-stat.
Wearing plate should make you EASIER to hit, but take less damage. So a "Dodge" stat that would be tied to Dex, and AC now becomes DR, tout court.
Edit : I detest that weak fighters can boost Dex only and skill come out on top of every fight, statistically. Adding Dex mod to damage is lame!!! on top of boosting AC, and to-hit. Expertise dice make heavy weapons + str a very pointless option compared to finesse weapons + dex + light armor.
I at first didn't understood why armor made you harder to hit, but then it all became clear to me. Plate armor doesn't make you easier to be hit, it makes you easier to be touched.
When a fighter attacks an unarmored opponent, the only other factor beyond the normal assumed dodginess of everything (the base 10) is that opponent's agility to avoid the blow (the dex mod), if the fighter swings faster than that, she indeed has touched him, and since he has no further protection, he receives the full impact and is hit.
When the same fighter attacks an armored opponent, she not only needs to swing fast enough to touch him, but also strong enough to penetrate the armor and cause damage (and thus make a hit). On this conditions a heavier armor will have the effect of making it harder for you to dodge out of the way, and thus you'll be easier to be touched, but the protection it provides makes it harder for you to take damage (to be hit)
Attacking with a light weapon has similar complications, but instead of swinging with force, the swing has to be controlled so it lands on the right spot, an unprotected part of the body or a joint between the armor. However strength still is a factor to define how hard she hit, no amount of nimbleness will enhance how hard she hits.
I'm all for removing dex from damage all together, but srt makes sense