D&D 5E Sacred Cows: Added new abilities scores.

[LuisCarlos17f]

Sometimes I thought about how to create an universal d20 for all genres and the most of 3PPs wanted to used, and easy to adapt other systems. After a idea storm I have chosen to add two new abilities scores: acuity and spirit.

- Acuity(Acu) would be perception and astuteness, very important in stories where the PCs have to investigate misteries to discover the truth. It is a creativity and fast mind, for example to improvise an excuse. With Wisdom you can notice what is the right or wrong choose but with astuteness you are better in social manipulations. Acuity would be very useful for investigators characters, not only to discover the clues but to interpret the signals correctly.

- Spirit(Spi) would be karma/luck/fate/faith-piety/divine grace-blessing and courage (this is important in horror games). With Wisdom the PCs make self-control to stop himself before a wrong or risky action, and courage it self-control check to dare to take a step, for example to attack the undead. Wisdom would be more linked with the good sense, serenity, sanity and within peace.

I have thought about Dex divided into Agility (fast reactions, for example to dodge enemies, steal the ball for a sport game) and Technique (precision, and pre-learnt actions as disarm traps, crafting, playing music, dance, maneuvers of martial arts, ranged attacks). But I am afraid most of players would say it's an unnecessary complication. Then I thought about sub-atributes, what would work as cumulative bonus feats. Some could add other traits, for example body-mass (this would work as "size" in the Call of Chulthu).

I know other players would rather a lower level of abilities, but I would like to can add to allow more flexibility for the adaptations with other systems.

 

[Lanefan]

I've also given thought to dividing each ability score into two components. Haven't come up with any sort of showable-to-others system yet, and may never, but it's certainly on my radar.

 

[Retreater]

I've also given thought to dividing each ability score into two components. Haven't come up with any sort of showable-to-others system yet, and may never, but it's certainly on my radar.

Have you seen what they did in 2E's Skills and Powers: Strength (Stamina/Muscle), Dexterity (Aim/Balance), Constitution (Health/Fitness), Intelligence (Reason/Knowledge), Wisdom (Intuition/Willpower), Charisma (Leadership/Appearance).

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I like the idea of sub-abilities, but this should be optional. Lots of new players want simple rules easy to be learnt.

Appearance/comeliness is too subjetive. How good-looking is a dragonborn or a lizardfolk?

How should the Charisma of Snake Eyes, the ninja of G.I.Joe? No face, no eyes, no voice.

 

[Lanefan]

Have you seen what they did in 2E's Skills and Powers: Strength (Stamina/Muscle), Dexterity (Aim/Balance), Constitution (Health/Fitness), Intelligence (Reason/Knowledge), Wisdom (Intuition/Willpower), Charisma (Leadership/Appearance).

No, I skipped most of 2e.

That's kind of along the lines of what I'm thinking, though I'd like to move Willpower (or power-of-spirit, or something similar) into Charisma in place of Leadership and thus make Charisma the roll-against stat for revival from death. Reason (or Intuition) would move to Wisdom, and Intelligence would pick up some sort of Memory component.

I'd also switch the places of Stamina (or Endurance, should be in Con) and Fitness.

 

[Lanefan]

I like the idea of sub-abilities, but this should be optional. Lots of new players want simple rules easy to be learnt.

Appearance/comeliness is too subjetive. How good-looking is a dragonborn or a lizardfolk?

How should the Charisma of Snake Eyes, the ninja of G.I.Joe? No face, no eyes, no voice.

Appearance/comeliness would always be measured as viewed by others of its species, and would get a (sometimes fairly large) bonus or penalty when compared to the Human baseline. So, a Dragonborn might have Comeliness 16 in the eyes of other Dragonborn but its game stat wold only be 13 as that's how it's viewed by Humans.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

It may be useful among races with similar facial traits, but what about thrit-keens or other no-mammal humanoids from Starfinder?

Here comeliness would be more like a sub-ability, a feat bonus.

Even in the new storytelling system it has been replaced.

My idea is adding this two abilities scores, and maybe a third, with the intention most of other RPGs systems would be easier to be adapted into d20.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

An RPG that I wrote and played throughout the 90's/00's had eight:

ST (Strength)
CN (Constitution)
AG (Agility)
DX (Dexterity)
IN (Intelligence)
WS (Wisdom)
BR (Bravery)
WP (Willpower)

As you see those break down into categories of four:
Body (ST,CN,AG,DX) and Mind (IN,WS,BR,WP)

And of two:
Power (ST,CN); Finesse (AG,DX); Cleverness (IN,WS) and Will-to-act (BR,WP)

A D&D player might find it hard to imagine what one would use Bravery for, but put it this way: there was quite a bit of Terror in the game (like Call of Cthulhu a bit. Anyhow, think Fear saves.) and mind-altering magic. Occultism used it too. Most other magic used Willpower. You could use your willpower to still act while being terrified, sometimes. Okay that's a long story.

For those used to Dexterity being both, Agility is balance and flexibility while Dexterity is hand-eye-coordination. Splitting them stops Dex from being such an uber-stat.

I don't know if any of that will help your thinking on the subject, but that's something I did once.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I would rather to fuse willpower, courage/bravery and others within Spirit.

Agility can't be only better reflex because then somebody can say it as sub-ability, a bonus feat, is enough.

We can agree there is a difference between faster actions and better accuracy.

 

[Cadence]

I've been pondering how separating agility (speed, athletics, dodging, initiative) and dexterity (hand-eye coordination, finesse weapons, missile weapons). It's basically what 2e S&P did where it called them balance and aim.

I also like the idea of separating Intelligence into something like perception and willpower. But then I wonder how that works with the spell casting classes and wonder about percieving things in this world and being open to the beyond, and wondering if we should have an affinity (to arcane? divine? primal?). So now I'm still liking perception and willpower separated -- but then have it where folks could be open to one sort of external power (maybe as something like a feat?). So maybe your fighter is open to the divine and you double class into cleric later, or something like that.