Consider reworking abilities

[mlenser]

I know this is a sacred cow and likely won't be in everyone's favor, but I'd like to see this list of 6 abilities adjusted. This change would be quite massive.

Previous discussion: https://bitbucket.org/mlenser/tabletop-homebrew/issues/386/consider-refining-abilities-str-dex-con

System problems to solve:

• The border between Intelligence and Wisdom can be quite blurred
• Wisdom is really broad, including "common knowledge", experience, awareness, and probably more
• Charisma is the "interaction/roleplaying ability" which limits other character's ability to interact/roleplay
• Each ability should be valuable for each character. Obviously some should be less valuable for certain characters, but the differences should be less than now.

Futher reading:

• https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/tell-me-about-alt-ability-scores.830569
• https://www.reddit.com/r/mattcolville/comments/9hjpvn/ability_scores_skills_and_5e/e6cibje
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/fdznwk/what_do_you_guys_think_about_the_alternative/
• https://theangrygm.com/your-ability-scores-suck
• https://theangrygm.com/i-hate-ability-scores
• https://theangrygm.com/ask-angry-the-suckiest-ability-scores-ever
• http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?374716-5E-Without-Ability-Scores
• https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?503455-5e-Without-Ability-Scores-skills-Skills-Skills

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A possible direction

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q96rv5qRATiRZaboIqj-PPucEQAb1ddTggRjzgB-lWE/edit?usp=sharing

Agility

Agility measures a character's manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and body control. Characters with a high Agility have a good sense of balance, flexibility, and deft hands.

• Attacks rolls and damage for finesse and ranged weapons
• Defense
• Reflex saving throws
• Initiative
• Acrobatics
• Skulduggery
• Stealth

Brawn

Brawn represents a blend of a character’s brute power, strength, and overall toughness. Characters with a high Brawn are physically fit and hardy, tend not to get sick often, and have strong constitutions.

• Hit points
• Fortitude saving throws/not dying from lack of water
• Attacks rolls and damage for melee and thrown weapons
• Lifting and carrying / Encumbrance
• Athletics
• Brawn

Cunning

Cunning reflects how crafty, devious, clever, and creative a character can be. Characters with a high Cunning are savvy, quickly pick up on social and environmental clues, and can more readily come up with short-term plans and tactics.

• Deception
• Insight
• Occult (Int can still handle the knowledge part)
• Perception
• Performance
• Primal (Int can still handle the knowledge part)
• Streetwise
• Wilderness
• Spellcasting ability for Minstrel, Naturalist, Occultist, Suffused, Spellthief

Intellect

Intellect measures a character’s intelligence, education, mental acuity, and ability to reason and rationalize. Characters with a high Intellect can extrapolate and interpolate data, can recall details and draw from previous experience, and can think of long-term strategies and envision the ramifications of present actions.

• Alchemy
• Arcana
• Engineering
• Medicine
• Alchemical ability for Alchemist
• Spellcasting ability for Mage

Willpower

Willpower reflects a character’s discipline, self-control, mental fortitude, and faith. Characters with a high Willpower can withstand stress and fatigue, remain composed during chaotic situations, and exert influence over the weaker-willed.

• Coercion
• Divinity (Int can still handle the knowledge part)
• Persuasion
• Psionics
• Spellcasting ability for Acolyte, Psionicist
• Will saving throws

Comments:

• This is not 100% complete. As you can see above where to place things is not 100% clear and this is simply an idea/place to start from.
• I'm not 100% sure about the spellcasting ability aspect and if we go for "everything as skills" (Everything as skills #414) then this will change.
• Some of the things here could change if we go with Everything as skills #414
• I purposefully left off any kind of "charisma" or "interaction/roleplaying ability" as this allows us to spread skills around to other abilities. Being charismatic is covered by the proficiency in those skills.
• Monsters will inherently get better at Fortitude saving throws as the challenge raises, as they do in RAW D&D. I avoided this with my saving throw system by combining Strength and Dexterity into Reflex. I'd have to do some math here and make sure things don't break.
• Will saving throws are weird. This could be different if we do "Saving throws as skills"
• Brawn combination: This is by far the most common approach that people make. There are some edge cases like an endurance runner who isn't strong, but those can be handled in skills (expertise in Athletics, but not Brawn)
• Speaking of Brawn: I know there is a skill and an attribute named Brawn. One would need a different name, likely the skill.
• Single Attribute Dependent (SAD) classes: I think heavy armors should still use a little dex. 1 or 2. A target that is not agile is a target that is easy to slip through the armor. This would be much more possible in this system than the standard 6 system.
• Bolder choice for Suffused: spellcasting ability is Brawn. Willpower doesn't feel like the perfect fit for them and neither would Intellect or Cunning. They get magic from within and we could go this route, but it is a bolder choice. SAD problems would be avoided as they'd still want dex and still would want some skills in at least Cunning and Willpower.

[CryptidSasquatch]

Is there a reason Presence was removed, too centralizing to Roleplaying?