The classic ability scores aren't of equal value in the rules. Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom tend to be more important unless a character requires a particular ability score from among the other three for a specific purpose. If you'd prefer ability scores to all be of roughly equivalent value in character building, this variant creates six ability scores that are in much closer balance with each other. Make the following changes.
- Strength does everything that both Strength and Constitution do in the Core Rulebook, and Constitution is gone. A character uses their Strength for melee weapon and unarmed attack rolls, damage rolls, Athletics, Hit Points, Fortitude saves, and so on.
- Dexterity splits into two ability scores. The first, still called Dexterity, represents manual dexterity and applies to ranged weapon and unarmed attack rolls, attack and damage rolls with finesse attacks (if better than Strength), and Thievery checks. Agility, which represents footwork, applies to Armor Class, Reflex saves, Acrobatics checks, and Stealth checks.
- Charisma applies to Will saves instead of Wisdom.
- Wisdom is otherwise unchanged.
- Intelligence is unchanged.
You'll need a small number of gameplay tweaks.
Anklets of alacrity become an Agility apex item, both the
belt of giant strength and
belt of regeneration become Strength apex items, and so on. The rogue's
thief racket is obsolete, so you might allow rogues to choose a different racket but still gain
Thievery. For anything else that references an ability score, such as feats with a Dexterity prerequisite, decide with your group whether Dexterity or Agility makes more sense as the prerequisite. For instance, Agility would make sense for
Feather Step since that feat involves footwork. Prewritten NPCs and monsters can just use their Dexterity modifier when their Agility modifier is necessary.
I’m much more experienced in the system today than I was when I first posted this to the now-defunct pathfinder.social instance. But I’ve only had experience behind the screen, so I still don’t have the hands-on player-side experience to give a fully-informed take.
My feeling is that Charisma is already useful enough; I wouldn’t want it to take over Will saves from Wisdom, which apart from Perception (including Initiative) feels like a relatively under-utilised ability.
The Strength and Constitution merger seems like a really good one.
I’m largely undecided on dex. The fact that by splitting them you are also allowing the new Dexterity to apply damage on finesse attacks is really cool. I like how that sort of offsets the inherit nerf dex is getting by being split, so it’s nerfed a little less in these specific ways. But now the typical rogue has three abilities that they really rely on in combat (dex, agi, str) instead of just two (dex, con). (Or 4 instead of 3, if you want to add wis for perception.) Not to mention now the thief racket loses their main bonus.