D&D Homebrew

ABILITIES

Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Charisma | Intelligence | Will | Acuity

Wisdom has been replaced with Will, and Acuity has been added to offload some of the work previously done by both Wisdom and Dexterity. Will encompasses not only mental fortitude and perseverance but also the raw magic of the spirit and the strength of faith. Acuity represents acuity of the senses, governing proficiency in perception and through which you can react more readily to circumstance.

No more ability scores and ability score modifiers

  • Instead of 1 to 20, ability scores now go from -5 to 5. Racial modifiers are all the same, just divided by 2 (0.5’s are allowed, and work the same way odd numbers worked before).
  • To roll a stat: 3d4, divide by 2, minus 2
  • Default stats: 2.5, 2.5, 1.5, 1, 1, 0, -1

Will

  • To succeed a death saving throw, the player enters a Will contest against the GM, who uses a zero for his modifier, and for which the player wins ties.
  • Will is now used to govern spellcasting in place of both Wisdom and Charisma, with two exceptions.
    • Bards retain Charisma as their spellcasting modifier.
    • Warlocks now use Will, but level 3 Warlocks that choose Pact of the Tome instead use Intelligence, and Charisma for Pact of the Chain.

Acuity

  • The initiative modifier is now equal to the sum of both Dexterity and Acuity.
  • Acuity now governs ranged weapons with range of 30ft or greater.

Skills now governed by different abilities

  • Animal Handling > Charisma
  • Medicine, Insight > Intelligence
  • Perception > Acuity
  • Survival and Nature are combined into Wilderness, which is governed by Intelligence.

Other abilities

  • “Gut feeling” checks, or moments where your want to ask your DM for inspiration or verification of an insightful idea you have, are now governed by intelligence (as opposed to Wisdom).
  • Players now add their Charisma modifier to initiative checks for combat that begins mid conversion.

Saving throws

  • Spells that had Charisma or WIsdom saving throws now have Will saving throws instead, unless they are spells that modify behavior, in which case they now have Intelligence saving throws instead.
    • For instance, Hold Person and Vicious Mockery now have Will saving throws, but Suggestion and Tasha’s Hideous Laughter now have Intelligence saving throws.

Saving throw proficiencies

Barbarian, Fighter Constitution, Strength
Bard, Ranger, Rogue Dexterity, Intelligence
Cleric, Paladin, Sorcerer Constitution, Will
Druid, Warlock, Wizard Intelligence, Will
Monk Dexterity, Will