How Abilities or Attributes define your character

As stated previously, the six core abilities are often one of the first elements in the game to be house-ruled somehow, whenever a GM feels like tinkering with the rules.
See this previous post - Ability Scores (3d6 in order) - for some alternatives to the classic 3d6-in-order method, and for some additional options, adding Luck, Talent and Saving Throws to the mix, from my own rules.

This time, though, we're looking at what's behind those abilities - as a concept, and as linked rules, and what they mean at the table at the moment of char-gen.


The first link is to a long post by Anne, with an interesting approach to reduce the number of abilities. The post is long but takes in consideration several games - not just OSR - to reach the interesting conclusion of reducing the number of Abilities to four: Strength, Agility, Intellect, and Will, which combine physical and mental in different ways, for attacks/defense and by force/by grace.

8 Abilities - 6, 3, or 4 Ability Scores?
by Anne
D&D-style games traditionally have 6 ability scores, but those 6 scores actually represent 8 different abilities. Those 8 abilities, in turn, are simply the combination of three different dichotomies - physical vs mental,  force vs grace, and attack vs defend. [...]
Recognizing the 8 underlying abilities does a couple things. First, it points to the direct parallels between D&D's mental and physical ability scores - Charisma, for example, is mental Strength; Intelligence is mental Dexterity. Second, seeing the underlying abilities gives us some insight into the ways the can be re-combined to make a smaller number of scores. (Jack argues, and I agree with him, that it's more interesting to have a smaller number of important scores than to have a larger number of unimportant scores - which is why I wouldn't suggest expanding out to 8 ability scores, although you certainly could if you want to.)
[...]
The Classic 6-Ability Division
D&D's 6 ability scores mostly take these abilities individually, but a couple of them double up. Strength represents physical force attack. Dexterity combines physical grace attack and physical grace defense. Constitution is the physical force defense. D&D's mental attributes are basically mirrors of the physical ones, but there's a slight asymmetry. Charisma combines both mental force attack and mental grace attack. Intelligence is mental grace defense. Wisdom is mental force defense. The broken symmetry, I think, is the result of the organic nature of the way D&D has grown over the years. Yes, in some moments it has been designed, but in-between those moments, it has simply grown by accretion.
[...]

Two Possible 3-Ability Divisions 

In the 3.0 ruleset, D&D introduced new Fortitude, Reflex, and Willpower saving throws, representing essentially the physical force defense, physical grace defense, and mental force defense. When other people have tried to simplify the D&D rules by reducing the number of ability scores, the most common reduction mirrors these saving throws.
[...]
Possible 4-Part Ability Scores ... and Beyond
Of the two possible 3-part ability scores, my own preference leans toward 2 physical, 1 mental - but if I were planning to write a set of rules with fewer ability scores, I think I might want 4. My current preference would be for a physical force ability (combining attack and defense), a physical grace ability (combining attack and defense), a mental attack ability (combining force and grace), and a mental defense ability (combining force and grace). [...]
https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2019/01/8-abilities-6-3-or-4-ability-scores.html


A good example of ability reduction is also found in Into The Odd, by Chris McDowall: Strength, Dexterity and Willpower.
In Into The Odd, abilities are used in the most simple way: roll a d20 under the score to succeed in your action. But abilities are also used as a measure of the damage you take. You have a few Hit Points but after you've run out, damage reduces your ability score.
Having a few abilities, there, is functional to fast character creation and having a buffer to absorb damage (with 6 or more abilities, you would have a buffer too large).
The character creation process in Into The Odd is as simple as rolling those score, the HP, and then getting a starter package of equipment which should inspire you to characterize your new character. It's dead simple, but effective.


This other post, by Marquis, again insists on four abilities/attributes, instead of the sacred six.
Note three important elements here: first is how attributes are simplified even further but tied closely to the rules in use (read the original article to see how for example Athletic and Savvy are used in different context). Second is that there is an attribute for body and one for mind or skills, and a third for everything weird, supernatural, magical, etc. Third, make a fourth ability which depends on the setting you want to run.
What I like about these points is that they stress several concepts which somehow are sometimes forgotten when house-ruling abilities:
- Don't just build your abilities to "simulate" a character, but build them with a specific usage in mind (rules tied to abilities)
- Supernatural or magical matters may have their own attribute
- Make sure the setting matters: make an ability or score tied to rule(s) specific to the setting

Exploring Characters pt. 3: Replacing Attributes and Rolling Under
by Mastered by Marquis
Attributes are a sacred cow, which means for me they're good beef to eat.
First off, I'm a big believer that only 4 attributes are needed for a character and that one of these four should always be setting dependent. This means I have a standard 3 + 1 special. I'm a bit afraid that this might make things seem super rules-lite or straight forward, but to be honest, 6 attributes causes confusion both from # and how much overlap they have amongst each other.

[...]

The three standard attributes are:

Athletic - This replaces strength, dexterity, and constitution. In a real world situation, most people who are strong are fit, and are usually good with their hands [...] Athletics governs three things: Encumbrance, To-Hit Accuracy, and Damage. [...]

Savvy - This replace Intellect, Wisdom, and Charisma. Essentially, the more savvy you are, the craftier and more skilled you are, both signs of intellect. [...] Savvy governs three things as well: Delicate Matters, Knowledge, and Languages. [...]

Weird - This doesn't replace anything specifically. This is what you use both for dealing with anything supernatural. [...] Weird covers a single thing: your knowledge of Esoteries. [...]

So then, on to the special 4th stat. Again, this depends on setting, but I'll give some archetypal ones.

Corruption/Taint/Radiance - Roll under this whenever you would suffer any of the above. On a success, you only suffer 1 point. On a fail, you suffer however many points are being given. If you have more points than your score, you lose your character or get a mutation or something.

Honor/Glory/Reputation - Roll under this whenever you enter into a scene with NPCs or monsters. On a success, they are awed or cowed by you without you having to do anything. The higher this is, the more well-known you are, the more doors open up for you in terms of exploring a world. Can be increased as rewards for clearing dungeons or helping kings or something.

Alignment [Ambition vs. Harmony/Chaos vs. Order/Light vs. Shadow] - Divide this attribute into 2, but choose one to be higher than the other (so a 12 in Alignment can be a 8 in Chaos and a 4 in order). Refer to this otherwise, though I might update this for the new method.

[...]

https://hmmmarquis.blogspot.com/2018/12/exploring-characters-pt-3-replacing.html

I don't find the Corruption/Taint/Radiance/Honor/Glory/Reputation/Alignment examples so compelling, but I guess they'll do for now, and possibly you already have your own ideas and inspiration about this.
But I would say that this is interesting especially if you think to change to attribute with regard to the adventure, or even the session's content... I don't know exactly how I would do it, but in a dark dungeon adventure a rule about remaining calm and in control while underground would be cool, while the same characters when facing an adventure in the city might enjoy forgetting that score, and having instead another for social connections and interactions and so on, depending on the content of the adventure.


This last link is a little different... enough with all the theory and reasoning about attributes and how to assign scores, house-rules, changes to the list of attributes... In the end, this is just a game.
Regardless of what you choose as attributes, 4 or 6 or 8 of them, Jeff came up with a simple but entertaining way to generate characters and have fun in the process.

D&D chargen as a party game

by Jeff Rients
Everyone writes down the usual six stats numbered 1 to 6, like so: 
1. Str
2. Dex
[...]
Or whatever order you normally use.  The numbers are the key part.  Next just one player rolls 3d6.  Everyone then cheers if it's a good number or boos if it's low.  Then all players (including the player who just threw 3d6) write that number down next to a randomly generated stat.  I.e. roll 1d6 to determine where to plug the number Bob just saddled you with.  Go around the table repeating the process until all stats are full.  [...] 
And more importantly, chargen now involves everyone paying attention to each other for a bit, instead of a room full of silent people rolling dice at the same time and staring down at their own charsheets. [...]
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/07/d-chargen-as-party-game.html

As Jeff points out in his blog post, this process gives the same numbers but on different attributes to every player (so no one has a "better" character) but more importantly, it makes the whole process a group activity, a table activity, instead of a lonely activity.
This is very important and helps create the right atmosphere at the table - we don't play just with rules, but we play with people.

If you want to connect the characters, and not just the players, look at Bonds (put characters together).


Design notes:
- Determine what each ability means and its usage
- Consider reducing the number of abilities, rather than increasing it; a simpler matrix is more effective than a complex one
- Consider how physical and mental are organized, what's used to attack and to defend, what's by force or by grace
- An example is to use just four: Strength, Agility, Intellect, and Will
- Into The Odd uses Strength, Dexterity and Willpower: roll a d20 under the score for actions, and use abilities also as a buffer for damage
- You may simplify even more with Athletic, Savvy and Weird
- Don't just build your abilities to "simulate" a character, but build them with a specific usage in mind (rules tied to abilities)
- Supernatural or magical matters may have their own attribute
- Make sure the setting matters: make an ability or score tied to rule(s) specific to the setting/adventure/session
- Consider how rolling attributes/abilities is the start of your game: make it a group activity and not a solitary procedure
- This can be done by sharing the same numbers for attributes, for example, but assigning them to different attributes randomly
- And/or you can use Bonds, to connect the characters together...
- In general, it's important to be paying attention to what other players are doing at char-gen

Ability Scores (3d6 in order)

Ability scores are determined by rolling randomly: roll 3d6 for each ability.
Or not.

In B/X Essentials, the referee may allow to discard the character if very poor ability scores were rolled, for example an 8 or less in every score or an extremely low rating in one ability.
Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox allows some flexibility, according to the Referee's preferences, such as rolling 3d6 six times and arranging in any order.
Swords & Wizardry Core allows also to shift scores around, according to the Referee's preferences, for long-term games.
Labyrinth Lord allows, at the Referee's discretion, to roll 4d6 for each ability, discarding the lowest roll and adding up the three remaining dice normally. Alternatively, roll five separate sets of abilities as if rolling up five separate characters, and then choose the preferred set of abilities.
Lamentations of the Flame Princess proposes 3d6 in order for each ability score, then the player can decide to swap one ability score with another.

If anyone starts to write house-rules, they're most likely to start changing the 3d6-in-order rule.
Before you do that, though, consider why 3d6 might make sense and what other adjustments you may do in order to keep this rule, instead of changing it.

3d6, in order
by Norman Harman
After using it on both sides of the screen I've become a serious fan of rolling up characters using 3d6 and assigning the rolls in order.  That is no rearranging of scores.  Even in games where the DM doesn't require it I sometimes assign ability scores in order.  This morning, in the shower, I was thinking about 3d6, in order, what was lost when game rules moved away from that. [...]

We need feats and doo dads and more rules to differentiate characters!

I'm sure you've heard that.  I hear it from friends and read it online.  Where I don't often hear it is from people playing "3d6, in order" games. [...]

https://trollandflame.blogspot.com/2010/12/3d6-in-order.html

But if we want to talk about alternatives, let's look at what Rafu - a fellow Italian - has to suggest. His matrix combines some player's agency (the first roll is random but in the order you want), some average but with control (the second roll is not random, it's 1 2 3 4 5 6 but in the order you want), some (finally) completely random generation (the third roll is totally random and in order as rolled).
This combines well a bit of randomness with some control, without resorting to the simple "roll 3d6 and then assign to the abilities in the order you prefer".

Ability scores: roll #d6, some of them in order

by Rafu

That which follows is a method of Ability scores determination for use – during character creation – with any role-playing game employing six Abilities with scores in the 3-18 range. This includes all iterations of D&D I know about, retro-clones or other immediate derivatives of them, as well as Dungeon World and some others. The method can also be altered for a different number of Abilities or scores in a different range, of course.

My aim with this is to marry the “organic” feel of the roll-3d6-in-order method with some of the most desirable qualities of roll-and-arrange and fixed-set methods (namely, the ability to play the class you desire, to always have a character you can make sense of in your mind’s eye, and less power-disparity within the party). [...]

http://orgasmocerebrale.blogspot.com/2012/07/some-of-them-in-order.html

The last article for this topic is an alternative designed closely to LotFP, but which is easy to adapt to other systems as well. The key concept is that different classes (determined randomly in the author's rules, but which could be perhaps also chosen by the players) have a slightly different starting scores.
So for example a Hedge Knight starts with better strength and constitution (both 2d6+6) while a Cutpurse with better dexterity.
There is more in this process than simple ability scores - the chargen procedure includes Hit Points, Skills (as in LotFP, but with a d8), starting Equipment, Saves and Levelling; a complete tuning of the entire set of classes available in the game.
The ability scores are usually 3d6 or 2d6+6 (for better scores) or 2d6+1 (for worst scores), but of course you may adapt this to your game with all the tuning you need.

Alternative character creation and advancement rules for D&D

by Sam Morris
[...] Often TTRPGs worry a lot about balance between classes and will try to make them all pretty evenly matched at level 1, but I thought it might be cool to have classes that are less balanced for more variety of play experience.
The 'balance', or probably better called 'fairness', comes from classes being randomly selected instead of chosen by the player.  I've written up d10 classes, which I've decided to call 'backgrounds', along with rules for character creation and advancement.  As you'll see, ability scores are sometimes rolled with a different formula to 3d6 depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the background.  I have roughly based this off of LotFP but with the key difference that I'm using d8 skills instead of d6.  This is because skills are improved each level in a similar way to the CoC/Runequest roll-over mechanic, and using a d8 will make skill progression a bit slower.

Hedge Knight
You were once a knight but fortune has left you without a lord to serve or lands to protect. You wander the land subsisting with little more than your martial skills.
Abilities
Str: 2d6+6
Con: 2d6+6
Dex: 3d6
Int: 3d6
Wis: 3d6
Cha: 3d6 [...]

Cutpurse
You were probably born on the streets. You have survived this long only by pilfering the valuables of wealthier folk.

Abilities

Str: 2d6+1

Con: 3d6

Dex: 2d6+6

Int: 3d6

Wis: 3d6

Cha: 3d6 [...]

https://monstromanualis.blogspot.com/2018/10/alternative-character-creation-and.html


But yeah, of course I did the same when it came to writing my own OSR games (or heart-breaker).
Below you can see that I went a little further though - perhaps too much. What I did in the Crying Blades, for example, was 3d6-in-order and swap-one (as in LotFP)... but I also kept a separate note of that the lowest of the 3d6, for each ability.
This would be the Gift score, for each ability (named Attribute, in the Crying Blades).

This Gift score is used later in the game for various purposes: determining the number of starting talents for a character, the max level for multiclassing,, the maximum increment to the attribute score, and allowing a certain number of re-rolls. These options would "burn" points so taking a re-roll early in the game to allow the character to survive would for example impact later choices in multiclassing.

The above are just some examples, if you want to track a single die of the 3d6. But what if we recorded each single roll of the 3d6 for each ability? This is what I proposed in the Black Dogs fanzine. This is made possible by having three additional scores for each ability:

- Luck (burn points for re-rolls)

- Talent (burn points to increase the ability score or the save score)

- Save (which works as an x-in-6 chance - see also d6 Saving Throws for LotFP for a similar approach)

Design notes:
- 3d6 in order
- Discard characters with very low scores?
- Assign in the order that you prefer? Maybe only for long-term campaigns?
- 4d6 for each ability, discarding the lowest?
- 3d6 in order, swap one score with another if you want?

But also:
- A matrix with fixed scores
- Different rolls or some fixed scores for different classes
- Track the lowest d6 (or the highest) for each ability, write the score as "Gift", or "Talent", or "Luck" or whatever
- Track each single roll for different purposes, for each ability