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View Full Version : New Uses for Constitution Please PEACH



ryleah
2011-01-25, 11:21 PM
Con does exactly three things in your average D&D game. It gives bonus Hp every level, adds to fort saves, and modifies concentration checks. Compared to any of the other ability scores CON clearly gets the short end of the stick. This thread is about changing all that and coming up with ways to make constitution interesting.

CON Based Skill Points
At first level characters gain skill points equal to [(class skill points) plus (INT modifier) plus (CON modifier)] times four.
At every level thereafter they gain skill point equal to (class skill points) plus (INT modifier) plus (CON modifier)

Skill points gained from the class's base can be spent on class skills only.
Skill points gained from INT can be spent on any mental stat based skills
Skill points gained from CON can be spent on any physical stat based skills

Fluff-wise the justification for this is that class skill points are skills you would pick up as a natural result of study in a class, whereas INT and CON denote the natural limits of what mental training and physical conditioning allow the character to attain.

More CON abilities added tomorrow

Jota
2011-01-26, 12:31 AM
Hit points and Fortitude saves are massively important. Almost no one ditches Constitution, melee or otherwise, so I don't really think it needs more.

The issue of everything being Intelligence based, however, is an acknowledged problem. I've seen other fixes that simply do away with ability modifiers to skill points, though this could be an interesting alternative.

Carry on.

Zaydos
2011-01-26, 12:48 AM
Seems interesting. Rogues now have more use for Con (not that they could really ditch it anyway) and it helps solve some of the too many skills required that they encounter in 3.X (pathfinder helps this too, but I haven't made the change since that requires updating so much stuff it is just as easy to homebrew fixes).

It means that my fighters will no longer be torn between Ride and Diplomacy (diplomacy wins btw) but does mean that unless I have above average Int I can't even get Diplomacy. Unless human bonus skill points can be to any skill. Either way the diplomatic fighter with Diplomacy and Sense Motive is likely to be no more. :smalleek: (what can I say I like the image of a fighter as a front-line commander).

Also my wizards are now strangely athletic with maxed out ranks in Tumble :smallsmile: