Name as many things as you can for an ability check

[scarmiglionne4]

Give as many examples as possible for ability checks for each of the 6 ability scores.

[Feralventas]

Strength.
Bend Bars.
Lift Gates.
Move furniture that's bigger than you.
Hold up slowly falling ceilings.
Temporarily exceed your normal carrying capacities.
Make a sunder check without an attack roll to do so quietly or with limited space.

Dexterity.
A display of fine motor skills
Feats of balancing things other than one's self so as not to invalidate the Balance skill.
Contortionist antics.

Constitution.
Power-walking/running competition between creatures of even speed, with a +5 bonus for each additional 10ft greater the speed of one individual is above 30, -5 for each 10ft below. (Speed 0 is auto-fail).
Endurance checks for dealing with constant, persistent trying tasks such as making one's way across a desert (not to get food or otherwise find resources, as that's Survival, but just to be physically capable of doing so.)

Intelligence.
Giving the players hints when their character has an int higher than the player's.
Allowing them to make untrained knowledge checks and get greater than 10 on the result via int-mod bonus if they're doing research.

Wisdom.
Reminding players of things they've forgotten about the past; names of contacts and characters, past events or details; another hint, but this one from prior events rather than intuiting new details.

Charisma
Impressions left on NPC's; not Diplomacy or Intimidate factors, just how memorable they were in the first place.
Attempts at gaining the attentions of a potential romantic partner without coming across as a belligerent jerk (Intimidate) or a silver-tongued snake (Diplomacy.)

[scarmiglionne4]

Any others? I am especially having trouble coming up with some Wisdom checks.

[Yora]

A lot of things could very plausibly made as skill checks. Almost everything having to do with applied physics in a premodern society would be covered by Craft (engineering) or Disable Device.

Strength
Break open doors
Bend bars
Shove furniture
Shove things over ledges
Lift things to let someone crawl under it
Flip over heavy tables or carts
Hurl heavy objects for a distance
Break handcuffs
Holding someone over a ledge
Pull someone up from a ledge

Dexterity
[+BAB] Throw a small object into a small opening
Grasp through a hole to manipulate a lever or bolt you can't see
Pick up a small object with a hook on a long pole

Constitution
Would always be a Fortitude save

Intelligence
Finding specific information in an archive
Understanding construction blueprints
Cracking code (if you don't want the players to suffer through that with their own Int 12 brains and no code cracking training and equipment)

Wisdom
Understanding the positions of all parties in a conflict (by talking to locals and diplomats)
Judging when it's time to retreat
Estimating the power of an army or band

Charisma
Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate should cover every concievable situation.

Intelligence is about making estimates and calculating chances. Wisdom is about making judgements. Or as it is often said "Intelligence tells you how to do it, Wisdom tells you why you shouldn't".

[Feralventas]

Wisdom as a skill is a little difficult to make use of unless you're a Caster without stepping in on the realms of skills like Perception, Sense Motive or Knowledge checks. If you're looking to run a system/game without skill-use, that might make sense in some regards, but it'll still take a lot of fine-tuning.

Things like reminding players of older information from earlier, sometimes even the beginning of the campaign, can be very useful, and a good way to ensure that they're seeing the game's events the way you've intended.

You might also use it as a way to convey social and cultural facets to social interactions; explaining what particular things and actions and gestures or symbols mean.




Let's say for example that the party arrives in an area that they're unfamiliar with. They meet a group of creatures that are amiable, but alien. You might require a wisdom check after a spot check to give details as to the reasons behind some of their stranger behaviors, or cultural meanings behind particular tools or gestures.

So if the mostly-humanoid party suddenly finds themselves in the company of a group of Thri-Kreen that are more sociable than average, they might take note that the mantis-folk are very good at huntng, and that they have preditory instincts that would be important to tell the rest of the party about so as to avoid looking like food, while at the same time trying not to look intimidating so as to avoid unwittingly challenging their new partners for the time being.

[Psyren]

Initiative is a Dex check.

Finding your way out of a maze is an Int check, so I would assume that similar activities (like solving puzzles) could be as well.

[Zjordan85]

Wisdom can be used to gauge level-headedness, situational awareness, proper decision making ability. It measures someone's ability to read the fine print and draw correct conclusions.

[Menzath]

Str opposed Bull rush.
Int: Amulet of the planes.
For DM's who are nice and allow players to remember key people/events and other such things.
To use a stupid device(s) specific to the campaign in the Shackled City story(chapter 7?).

[Draz74]

Charisma
Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate should cover every concievable situation.

How do you figure? Charisma checks seem more useful/likely to me than Wisdom, Constitution, and even Dexterity checks. (Dexterity only because it has so many specific skills already defined for it.)

See whether you can get someone to notice you at a social event without talking to them (or doing anything so blatant as a Perform check)? Charisma check.
Test the general loyalty of your hirelings/followers to you? Charisma check.

[HunterOfJello]

Wisdom - Common Sense
Intuition



(Intuition could be placed under Charisma too, depending on the situation)

[Barsoom]

Turn Undead is a Charisma check.

[supermonkeyjoe]

If a creature is dominated or otherwise controlled by two opposing casters that's a CHA check to see which one stays in command, basically any direct opposition of wills would be a Charisma check.

[Shining Wrath]

Wisdom:
Realize that the forest just fell silent.
Realize that the animals are acting oddly.
Realize that your deity won't like it if you do X (Paladins, Clerics).

[TentacleSurpris]

Tripping is a Str check
Not getting tripped is a Str or Dex check

Initiative is a Dex check

I think there is a Cha check to get someone to do something under the effects of Charm Person, or maybe that was in the D&DFAQ

[Tegannie]

I know a DM who uses Wisdom checks to see to see if a person wakes up to noises near-by. For example, the party was sleeping in seperate rooms in a castle, when assasins came by our rooms. The DM had us roll Wisdom to see if the sounds they made woke us up.

[Ardantis]

Wisdom is the stat for observation- untrained spot, listen, and sense motive.

I use it for reading NPC emotions, mostly, especially when I've got a smashy party with no face. It allows the Barbarian, particularly, to have some ability to navigate social situations even with low intelligence and/or charisma.

[TuggyNE]

I know a DM who uses Wisdom checks to see to see if a person wakes up to noises near-by. For example, the party was sleeping in seperate rooms in a castle, when assasins came by our rooms. The DM had us roll Wisdom to see if the sounds they made woke us up.

That's just, y'know, a Listen check at a -10 or greater penalty. :smallconfused: