Playground help needed-Ability score

[Philemonite]

I started making my own system that combines squad based combat and 4e combat roles. Right now I have a lot of ideas, but I am having troubles defining ability score. Taking D&D ability score is definitely out. Main idea is to have 3 health pools (Body/Mind/Soul), so I have few options:

1) 3 or more stats for every health type. Something like Strength/Dexterity/Constitution for Body and equivalent stats for Mind and Soul. The problem with this is I would have at least 9 stats, and that would be complicated.

2) Just Body, Mind and Soul. This would make it simple but it is to little.

3) Body/Mind/Soul Power and Resistance. 6 stats would be simple enough, but there would be no flexibility.

4) Using stats that are not tied to Body/Mind/Soul strictly. This is the best solution, but it is hard to define. Stats like Strength would be out since Strength is a Body stat. The problem is, what stats could be flexible?

Any advice?

[DoomHat]

Soul is typically a poor idea as it ends up being a caster only stat with little value beyond that.

How about
Brawn (str/con)
Talent (int/dex)
Cunning (wis/cha)

Brawn is pretty obvious, as anyone who can easily lift a fifty pound cinder block is probably pretty resilient as well, given that their arms are still attached after performing such a feat.

Talent helps bridge a lot of things like craftsmanship and lock-picking that require a combination of know-how and grace. Its easy to make an argument for genius and mastery of form commonly intersecting. There are very few nimble idiots.

Cunning is best used if instead of rolling to convince people of things, players roll to determine what a given person WANTS to hear. In this case, sense motive doesn't tell you, "Yes or No, are they lying?" it tells you what that person is really after in a given scene and what their real opinions are.
With that information in hand they can just roleplay out the manipulation, with the NPC forced to act upon their established nature.

As far as health, you only need two categories.

Health and Moral.

If you really want a third pool let it be something players can use to mess with their rolls or active powers. Call it Focus or something.

[Philemonite]

Soul is typically a poor idea as it ends up being a caster only stat with little value beyond that.

How about
Brawn (str/con)
Talent (int/dex)
Cunning (wis/cha)

Brawn is pretty obvious, as anyone who can easily lift a fifty pound cinder block is probably pretty resilient as well, given that their arms are still attached after performing such a feat.

Talent helps bridge a lot of things like craftsmanship and lock-picking that require a combination of know-how and grace. Its easy to make an argument for genius and mastery of form commonly intersecting. There are very few nimble idiots.

Cunning is best used if instead of rolling to convince people of things, players roll to determine what a given person WANTS to hear. In this case, sense motive doesn't tell you, "Yes or No, are they lying?" it tells you what that person is really after in a given scene and what their real opinions are.
With that information in hand they can just roleplay out the manipulation, with the NPC forced to act upon their established nature.

As far as health, you only need two categories.

Health and Moral.

If you really want a third pool let it be something players can use to mess with their rolls or active powers. Call it Focus or something.

Now that I think about it Soul is tricky to implement since it is hard to completely separate it from Mind, and Body naturally splits in Strength and Dexterity so it complicates things.
I think I should get back to Tech/Skill/Magic split, since that works best and just have one health pool, but have 3 energy pools. That would actually be similar to Brawn/Talent/Cunning. I still don't like D&D ability score, but I can start from there. Intelligence can be used for both Skills and Magic.
So, Tech are weapon based, Magic is "mystical energy" and skills are everything else (Rogue's tricks, Bard's songs...). Could that work?

[DoomHat]

From the sound of it what you might be looking for could be as simple as;

Brutality- For moving and or breaking things.
Craft- For larceny or other more legitimate acts of grace and skill.
Mysticism- For understanding and utilizing the supernatural.

[Philemonite]

From the sound of it what you might be looking for could be as simple as;

Brutality- For moving and or breaking things.
Craft- For larceny or other more legitimate acts of grace and skill.
Mysticism- For understanding and utilizing the supernatural.

Something like that, except it's just combat based (social and adventure will come later). I think six stats will be just right.

Brutality-Physique and Dexterity Agility
Craft-Intelligence and Finesse
Mysticism-Wisdom and Willpower

This way every stat can serve for both offense and defense.

Physique is basically Strength and Constitution.
Dexterity is split in Dexterity Agility and Finesse.
Charisma is changed to Willpower.

I should probably rename Physique.

[AttilaTheGeek]

But then what is "finesse"?

[Philemonite]

But then what is "finesse"?

Manual dexterity. Splitting dexterity in Finesse and Agility might be better.

[Tarsten Corvus]

Have you thought about the World of Darkness style?

http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/