saves for every stat

[rel]

In my next game, I'm planning on having saving throws for all the stats come up equally often and for all stats to have equally debilitating effects attached to them.

I'm looking for inspiration. Interesting effects that will require a save using the less commonly used abilities of strength, intelligence and charisma.

What have you got!

[Pyrophilios]

Strenght: Forced movement
Intelligence: Psychic attacks
Charisma: Forced teleportation/banishment

[MrStabby]

In my next game, I'm planning on having saving throws for all the stats come up equally often and for all stats to have equally debilitating effects attached to them.

I'm looking for inspiration. Interesting effects that will require a save using the less commonly used abilities of strength, intelligence and charisma.

What have you got!

I would start with the existing spells and build from there.

Int covers illusions so anything with an illusiory theme can work here which basically les it be any kind of effect. Illusiory chains? restrained condition. Illusion of fire? Damage over time etc.. Int also covers things like the mindflayer blast and synaptic static for more direct assaults. Add to the lise Maze type effects.

Str is all about physically moving things and forcing your way out of situations. Lots of restrained conditions, movement restricions etc.. You could have things like being crushed under a weight resisted by strength or being burried in earth (add the blinded condition) for a bit of variety.

Cha is a funny one. It has all of the teleport/planeshift stuff (planeshift, forcecage) but also things like bane. I twould be tempted to expand upon bane and make charisma resist a lot of curse type effects as there is scope for more of those. Resisting teleport effects might get a bit tired on its own as its very narrow.


A couple of things to think of - are they all saves or will some be ability checks?

Will some tend to have other work-arounds? I.e. a lo of strength save effects can be circumvented with misy step. A lot of illusion spells fall to truesight and so on. I woud try and keep effects sufficinetly diverse that proficiency in the save is always meaningful and a whole class of saves doesn't get invalidated by a single spell.

[Mastikator]

Phantasmal Force is intelligence saving throw and extremely versatile.

[Amnestic]

Strenght: Forced movement
Intelligence: Psychic attacks
Charisma: Forced teleportation/banishment

Charisma's really an odd duck and, honestly, it seems like some (or most) of them could fall under Wisdom easily.

Spells that require Charisma saves: Bane, Banishment, Calm Emotions, Dispel Evil and Good, Divine Word, Forcecage, Hallow, Magic Circle, Magic Jar, Planar Binding, Plane Shift, Seeming, Temple of the Gods, Zone of Truth.

Vortex Warp can teleport unwilling creatures and it's a Con-save rather than a Cha-save.

Ghost Possession and an Umber Hulk's Confusing Gaze are also Cha-saves.

[Zhorn]

STR - Force movement and physical freedom/stability. Shove/prone/restraints. If it makes sense to physically overpower the effect then use STR

DEX - Fast reactions, evasion maneuvers, and overall matrix dodging. DEX for those reflex style evasions.

CON - Poisons, Petrification, Paralysis, or damage which is more of a surrounding environment without safe zones. Can't avoid, can't overpower, but can grit your teeth an physically muscle through it is for CON.

INT - Seeing past illusions or holding your mind intact versus a psychic assault. If your mind is still your own while the effect is hitting you, use INT.

WIS - Imposing a control over your body that is not your own. If the save is against something compelling you to act in a certain way, then use WIS.

CHA - Ego, sense of self, anchoring to the reality you are in. It's a little odd being the force of personality sat, but that's as accurately I can think of for CHA.


Like mentioned above by MrStabby, look at existing spells for what effects key off which stats for saving throws.

[Anonymouswizard]

Charisma's really an odd duck and, honestly, it seems like some (or most) of them could fall under Wisdom easily.

Honestly I think you could get rid of Wisdom without meaningfully impacting the game, most of the saves port neatly to Charisma and the skills can nearly slot under Intelligence. Clerics cast from Charisma, Druids and Rangers from Intelligence.

Because yeah, Strength and Intelligence saves have their niches, as underutilised as they often are. Strength resists physical force (I honestly think that Shoving should be a Strength save against 8+Proficiency+Strength), while Intelligence resists illusion and psionics. Charisma just feels like a grab bag of 'we need something here'.

[Yakk]

Str: Almost every large and bigger monster should force a Strength save on being hit. Prone, knocked flying, grappled, or even stunned.

Dex: Area of effects you could dodge or react to. Melee brutes should force short-range dex saves to avoid sweeping blows, for example.

Con: Poisoned, stunned, petrified, penetrated by needles, broken bones -- your body integrity.

Int: Illusions, psychic blasts. Your mind is your own, but it is being tricked or damaged.

Wis: Mental control; hallucinations, paralyze, etc. Attempts to take over your mind and get you to behave differently.

Cha: Your existence as a being separate from an object, your soul. Banishment, magic circles, force cages, calm emotions.

...

Another approach is to change the stats (bwahaha).

Brawn: Strength and Con. Only adds to HP on even levels.
Dexterity: As-is
Brains: Intelligence plus most of Wisdom
Soul: Charisma, Death saving throws, Wisdom saving throws against Shapechange and Fear conditions, PROF saving throw and ability check rerolls/day, Religion, Cleric casting stat. Adds to HP on odd levels.

At level 1, you get BRAWN + SOUL bonus, plus 1d8(5) (if medium; 1d6 if small) + class HD (average roll rounded up) HP.

Everyone gets 1 saving throw proficiency.

(Charmed effects are trying to fool you, so they stay as Brains. Soul effects are trying to force your self into a different state - fear, polymorph, banishment.)

Artificers, Wizards, Druids and Rangers use Brains to cast spells
Paladins, Warlocks, Bards and Clerics use Soul to cast spells