Balanced Abilities and Saving Throws

Preface

D&D 5e is a great system that many enjoy. It has revitalized the D&D brand and that's great for the hobby. As a D&D player for more than a decade I have played many editions of D&D and so far this is my favorite.

I am the creator of the D&D 5e Shaped sheet for the Roll20 VTT, DPR of Classes Spreadsheet, Pathfinder to 5e monster converter, and several other projects. So I'm pretty involved in the game and community.

This document is our attempt to allow for more diverse character options. With the proposed system characters should be more free to choose the abilities that make sense for their character concept without feeling like they are weak or feeling like they must adhere to cookie-cutter builds.

For example a Rogue or Fighter player can more freely choose to have a high Intelligence or Charisma without feeling like they are building a weak character. A Monk can more freely choose to have a high Strength instead of Dexterity. A Fighter without his armor is no longer worthless.

Please consider the following with an open mind.

Balanced Abilities

There are some other adjustments beyond saving throws that can be made to improve each ability.

Strength vs Dexterity

See the last page for a comparison. No changes are needed beyond saving throws.

Intelligence

If you have 12 or more Intelligence you know an additional language. If you have 14 or more Intelligence you know an additional skill from your class list.

Wisdom

Medicine

The Medicine skill has few uses as a result of the healer's kit. I would suggest changing a healer's kit to give advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks to stabilize. I would also suggest adding a variant of the healer feat:

"If you are proficicent in Medicine you can, as an action, spend a use of a healer's kit to tend to a creature, allowing it to use a Hit Dice. Once a creature benefits from this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can benefit from it again."

Skill Combinations

Some skills and tools can be combined to increase their power.

• Disguise Kit can be merged into Deception.
• Herbalism Kit and Poisoner's Kit can be merged into Medicine.
• Musical instruments can be merged into Performance.
• Sleight of Hand and Thieves' Tools can be merged into "Thievery".
• Animal Handling and Survival can be merged into Nature (Wis) while allowing for Intelligence to still be used for "your ability to recall lore about terrain, plants and animals, the weather, and natural cycles." Nature functioned like this in 4e.

Balanced Saving throws

Uneven Distribution Problem

Saving throws are not equivalent to one another. The goal was seemingly to create 3 strong saves (Dex, Con, Wis) and 3 weak saves (Str, Int, Cha), but the results vary quite a bit. The end result is that the 3 main saving throws are much more powerful than Strength which is much more powerful than Intelligence and Charisma.

The numbers presented below don't add up to 100%, but show the amount of each occurrence. An ability can have Damage (Poison) and the Poisoned condition for example.

Saving Throws

Ability	% of total saves	% Damage	% hard control	% light control
Strength	16%	17%	14%	92%
Dexterity	24%	76%	17%	21%
Constitution	35%	49%	29%	26%
Intelligence	2%	67%	67%	22%
Wisdom	19%	4%	66%	47%
Charisma	5%	4%	57%	22%

See Saving Throw Totals for the complete numbers.

Result

These numbers heavily encourage players to prioritize Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom above their other ability scores even if it doesn't match their character concept. Rogues for example are disinsentivized from investing in Intelligence, Charisma, or Strength. This imbalance encourages cookie-cutter builds.

Solution

The solution that Easy_Lee and I (Kryx) have come up with is to use a Fortitude/Reflex/Will system similar to the ones that existed in older editions.

Fortitude encompasses Constitution saving throws.

Reflex encompasses Strength and Dexterity saving throws. This choice will raise some eyebrows, but if you look at the 5e systems like shove, grapple, tumble & overrun, etc you will see there is quite a bit of overlap. Many of these systems achieve the same result, but use a different ability. If you examine their saving throws you will see a good amount of crossover in Push, Pull, Prone, Restrained, and some damage. Combining them seems natural. The result also gives us great numbers.

Will encompasses Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws. These saving throws are more often than not hard control based on mental fortitude. In addition they share psychic damage. Their combination seems natural and provides us with a common "mental defense".

Solution Result

Ability	% of total saves	% Damage	% hard control	% light control
Fortitude	35%	49%	29%	26%
Reflex	40%	53%	16%	49%
Will	25%	9%	64%	40%

See Saving Throw Totals for the complete numbers.

Each class is proficienct with one of the new saving throws to maintain the current balance. The classes are adjusted as shown in the table below.

The only class that has changed its main focus is Bard. This is a result of the Attacks vs Reflex system below. If you do not use that system a Bard could use either Reflex or Will.

Class Saving Throws

Class	New Saving Throw
Barbarian	Fortitude
Bard	Will
Cleric	Will
Druid	Will
Fighter	Fortitude
Monk	Reflex
Paladin	Will
Ranger	Reflex
Rogue	Reflex
Sorcerer	Fortitude
Warlock	Will
Wizard	Will

See the table on the last page that shows the saving throws compared to the current system as well as Pathfinder and 4e.

Final Word

This system provides a much more balanced result that more freely allows players to choose the ability score of their choice without being encouraged to conform to the system.

A great example of this is a strength Fighter who can now invest in either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as their tertiary stat based on whichever they prefer more from a roleplay or skills perspective.

Removal of AC: Attacks vs Reflex saving throws

Dexterity (or Reflex) saving throws are the same concept as AC for many cases: Your ability to dodge. Many spells require the target to make a Dexterity (or Reflex) saving throw for things like rays (Disintegrate, Hellish Rebuke, Light, and Sacred Flame) as well as the ability to dodge attack-like things (Black Tentacles).

With the similarities in mind I think the game would benefit from removing AC from the game.

Benefits

1. One less number for the GM to track. 3 defenses (Fort/Ref/Will) instead of 4 (AC/Fort/Ref/Will)
2. Player agency - players can now feel like they have an impact on whether they are hit or not.
3. Variance - An enemy's AC is no longer static so there is less of a concept of "I need to get 16 or higher to hit" as the enemy's ability to dodge is also a factor. This should make combat less mundane.
4. Armor can be used to model reducing damage.
5. Reflex scales based on Proficiency Bonus like attacks do.
6. Armored classes are less dependent on their armor. They still want armor, but it isn't the end of the world without it.

Cons

1. The game has to be adjusted
2. (potential) Rolling more (inverse of the player agency above). If you consider this a negative you can use a passive Reflex of 10 + Reflex bonus as a static defense.

Goal

The intention of this system is to have avoiding damage be slightly less common (~5%) than the AC system. Overall the system is pretty close to that goal.

Ties

If an Attack vs a Reflex saving throw contest results in a tie then the attacker wins the contest (same as the AC system).

Roling a 1 or 20

Critical hits still occur when the attacker rolls a 20 and misses still occur on a 1.

Damage Reduction

Since armor no longer dictates the ability to avoid damage we can use it for the ability to resist damage. In old editions this was called Damage Reduction.

Damage Reduction. While you are wearing armor with which you are proficient, any damage that you take as a result of a Reflex saving throw is reduced by an amount specified on the armor.

By resisting any Reflex saving throw armor helps reduce the damage of spells like fireball.

DR Limit of 3

Damage reduction can be very unbalanced so we should limit it to the limit that 5e has in place (3) in Heavy Armor Master. This limit is to keep in line with the 5e design of low CR creatures always being a threat. If DR is too high then lower CR creatures are no longer a threat. NPCs should be able to bypass this limit at higher CRs, but that should be treaded on lightly otherwise multiattackers like the Monk and Fighter suffer.

Example Scenario

Attack modifiers are created in the same manner (see PHB 194) except they contested by a Reflex saving throw.

For example if Gordolf the Fighter attacks Neob the Wizard with a greatsword then Gordolf will roll a d20 with his melee attack modifiers added on while Neob will roll a d20 with his Reflex saving throw modifiers added on.

If Gordolf's attack result after modifiers is a 15 and Neob's Reflex saving throw result after modifiers is a a 15 then Gordolf hits Neob with his greatsword. If Gordolf's attack result is higher than Neob's Reflex saving throw reesult then he hits. Otherwise if Gordolf's attack result is lower than Neob's Reflex saving throw result then he misses.

Armor

Individual armor items like Plate are no longer distinguished by the system. Players and GMs should work together to determine what their armor looks like. Ornate armor (such as Plate or Half Plate) for example could provide advantage on Intimidation or Persuasion checks as appropriate.

Armor

Armor	Cost	DR	Strength	Stealth	Weight
Light	20 gp	DR 1	—	—	12 lb.
Medium	100 gp	DR 2	—	Disadvantage	40 lb.
Heavy	200 gp	DR 3	Str 14	Disadvantage	60 lb.

Damage Reduction Degrading

As an alternate rule you can choose to have a monster's damage reduction halved (round down) after the creature falls below half HP (bloodied).

Normal armor could be subject to the same system after it absorbs a certain amount of damage from the DR. For example Plate could have 30 HP before it degrades.

Monster DR Conversion

NPCs should use the higher of their Strength or Dexterity saving throw for their Reflex saving throw. To calculate an NPC's DR remove its Dexterity modifier from its listed AC. If the creature has a shield listed remove 2 from its AC. With the remaining amount add DR based on the table below.

Monster DR

Former AC	DR
11-12	DR 1
13-15	DR 2
16-18	DR 3
19-21	DR 4
22-24	DR 5
25-27	DR 6

Using this method very few creatures will have above DR 3. Examples:

• Wolf (AC 13) has +3 Reflex and DR 1.
• Pixie (AC 15) has +6 Reflex and DR 0.
• Zombie (AC 8) has +2 Reflex and no DR.
• Goblin (AC 15) has +5 Reflex due to the shield and 1 DR from Leather Armor
• Ghoul (AC 12) has +3 Reflex and no DR.
• Ankheg (AC 14) has +4 Reflex and DR 2.
• Manticore (AC 14) has +4 Reflex and DR 1.
• Flameskull (AC 13) has +4 Reflex and no DR
• Mind Flayer (AC 13) has +2 Reflex and DR 2 from Breastplate. I would increase his Dex to 14 for +3 Reflex.
• Treant (AC 16) had +8 Reflex and DR 3.
• Aboleth (AC 17) has +7 Reflex and DR 3.
• Ancient Black Dragon (22 AC) has +11 Reflex and DR 4.
• Tarrasque (25 AC) has +14 reflex and DR 6

See more in really rough formating on the spreadsheet for monster stats.

Attack vs Reflex vs the AC system

Build	Chance to avoid damage	Previous chance to avoid damage	Note
Fighter Defensive Shield	58%	61%
Barbarian Armored Shield	53%	58%
Barbarian Unarmored Shield	53%	48%
Monk	53%	49%
Ranger (archer)	53%	48%
Ranger (melee dex)	53%	50%
Ranger (melee str)	53%	48%
Rogue (melee)	53%	43%
Rogue (archer)	53%	40%
Fighter Shield	52%	56%
1 Rogue/ X Wizard	48%	35%	Nearly the same as fighter. Doesn't have the DR from armor
1 Fighter/ X Wizard	47%	56%
Fighter Defensive	47%	51%
Barbarian Armored	43%	48%
Barbarian Unarmored	43%	38%	Unarmored defense is built into the system
Paladin	43%	46%
Fighter	43%	46%
Cleric Melee	43%	43%
Bard Melee	43%	48%
Druid Caster	37%	42%	Old armor assumes you can get scale mail and/or breastplate made out of creatures and not metal.
Wizard	37%	39%
Sorcerer	37%	39%
Warlock	37%	34%
Cleric Caster	37%	34%
Bard Caster	37%	34%

Full math for the standard build of each class.

Alterations

Core Rules

Shields grant +2 to Reflex saving throws. They already do so in some circumstances via Shield Master and also added +2 to Reflex defense in 4e. This alteration makes shields very similar to their AC version.

Two Weapon Fighting is unrelated to these rules, but I would allow 2 light weapons to be drawn as 1, apply the ability score on the offhand by default (change fighting style to larger weapons), add a second bonus attack at 11. It will help vs DR though.

Dazed (add this condition)

• A dazed creature has disadvantage on Reflex saving throws.
• If a dazed creature attempts to cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, it must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + the spell's level or the spell is wasted.
• The creature moves at half its normal speed.
• The creature can speak only falteringly.

Restrained - remove "Attack rolls against the creature have advantage" as that is already captured in "The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws" in the attacks vs Reflex system.

Paralyzed and Stunned are definitely stronger than before. They now make attacks automatically hit. But this isn't very different from Pathfinder and is acceptable as these only exist for PCs on higher level spells. Stunning Strike and Hold Person have been modified below.

Features

Dwarf Stonecunning gives advantage instead of double your proficiency.

Defensive Duelist Feat should be removed. Nimble guys like Rogue no longer need this feat to be more durable as they already have the 2nd highest dodge in the game.

Resilient Feat See the first page. This feat would be incredibly powerful with the Attacks vs Reflex system and should not exist in this system.

Barbarian Unarmored Defense is no longer needed as the playstyle (unarmored) is supported in the default system. You gain DR 1.

Barbarian Rage does not have advantage on Reflex saving throws as they already have resistance. Change their resistance to be against all damage except psychic and replace Bear level 3 with "When you rage you gain temporary hit points equivalent to your level + your proficiency bonus".

Barbarian Danger Sense now gives advantage on Reflex saving throws to avoid traps only.

Bardic Inspiration See Fully Bounded Accuracy

Bard Combat Inspiration the alternative usage now adds the inspiration die to your Reflex saving throw.

Fighter Extra Attack A fighter can choose to forgo an attack granted by the Extra Attack class feature to make a strong attack. Add the base weapon dice to the damage of a weapon attack.

Fighter (Battlemaster) Evasive Footwork Now applies to Reflex saving throw instead of AC.

Defensive Fighting Style Change to +1 Reflex. Combine with the Protection style.

Monk archetypes Unrelated to this specific change I would suggest all monks have the Open Hand archetype in addition to another one. This does help monk out a bit as he now has to deal with enemy DR.

Monk Unarmed Damage Unrelated to this system, a monk should have much higher DPR. I use the following houserule: "Increase unarmed damage to 1d8 at 5th level, 1d10 at 11th level, 1d12 at 14th level, and 2d6 at 17th level.". Even though it's unrelated it will definitely help with the DR.

Monk Unarmored Defense is replaced with: "Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, you can absorb incoming blows. You gain DR 1. In addition when a creature attacks you, you can use your reaction to roll your Reflex saving throw with advantage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain all expended uses."

This allows the monk to still dodge attacks more often than Rogues and Rangers without breaking the system. It is modeled off defensive duelist, but applies to ranged attacks.

Monk Stunning Strike moved to 11th level. Stun is too strong at 5th level. Cost increased to 3 Ki (compare to open hand flurry and dazing strike).

Monk Add Dazing strike at 5th level to replace Stunning Strike. The ability reads the same but replace stun with Dazed. It costs 2 Ki to use.

Monk Open Hand Quivering Palm Not directly related to this change, but this should cost 4 Ki. I would recommend changing the effect to not require an additional action and change the results to be 10d10 necrotic damage if the target fails the saving throw or half if they succeed. The normal version is literally save or die.

Fighter Evasive Footwork Now applies to Reflex saving throw instead of AC.

Paladin Aura of Protection See Fully Bounded Accuracy

Ranger No longer has proficiency with Medium armor or shields. This makes much more mechanical sense, matches the expected fluff of a Ranger's armor, and mirrors their 4e proficiencies.

Ranger (Hunter) Multiattack Defense Now gives you advantage on all reflex saving throws against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn.

Rogue archetypes - unrelated to this specific change I would suggest all rogues have the Thief archetype in addition to another one.

Sorcerer Draconic Resilience Now gives DR 1

Spells

Barkskin Now gives DR 2

Haste remove +2 AC and advantage on Dexterity throws. It is +2 on Reflex saving throws

Hold Monster is renamed "Hold Creature" and Hold Person is removed. Paralyzed is too strong at this early level and the distinction between this as Hold Monster is arbitrary.

Mage Armor Now gives DR 1

Shield can be used vs any Reflex saving throw. +5 AC becomes Advantage on Reflex saving throws

Shield of Faith +2 on Reflex saving throws.

Slow Remove -2 AC. It is -2 on Reflex saving throws

Warding Bond Remove +1 AC (Dex already covers it)

Other spells Any spell that creates an object has no reflex saving throw, but much higher DR. wall of stone for example could be DR 8.

Scaling Math

Given a standard melee, standard archer, and standard caster build vs the monster DC provided on DMG 274 they scale as such:

See Google Spreadsheet for the full numbers

RAW

Melee

Primary save (Strength) scales from 65% to 65% success chance.

Secondary save (Constitution) scales from 65% to 55% success chance.

Tertiary ability score (Wisdom) scales from 50% to 20% success chance.

Other ability scores (Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma) scale from 40% to 10% success chance.

Ranged

Primary save (Dexterity) scales from 65% to 65% success chance.

Secondary save (Strength) scales from 50% to 40% success chance.

Tertiary ability scores (Constitution and Wisdom) scale from 50-55% to 20-25%% success chance.

Other ability score (Intelligence and Charisma) scale from 35-40% to 5-10% success chance.

Caster

Primary save (Intelligence) scales from 65% to 65% success chance.

Secondary save (Wisdom) scales from 50% to 40% success chance.

Tertiary ability score (Dexterity and Constitution) scale from 50-55% to 20-25% success chance.

Other ability scores (Strength and Charisma) scale from 40-45% to 5-10% success chance.

Half Proficiency bonus to unproficient saving throws

Melee

Primary and Secondary saves are unchanged

Tertiary ability score (Wisdom) scales from 50% to 35% success chance.

Other ability scores (Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma) scale from 40% to 25% success chance.

Ranged

Primary and Secondary saves are unchanged

Tertiary ability scores (Constitution and Wisdom) scale from 50-55% to 35-40% success chance.

Other ability score (Intelligence and Charisma) scale from 35-40% to 20-25% success chance.

Caster

Primary and Secondary saves are unchanged

Tertiary ability score (Dexterity and Constitution) scale from 50-55% to 35-40% success chance.

Other ability scores (Strength and Charisma) scale from 40-45% to 20-25% success chance.

Strength vs Dexterity

AC

Strength actually wins here as a result of being able to purchase armor with no ability score investment is required, only small gold amounts. There is a penalty to stealth, but that's very minor. Dex can compete with the AC provided by armor with full ability score investment (+5) and a feat (TWF). That is a very high cost. Strength clearly wins here.

Ability Checks

If we compare the two and cross out duplicates (escape a grapple, overrun/tumble) we end up with the following:

Strength: Climb, Jump, Swim, Shove, grapple, break things, carrying capacity (or encumbrance)

Dexterity: Balance, stunts, Stealth, Sleight of Hand

Strength is slightly ahead of Dexterity in regards to ability checks.

Damage

Strength builds, even with houserules provide the highest damage possible. Dex builds fall behind by 5-15% or more in some cases.

Combat Utility

Dexterity provided ranged weapons at long ranges while thrown weapons are typically 20/60 feet.

Other Benefits

Initiative is clearly in favor of Dexterity and is the only factor that really pushes it even with Strength overall.

Summary

Strength and Dexterity are really even besides saving throws. And there is no adjustment needed.