KORPG™ Games 
This post is another in the series of what I’d have done to redesign D&D had they asked me.
It’s short, but necessary.
In the past we’ve removed the classes that base their prime requisite off this attribute (namely the sorcerer and the paladin and the bard) so on our chopping block today is…
Charisma
At best a role play support metric masquerading as a real statistic, and in the most compassionate and friendly light to the attribute, charisma should be a skill… like leadership.
Since we’ve eliminated skills in order to put that stuff back in the hands of the players for role play purposes, the Charisma attribute goes as well.
Remembering that we’re no longer concerning our players with numbers that don’t matter to their understanding of how their characters impact the game, the attribute’s now are streamlined to the more useful list of:
- Strength
- Intelligence
- Wisdom
- Dexterity
- Constitution
Tell me you didn’t see that coming.
Tell me you haven’t wanted to do the same.
I’ll be honest, that felt really good. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.
I am reading your redesigning D&D posts with great interest. While I am a 4e fan, I do not think it is perfect, and a more stripped down game that echoes some of the simplicity of BECMI while retaining aspects of the modern game would appeal to me.
I had one comment / question about eliminating Charisma: couldn’t similar arguments be applied to Intelligence and Wisdom as well? What is it specifically about Charisma that leads you to treat it differently than the other two “mental” ability scores?
The simple answer is the ties of INT and WIS as prime scores for the iconic magic-user and cleric.
While I can’t fault the use of the same argument to eliminate both, even with the stripped down version I’m aiming for, both still have additional mechanics in the final version.
Specifically INT affects arcane spell use while WIS does the same for divine spells.
Additionally WIS is still retained for adjustments to will based saves while INT yields a bonus or penalty for certain thieving skill uses.
Removing the classes that are based of a charisma stat in concert with the removal of skills and feats leaves the attribute as an island, and a worthless one at that.
Hopefully that makes sense.