- Charisma (same)
- Dexterity (same)
- Might (was Str & Con)
- Savvy (was Intelligence and Wisdom)
Definitely not these 4.
Might
Dexterity
Savvy
for sure. But Charisma wouldn't be just Charisma. It would include Luck and Willpower and Fate.
I'd rename Charisma as such:
Might: Strength, Endurance, Toughness
Dexterity: Agility, Adeptness, Reflexes
Savvy: Knowledge, Intuition, Perception
Fortune: Charisma, Willpower, Luck
The next thing I'd try to do is think about melee combat.
Knowing what the opponent is about to do is Savvy.
The Power of your response is limited by Might.
Precision and Speed of the response is Dexterity.
Luck lets you deal with failure without it being ruinous.
For spellcasting:
Using magic is physically draining (might)
Magic requires precise gestures (dexterity)
Manipulating the magical recipe in real time is mentally difficult (savvy)
Keeping it all together requires mental fortitude (fortune)
A game system that moved away from HP attrition, and towards positional advantage and coups, might be interesting. Your turn would consist of either improving your position relative to a foe, and/or attempting a finishing blow; it being deadly combat, you'd almost always be trying to connect with a finishing blow, but realistically you'd expect it to be defended. At the same time, mooks (relative to your skill level) are dropped by your initial attack, while a skilled foe is just put at disadvantage from an initial attack.
The same could be made true about magic. Most non-mooks don't get defeated in your opening volley.
...
I sort of like a setup and execute mechanic.
Your turn is then split between Setting up a new gambit, Executing a finished gambit, and Responding to enemy gambits.
Spells might work the same way.
You start to cast a spell. This requires a dexterity check (get the gestures right), and causes fatigue damage (might).
The spell needs to be modified to deal with new circumstances - a savvy check.
You are distracted while casting - a fortune check.
You execute the spell. A savvy check to do final tweaks. And your willpower (fortune) modifies the size of the effect.
The spell can now act like an independent gambit. Each creature under its effect needs to respond to it.