Second, and corollary to the idea of attaching the number of skills one can learn or experience one can gain to their INT modifier,6 we can use other skill mechanics creatively. For instance, if a Bard, through good role playing and lucky dice, puts on a show at the tavern that brings down the house, consider improving their Performance by +1 permanently. Conversely, failed Intimidation rolls should result in a feeling of hostility from the intended target, if not the whole town guard, or the whole town. This penalty should be in effect until circumstances have changed.

Applying this style of rewards and penalties to the traits at hand, if a ranger befriends a she-wolf in a forest with Animal Handling (WIS), the rest of the pack or even all of the other animals in that area may be more friendly, resulting in advantage or bonuses whenever dealing with them. On the contrary, discovering a book of religious rites, a Wizard may use Religion (INT) to decipher the general tenor of the text, but will require time and study to descry its full import. This is similar to how, in Dune, Lady Jessica gleaned the presence of the Missionaria Protectiva among the Fremen through certain terms they used, but required time and further evidence to realize the exact version of the myth they believed and how to take advantage of it.7

Third, we have another way to illuminate the differences between the closely related skills of Investigation (INT) and Perception (WIS). Broadly speaking, the former relies on deductive reasoning, and the latter on inductive reasoning. As an example, let’s say that a character is looking at a dusty bookshelf in an abandoned library. Through investigation (INT), this character may deduce that a certain book is pertinent to the quest at hand based on the age, language, or symbology of the book, drawing on their prior knowledge of old tomes. Using perception (WIS), the character may infer that the same book is relevant based on the fact that the book is less dusty than others or seems to have been moved recently, or because they notice a bookmark that seems out of place. Either method could work, but they are subject to different obstacles and could lead to very different failure/success states.

These methods may take a little more time and effort to apply, but could go a long way in creating a pragmatic distinction between the traits of Intelligence and Wisdom. In essence, Intelligence can reflect a style of knowledge that is focused, prepared, and deductive, while Wisdom implies a style of knowledge that is broad, practical, and inductive. Beyond mechanical changes, though, an overall understanding of how these traits, along with Charisma - what I will call the mental traits - are adjudicated in our games seems to be the next logical topic, and is the subject of my essay, Across the Meta Divide.