What are the ways one can avoid using STR or DEX as an attack modifier?

Question

For context, I am aiming to create a melee fighter, but would like to avoid using Strength and Dexterity as my attack modifier. I know that there are a few ways each with their limitations, but when I try looking them up, I feel like I keep missing some, so I was hoping the community could help me comprise a list.

Some examples would be:

• Monks use Dexterity for simple or dedicated weapons, though Kensai gain two additional weapons of their choosing.

• Hexblade Warlocks use Charisma for their modifiers, but must be a one-handed weapon, unless you gain the Pact of the Blade.

Whether it be a spell, class, race, or feat, I'd like to hear my options. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

There is a class (or lineage) for all four other abilities

These are ways I know of that allow you to use ability scores other than Dexterity or Strength to enhance your melee attacks:

• Damphir Lineage (Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft): Vampiric Bite feature allows you to add your Constitution modifier instead of Strength with the bite.

• Druid 1: The shillelagh cantrip allows you to use your spellcasting ability, Wisdom as a druid, instead of Strength. (Likewise, feats that let you pick up the cantrip, such as Magic Initiate). Duration one minute on club or staff.

• Hexblade Warlock 1 (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Hex Warrior feature that allows you to attack with your Charisma modifier instead of Dexterity or Strength. Works only with your pact weapon.

• Way of the Astral Self Monk 3 (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Arms of the Astral Self feature allows you to attack using Wisdom modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity with your astral arms.

• Artificer Battle Smith 3 (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Battle Ready feature allows you to use your Intelligence modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity, when attacking with a magic weapon.

• Artificer Armorer 3 (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): "Each [Arcane Armor] model includes a special weapon. When you attack with that weapon, you can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, to the attack and damage rolls."

• Bladesinger Wizard 14 (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Song of Victory feature allows you to add your Intelligence modifier to the attack.

How to best realize your character concept?

Your stated goal (from the comments) is that you would like to play

a common farmer who is, in fact, a heavy hitter. (...), he might look average and even remain undetected by a Battle Master's "Know Your Enemy."

You should realize that no player character is "a common farmer", all of them are highly exceptional and have class levels due to being so. A common farmer would be a commoner, with ability scores of 10 across the board, so which ability you use would not really matter.

If your secondary goal is that someone cannot assess you correctly with Know Your Enemy, then none of the options will fully protect you, because Know Your Enemy will always work to reveal how powerful you approximately are, no matter which classes you picked, with this choice:

• Total class levels (if any)

But worrying about that feature is entirely unnecessary: Any character with class levels, if PC or NPC, is already rare, those of 7th level or higher are rarer still, and those that happen to be (complicated to run) Battle Masters, are yet again more rare. You'd be unlucky to have that happen to you a single time in your average campaign, and even if it did, it would not be a big thing.

To realize your concept of appearing as a harmless, normal peasant while in fact being a powerful melee combatant, classes that do not need a lot of unusual equipment that will give them away will be a much more effective and simpler choice than worrying about the ability score that gets added to melee attacks.

The options that allow you to do it at level 1, druid or warlock, seem to be the best here, along with the monk. They do not need to wear heavy armor or carry martial weapons to be functional.

If you want to use a hoe, as you added as info in your comments, then either the hexlade warlock or the battlesmith artificer would be good options; both warlock can use any weapon (you also need to be 3rd level for a two-handed weapon). The artificer needs a magic hoe for this, but that should not be a problem, as he can infuse the hoe to become a magic weapon. A hoe is not a standard weapon on the weapon table. Check with your DM which weapon they would like to reskin.

Answer 2

Attack With

Wisdom

• Shillelagh (cantrip)
• Monk (Way of the Astral Self) 3

Intelligence

• Artificer (Battle Smith) 3

Charisma

• Warlock (Hexblade) 1

Constitution

• Dhampir race (Bite attack)

There are numerous ways to make attack rolls using various mental stats using cantrips, but they are not weapon attacks. The Monk astral arms is pretty 'magicy' too, for that matter.

Being a melee powerhouse without a high strength or dexterity score.

It's understandable that you might want the granularity of being able to hit people with a knife fairly successfully without also being good at picking pockets or being able to lift an entire cart above your head. While you can simply ask the DM to allow you to roll below your modifier for those tasks (this is nearly universally acceptable at any table) for roleplaying reasons, having it on your sheet directly might be desirable and it is more interesting for many players if it is a result of the game rules rather than DM fiat.

The simplest way to achieve this is by being a level 1 warlock (level 3 if you want to use a two-handed weapon), or a level 3 artificer. For the cost of these levels you can attack using charisma or intelligence in melee, and have low str and/or dex in a way that naturally carries through to the various game mechanics that rely on ability scores. Although both of these classes have spellcasting, both have subtle spell options that you could use such as long duration buffs or mostly invisible effects, so would not necessarily be shooting lasers at all times.