In DF Whiterock, I allowed fairly unlimited point consolidation. For example, I let a PC reduce 10 DX skills from [2] to [1] points each, plus pay 10 more points, for a point of DX [20]. As long as nothing went down. See https://dfwhiterock.blogspot.com/2018/09/update-on-trading-in-house-rule.html
I think that was a bit too good. So in DFRPG Arden Vul, I have restricted this further. I'm still allowing buying attributes piecemeal: you can trade in 1 HP [2] and 1 point of Striking ST [5] along with 3 points to get a full point of ST [10]. And I'm obviously still allowing leveling up leveled advantages: obviously you can trade Fit [5] plus 10 points for Very Fit [15]. (I think the latter is RAW, not even a house rule.) But I'm not allowing taking points out of skills (including spells) to bump attributes anymore.
(The fine print: you can only trade in secondary attributes that were bought independently; you can't do this with stuff from a racial template. If you're a dwarf and you got Lifting ST 2 [6] as part of your dwarf template, you always have to keep that Lifting ST 2. You can't just trade it in when you raise your ST.)
My justification for not allowing it for skills is that skills aren't always used against their base attribute. For example, Traps is listed as an IQ-based skill, but it's very often used with Per (for finding traps) or DX (to disarm traps) instead. So when you take points out of a skill and put them in the controlling attribute, it gets worse when you use it with another attribute, which breaks the "nothing gets worse" goal of the house rule.
I see the counter-argument for spells: they're only used against IQ+Magery (or Power Investiture or Bardic Talent), so taking points out of spells to boost IQ or Magery (etc.) should be fine. I see the point, but I reject it for two reasons. One, I want simple house rules, not complicated ones full of exceptions. Two, spellcasters are already too good, so they don't deserve house rules to make them even better.
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