Ability-score damage and enhancement bonuses

Nareau

Explorer

• Sep 16, 2003

• #1

Let's say I have a normal strength of 6, and that I'm wearing Guantlets of Ogre Power +2. I then get hit with some poison, and suffer 8 points of strength damage. Do I keel over, paralyzed? Or not?

My thinking: you can't have negative ability scores. It seems to me that the poison would only do 6 points of strength damage to me, reducing my natural score to 0. My guantlets would keep me moving with a strength score of 2.

Spider

[Edit]Grr. I'm a dummy. Mods, could you move this to Rules? Thanks.

 

Last edited: Sep 16, 2003

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Vaxalon

First Post

• Sep 16, 2003

• #2

When your strength score goes to zero, irrespective of bonuses from magic items, you are paralyzed. The gauntlets can't help you if you can't move.

 

A

Al

First Post

• Sep 16, 2003

• #3

As a DM, I rule that you can go into 'virtual' negative numbers. So in this case, you would go to a 'virtual' -2, which means that you would have a strength score of 0. If you went to 'virtual' -1 or 0, you would be okay, having a strength score of 1 or 2 respectively.

As an interesting aside, note that a Headband of Intellect offsets most of the worst bit of Feeblemind (loss of sentient thought), since Feeblemind SETS Int to 1, so even a +2 Headband is enough to keep sentience, if not spellcasting capability.

 

Hypersmurf

Moderatarrrrh...

• Sep 17, 2003

• #4

Spider said:

Let's say I have a normal strength of 6, and that I'm wearing Guantlets of Ogre Power +2. I then get hit with some poison, and suffer 8 points of strength damage. Do I keel over, paralyzed? Or not?

Click to expand...

You do - your Str is 0.

But, if someone takes your Gauntlets off, your Str is still 0, since, as you point out, you can't have a negative ability score.

If they subsequently put your Gauntlets back on, then you gain a +2 Enhancement bonus to your Str of 0, which would give you a total Str of 2.

Edit - as an aside, don't try this game with Constitution.

-Hyp.

 

Last edited: Sep 17, 2003

kreynolds

First Post

• Sep 17, 2003

• #5

LMAO Yeah, I wouldn't try it either.

 

Last edited: Sep 17, 2003

G

Grog

First Post

• Sep 17, 2003

• #6

Hypersmurf said:

You do - your Str is 0.

But, if someone takes your Gauntlets off, your Str is still 0, since, as you point out, you can't have a negative ability score.

If they subsequently put your Gauntlets back on, then you gain a +2 Enhancement bonus to your Str of 0, which would give you a total Str of 2.

Click to expand...

I think the game crashes if you do this.

 

H

hong

WotC's bitch

• Sep 17, 2003

• #7

Grog said:

I think the game crashes if you do this.

Click to expand...

I hear they fixed that in the 3.5 patch.


Hong "or maybe not" Ooi

 

Last edited: Sep 17, 2003