wishes and ability scores

[mseds99]

Hi all,

Maybe this was discussed before an I missed it, but how many wishes does it take to get a +5 inherent bonus.

My reading as DM is that it takes

1 to get the +1
2 to get the +2
3 to get the +3
4 to get the +4
5 to get the +5

for a total of 15.

One of my players thinks that all you need is 5 in succession.

I've already ruled my interprtation is the way my campaign is going, but I wanted to know what the "Official" stance on this is.

 

[Crothian]

Well, since creating a book that gives one +5 attribute bonus takes 5 wishes, I'd think it would be five in total.

 

[Hypersmurf]

It depends how you go about it.

If you Wish for a +1 inherent bonus to Strength, then you have a +1.

If you come back a year later and Wish again for a +1 inherent bonus to Strength, you get another +1 inherent bonus... that does not stack with the first one.

What you need to do is cast two Wish spells in immediate succession and wish for a +2 inherent bonus... that does not stack with either of the +1 inherent bonuses you already have.

Then, a few years later, you're fortunate enough to find a Luck Blade with 5 wishes, and burn them all to gain a +5 inherent bonus to Strength.

So in this case, to get +5 cost the character 9 wishes : 1 + 1 + 2 + 5.

If, however, you'd used the Luck Blade to boost your Intelligence instead, it would only have cost you 5 wishes in total, since you hadn't wasted any on a lower inherent bonus before.

In similar fashion, once you've used a Wish to boost your Dexterity by one point, a +1 Manual of Quickness of Action makes a lovely doorstop, but is otherwise of no use to you. (Unless you sell it for vast amounts of money, of course.)

-Hyp.

 

[YuriPup]

Actually you can use 5 +1 books to get your +5 from my reading. So wishes would do it (or miracles) though you would be going for the extra-ordinary 5k XP (if I recall the cost correctly) kind.

-Y

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually you can use 5 +1 books to get your +5 from my reading.

No, you can't.

Inherent bonuses don't stack.

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

From the SRD, Wish spell:

Grant a creature a +1 inherent bonus to an ability score. Two to five wish spells cast in immediate succession can grant a creature a +2 to +5 inherent bonus to an ability score (two wishes for a +2 inherent bonus, three for a +3 inherent bonus, and so on).

-Hyp.

 

[YuriPup]

Actaully the better quote is from the expaned definition of inherint in the wish section, where it explicietly says they don't stack (as opposed to the DMG where they make no referance to it what so ever). Go fig. I was going by the DMG section. Miracle is not mentioned one way or the other.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actaully the better quote is from the expaned definition of inherint in the wish section, where it explicietly says they don't stack (as opposed to the DMG where they make no referance to it what so ever).

It tells you that like bonuses don't stack, with certain exceptions that don't include inherent bonuses.

If you cast Bull's Strength for a +3 Enhancement bonus, and then cast it again for another +3 Enhancement bonus, you end up with +3.

If you cast Wish for a +1 Inherent bonus, and then cast it again for another +1 Inherent bonus, you end up with +1. It's how bonuses work.

The description of the Wish spell tells you how you can get a +2 Inherent bonus, but it's not necessary for the DMG to repeat the fact that two +1 bonuses don't stack, when "Inherent" isn't on the list of self-stackable bonus types.

-Hyp.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

The description of the Wish spell tells you how you can get a +2 Inherent bonus, but it's not necessary for the DMG to repeat the fact that two +1 bonuses don't stack, when "Inherent" isn't on the list of self-stackable bonus types.

Word.

It's a mystery to me why there are ever any questions on this point. The stacking rules are, in fact, pretty clear. It just seems as if some people don't believe them.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Word.

It's a mystery to me why there are ever any questions on this point. The stacking rules are, in fact, pretty clear. It just seems as if some people don't believe them.

I mean, they could always go back to the 1E way, where a Wish increased an attribute by a point... until you hit 16, where they started increasing attributes by .1...

16.9 Str was a whole lot of wishes for no mechanical benefit whatsoever

-Hyp.