Ability Bonus/Penalties for RP Reasons

[ptolemy18]

Hello everyone,

I'm running a D&D3.5 campaign, and I've been thinking recently about whether it would be "appropriate" to give one of the PCs a bonus to one of their ability scores (say +2) for purely role-playing-related reasons.

I run a game with a fair amount of character death, so that, 52 weekly sessions after we started playing, there are now no characters remaining from the initial group. (It's mostly the same *players*, but everyone has died and started with a new character once or twice by this point.)

One of the characters has, to me as DM, developed into one of the more interesting characters from a plot perspective (mostly because he bothered to play a character who's actually *from* the region where the campaign is centered, rather than some wandering weirdo/gnoll/hobgoblin from a faraway land who doesn't have any connection the local NPCs and dramas... I assume most roleplayers know the difference in character-types I'm talking about ). Unfortunately, that character has rather low/unexciting ability scores -- I think something like 15, 15, 12, 10, 10, 10. I know that the player is aware of this and has occasionally regretted his character's sucky ability scores, and although he seems to be enjoying playing his character, I'm sure he knows that if he died, his new character would have the chance of having better rolls. His character has become central to the plot, but in terms of ability scores, he's not blessed as much as the other characters.

So anyway, I've been considering coming up with some in-character role-playing reason for the guy's character to get a +2 bonus to one of his ability scores. Like, the characters will all meet a celestial being, and this one character -- since he's got the most plot importance at the moment -- will get blessed with a permanent +2 bonus. Just to make the player enjoy the character more and feel more "heroic." If a celestial being shows up and tells the character "YOU, YES YOU, MUST SAVE THE KINGDOM" *and* gives them a +2 ability score bonus for the purpose of saving the kingdom, it seems like a nice combo.

But I don't know if this is a good idea.

Firstly, there is the possibility that the player will feel singled out in an awkward/uncomfortable way by me the DM. (I think there's not *much* risk of this, but...)

Secondly, there is the *very high* possibility that the other players will get jealous. Although I'd prefer to keep the +2 bonus secret, since I don't think all the players have eachothers' characters' ability scores memorized, I doubt it'd stay secret forever. I don't want to give *everyone* ability score bonuses... only the person whose background ties in with "saving the kingdom" and all that jazz.

Thirdly, there is the possibility that it might set a dangerous precedent where all the characters will expect to have gods show up and increase their ability scores all the time.

Fourthly, although I don't know how important this is, I really can't find *any* rules justification/explanation for this. Since it's all a game, I *assume* that a demigod could give someone a permanent +2 strength bonus somehow, but I can't recall finding anything like that anywhere in the rules. The obvious choice is to make the aid come in the form of a magic item but I'd prefer not to do this because D&D is so "equipment-centric" already (and besides I don't want the magic to be transferrable to another character in case this one dies... although I suppose I could always just establish that the Gauntlets of Ogre Power, or whatever, are tied to this particular character's life force). Anyway, I can't think of any "excuse" for a permanent +2 ability bonus in the D&D3.5 rules. (Permanency + Bull's Strength? I dunno.)

BTW, about the whole problem of singling out one character for rewards... it's not like the campaign *depends* on this one character or anything. I realize that every player and player-character has to feel the love equally, and I'm trying to give everyone their chance to shine. If the character in question dies, I'll just turn the plot in a different direction which will focus more on the other characters. But I *do* like the plot possibilities of this one character. I wouldn't cheat or fudge the dice (the worst possible DM behavior!!!) to keep this character alive, but I'd *like* to make them slightly buffer if possible, to give them a slightly better chance of surviving long enough for their plot threads to develop.

Of course, maybe if the player is growing tired of his character, I can't force it, and increasing his scores won't help. Or maybe there's other incentives I can try.

What do y'all think?

Jason

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Sets a dangerous trend regarding divine intervention, forced railroading, and a perception of player favoritism.

I'd go with providing the appropriate magic item -- but make it cursed, so it can't be removed once donned, and the item loses its powers if the wearer is killed. No problems with transfer to other players, and less favoritism involved -- you did *curse* the character, after all.

 

[Umbran]

You've already noted a whole bunch of drawbacks.

Also note that you've got a high character turnover rate. Which means you're setting a precedent and the gains will likely be temporary. That's not much of a win.

 

[Rasyr]

All in all, the divine intervention and stat boosting is a bad idea, mostly for the reasons that you pointed out. However, just because that one method is bad does not mean that there are not other ways that you can accomplish the same thing.

One possibility is a potion, a one-shot item that grants the increase (but you need a way to make sure that the character you want gets it). Perhaps the party finds a stach of potions, each one doing something different (make sure that the other potions are geared specifically for the other players, some temporary boost to their class abilities most likely). Then the one for the player whose stats you want to boost doesn't boost his ability like he thought, but gives the permanent stat boost instead. Heck, you can even roll each time one of the players drinks one of the potions. Pretend you are checking for something, and for this character this is it.

For example, the party find a small storage box with 12 potions of healing in it. Anytime a player drinks one, you roll percentile dice (or two different dice like a d8 and a d12), but do not tell the players what you are rolling for. When the player you want to give the stat boost to drinks, have him double over in pain for a few minutes (losing some hits in the process), as his body undergoes a physical (or mental, depending upon which stat gets the boost). If Strength gets the boost, then have him grow bigger muscles over a few minutes time, it is Con, do the same, if it is Dex, have him get thinner, and more wiry. If it Wisdom, have his body infused with a blinding glow (which might attract monsters) for a few minutes, Intelligence - have his head bubble and pulse visibly, and for Charisma, make his features shift and slide, and resettle in a form near their original (but slightly better looking).

The players are likely to think that something bad is happening, or that he has been cursed or something. This could provide you will a number of interesting side hooks as they try to figure things out.

As for what the rules say can or cannot be done, don't worry about it. You don't need a rules justification for making something happen, not if it is going to enhance the story in the long run. Remember, the rules are NOT set in stone. Just don't ignore the rules too often.

 

[genshou]

As long as his ability scores aren't particularly close to what the other PCs have, it shouldn't be a problem.

I got tired of having this problem with ability scores in the first place, so I came up with a system to balance scores over time.

Ability scores are rolled as normal. Some players end up getting lucky, others get the shaft. However...

At 2nd-level and each level thereafter, the PC can spend points as per the point-buy rules, to increase their scores. They start with 25 points at 1st-level, and get level/4 (round up) points each time they increase in level. If this is compared with the point-buy values of the character's actual, current scores and they are found wanting, they get to buy ability score increases by spending those points.

I know this doesn't solve your current problem, but if anyone's interested in the specifics of this system, I'll post it here for you. It's something that realistically needs to be applied at the start of a campaign, though.

 

[Aidan mac Culloch]

If you are going to the trouble of creating some sort of role-playing scenario for this, why not just have the ability score bonus given by a item that is earned or gifted by whomever/whatever is encountered? Seems less arbitrary and potentially jealousy-creating than simply handing out an ability bonus.

An separate suggestion is simply to poll your other players about it. Seems simple, but they may be very ammenable to the idea (not that I can claim to know the make-up of your group).

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

A nod toward Point Buy, here. While some old-school hard-corers will complain, in the long run, you won't have Bob The Cool Character With All 10s standing next to Barbarian #14 with two 18s. As to any talk of: "But you can make a character with crappy stats so much more INTERESTING because they're less powerful." Sure, can do the same thing with points. Character is character is character.

I really like the idea of using a potion and some faux percentile rolls. Don't just play a choral hymn track in the background and RP out some god handing Bob +2 Wis. That'd be mighty lame for everybody else. If your group is hardcore into rolling for ability scores, they'll probably get a kick out of somebody drinking a potion and randomly getting an ability score buff.

If I were you, I'd check the other stats and average what all the other players have. 15,15,12,10,10,10 is 26 points, I think, which is more than the 25 "standard". If everybody really outstrips him, they might be 32 or more. If you add +2 Wis to the character that'd make him 28.

You might want to also hand out some other weird bonus if he's REALLY low compared to the others. A spell-like ability or something.

ANOTHER idea would be cursing a potion to change his race a la Reincarnation to Dwarf, which'd net him 2 Con and a handful of little abilities, while making it seem like he got shafted. I found this one out when the party wizard got hit by a curse and turned to a dwarf and really had no interest in going back, since he just got more con and some nice abilities.

--fje

 

[Zzyzx]

Another vote for the mysterious-effects potion. I play this game occasionally, figuring if permanent magic items are occasionally cursed, why not potions and scrolls as well?

Keeps players guessing, and lets me bend the rules a little. Like you want to do.