Bonus for low strength?

[Number47]

If I cast or manage to have active on me Divine Power, it gives me "an enhancement bonus to Strength sufficient to raise your Strength to 18" among other things. So if I have a 3 Strength, it give a +15 enhancement, right? So, everybody gets an 18 Strength as long as their Strength was 18 or lower to begin with. But wait! I then cast or manage to have active on me Polymorph, and change form into a troll. That gives me a base Strength of 23. Add in that convenient +15 enhancement because my real Strength is so low, and I now have a Strength of 38!

Am I wrong?

 

[CRGreathouse]

I think the enhancement is re-calculated to +0.

 

[Number47]

Enhancements can recalculate? Although not addressed in the rules, I would think not. That would also mean that no magic could lower your Strength below 18, because it would recalculate.

Note that the spell does not set your strength to 18, it does not "enhance your Strength to 18", it gives "an enhancement bonus to Strength sufficient to raise your Strength to 18".

 

[Caliban]

Enhancements can recalculate? Although not addressed in the rules, I would think not. That would also mean that no magic could lower your Strength below 18, because it would recalculate.

Note that the spell does not set your strength to 18, it does not "enhance your Strength to 18", it gives "an enhancement bonus to Strength sufficient to raise your Strength to 18".

I believe that CRGreathouse is correct. As long as the spell is in effect, it will not give an enhancement bonus greater than that needed to raise your strength to 18, and it won't give one less than that needed to raise your strength to 18.

If you get another bonus/penalty that changes your strength to something other than 18, then the enhancement bonus is no longer "sufficient to raise your strength to 18." So it's raised or lowered until it reaches an enhancement bonus that will get you to an 18. (Although it won't give a penalty, so if your strength goes above 18 without the spell, the spell won't lower it.)

The spell isn't quite as broken as you seem to think it is.

 

[Virago]

But presumably it would protect against ability damage and/or ability drain (to a score below 18) during the duration of the spell?

 

[StealthyMark]

So if I have a 3 Strength, it give a +15 enhancement, right?

If you get another bonus/penalty that changes your strength to something other than 18, then the enhancement bonus is no longer "sufficient to raise your strength to 18." So it's raised or lowered until it reaches an enhancement bonus that will get you to an 18.

it would protect against ability damage and/or ability drain (to a score below 18)

Three more reasons to ban this spell completely, as I did.

BTW, I think this interpretation is correct.

The spell isn't quite as broken as you seem to think it is.

You were sarcastic, right?

IMO, this spell bends to many rules. And smells awful like old D&D rules.

 

[Uller]

IMO, this spell bends to many rules. And smells awful like old D&D rules.

I tend to agree. This artificial 18 strength limit is just silly and makes the spell less useful for some and more for others...A straight +6(or +4) enhancement bonus seems more in line with the rest of the rules to me.

(although as soon as my Dwarf Cleric gains a level...you betcha I'm gonna use it, mainly for the BAB increase).

Anyway...yeah. I think the spirit of the rules would recalculate the bonus as needed to keep your strength at 18 at any given time. Otherwise, it opens it up to some of the non-sense described above. Having it readjust your strength when you take ability damage to keep it at 18 seems far less abusive than allowing a 3 strength character to end up with a 38 by using it and them polymorphing into a troll.

 

[Caliban]

You were sarcastic, right?

Not at all.

IMO, this spell bends to many rules. And smells awful like old D&D rules.

I disagree.

 

[Uller]

But presumably it would protect against ability damage and/or ability drain (to a score below 18) during the duration of the spell?

Right...but it is a very short lived spell...so I see no big deal here.

 

[CRGreathouse]

IMO, this spell bends to many rules.

I disagree.

And smells awful like old D&D rules.

Yeah, I agree here. It's like legacy code - you wish you could modernize it but it never seems to happen.