Negative Bonus?

[knifie_sp00nie]

I'm wanting to take the Cleric power "Divine Aid", but have a negative Cha modifier. Since it's a bonus, does the negative apply, or is it just zero?

Effect: The target makes a saving throw with a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier.

And if it does count as zero, where in the rules does it say?

 

[Mort_Q]

In the PH, on page 58, it mentions that negative modifiers used to apply penalties don't count (under Applying a Penalty), but I haven't found anything equivalent for Applying a Bonus.

I'd be inclined to say minimum 0... but I haven't finished looking.

 

[john112364]

In the PH, on page 58, it mentions that negative modifires used to apply penalities don't count (under Applying a Penalty), but I haven't found anything equivalent for Applying a Bonus.

I'd be inclined to say minimum 0... but I haven't finished looking.

I think I would go with this. I personally wouldn't care what the rules say or don't say; it would be totally ridiculous to apply a negative modifier to a power that's supposed to be a bonus. A bonus of 0 I could live with, but a bonus of -1 (or more!)? Not so much.

Just my 2cps.

 

[Mengu]

If you have a penalty in a stat, you apply the penalty of that stat. If you're not going to apply it when it's inconvenient, what then is the difference between an 8 and a 10?

The exception for Applying a Penalty is there so you don't start giving bonuses to the enemy. So if you had a power that said "the enemy suffers a penalty to AC equal to your Charisma modifier", and you had a -1 penalty there, you don't suddenly give him a +1 AC.

Otherwise, if the power says "gain a bonus to the damage roll equal to your strength modifier", and you have -1 modifier, you wouldn't ignore that penalty. Similarly if the power says make a saving throw with a bonus equal to your charisma modifier, you should be applying that -1 modifier.

 

[Jhaelen]

I'm wanting to take the Cleric power "Divine Aid", but have a negative Cha modifier.

Maybe you shouldn't have picked the Cleric class or that particular power then...

 

[Xeterog]

I thought the rule was:
If a power/ability/feat/whatever says to apply a your BONUS, then you do not apply negative modifiers, only positive ones.

if a power/ability/feat/whatever says to apply a PENALTY, then you do not apply positive modifiers, only negative ones.

if a power/ability/feat/whatever says to apply your MODIFIER, then you apply both positive and negative modifiers.

I could be wrong, as I can't look it up right now, but that is what I recall at the moment.