Ray of Enfeeblement vs. Blasphemy - Help me.

[Destan]

I'm fairly certain this is addressed, but just when I think I know the answer, I get confused again.

Question: Does the weakening effect of Blasphemy apply strength damage or apply a strength penalty?

If it's damage, then multiple uses "stack" in that you can hit an opponent with a couple spells and continually damage his strength, right?

If it's a penalty, then it doesn't stack. You'd just use the highest 2d6 roll currently in effect. Right?

Ray of Enfeeblement, I know, applies penalty to Strength. The SRD uses this exact wording.

The subject takes a penalty to Strength equal to 1d6+1 per two caster levels (maximum 1d6+5).

Elsewhere in the SRD we find Blasphemy. The wording on this is slightly different, and here's where I get confused.

Weakened: The creature’s Strength score decreases by 2d6 points for 2d4 rounds.

I guess the critical word is "decreases". Does decreasing one's strength mean damaging it? Or does it mean applying a penalty to it?

(Another issue is that I'm currently only using the SRD descriptions, which doesn't spell things out as much as the books.)

Thanks,
D


Edit: Hmm...the fact that there is a duration tied to the Weakening effect pretty much indicates it's not damage, yes?

 

[Caliban]

Edit: Hmm...the fact that there is a duration tied to the Weakening effect pretty much indicates it's not damage, yes?

Yup. It would stack with the Ray of Enfeeblement since it's an unnamed penalty, but not with itself.

 

[Karrisbane]

Yup. It would stack with the Ray of Enfeeblement since it's an unnamed penalty, but not with itself.

So does that mean that multiple uses of Blasphemy couldn't take a fighter with 20 Str below 8 Str, and even that would require a 12 on any single 2d6 Blasphemy roll. Right?

Example: Borg with 20 Str gets nailed with Blasphemy 3 times in one round from 3 separate demons. First demon: 8 Str decrease, second demon: 5 Str decrease, third demon: 10 Str decrease. Borg's Str is now 10 for 2d4 rounds. Is this correct?

Fitz

 

[Caliban]

So does that mean that multiple uses of Blasphemy couldn't take a fighter with 20 Str below 8 Str, and even that would require a 12 on any single 2d6 Blasphemy roll. Right?

Example: Borg with 20 Str gets nailed with Blasphemy 3 times in one round from 3 separate demons. First demon: 8 Str decrease, second demon: 5 Str decrease, third demon: 10 Str decrease. Borg's Str is now 10 for 2d4 rounds. Is this correct?

Fitz

Pretty close. All the effects would overlap, which means they are all there but only the greatest bonus/penalty affects him. So you would still need to roll the duration for each Blasphemy, since it's possible that the duration on the 10 point penalty will shorter than the 5 or 8 point penalty. (Thus his penatly could go from -10 to -8 to -5 over the course of a couple of rounds. Or could be -10 the whole time, if that one had the longest duration.)

 

[Hypersmurf]

I guess the critical word is "decreases". Does decreasing one's strength mean damaging it? Or does it mean applying a penalty to it?

Note to editors - when there's a defined term, use it!

-Hyp.

 

[hong]

Yup. It would stack with the Ray of Enfeeblement since it's an unnamed penalty, but not with itself.

If I could stack with myself, I'd never leave the house.