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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hawken" data-source="post: 4577967" data-attributes="member: 23619">Regarding your bonuses that don't count, I'd rather start calling them modifiers or something rather than a bonus. Case in point: Ability score modifiers.As illustrated in my BAB example, Str/Dex still applies, it still modifies. Its a part of the formula not a bonus to it. Circumstance I would lump this with the external bonuses or even Luck. While not supernatural luck, a circumstance bonus is basically a luck bonus. You're either lucky enough to have fortunate circumstances at the time of the check or unlucky enough to have unfortunate circumstances.Armor and Shield would not be bonuses, but modifiers. They modify the characters Defense or AC, whatever you want to call it. In the case of conflicting modifiers (having a large shield AND a Shield spell at the same time); use the higher modifier. Same with Armor and Natural Armor. Use the higher modifier. Before 3E and all its bonuses, I never saw Trolls in full plate and just because 3e started whipping out every kind of bonus one could imagine, doesn't mean it has to work that way. Hill Giants in chainmail, Trolls in full plate, just seems too contrived to me and definitely kills the fantasy. It makes it feel kind of like the DM is out to get you. To deal with monsters with natural armor and that armor not being enough, why not increase their natural armor bonus by their Con or Str modifiers? This way you still get Hill Giants in animal skins, Ogres in rags and leather, etc. Monsters still have a monstrous feel without having to armor up just to stay on par with the PCs.I would eliminate inherent bonuses. Treat them as one-time, permanent adjustments to stats just like when characters hit 4th, 8th, etc. Those aren't tracked, no need really to track inherent ones either. Wishes and the books are the only things that come to mind providing these bonuses. Just rule that the character can benefit from the Wish only however many times you want them to. As for the books, create minor, moderate and major versions of the books; providing a +2 bonus for each. That way someone gets a minor book (Con), fine, they get a +2 bonus. Then they find a major book (Con) but instead of a +6 bonus to Con, they only get another +2 bonus until they can find the moderate book and get the third +2 bonus--either way, they only get a total of +6 from any one tyoe (ability) of book. I read somewhere, I forgot where, about changing the stat spells so that they only provide a bonus to the skills and rolls for that ability. Like the Gauntlets of Ogre Power wouldn't actually increase Str by +2, but increase the wearer's Str modifier by +2. This makes things much easier. Stats go back to the 1E way of basically being static. If someone gets hit by a Ray of Enfeeblement, their stat bonus goes down instead of the actual stat itself. No need to recalculate when the spell hits and when it wears off, just adjust the modifiers. Racial would be like armor, a modifier not a bonus.Size too.</blockquote>

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