D&D (2024) What happens when a multiclass character loses a prerequisite?

[Fanaelialae]

You are overlooking a key issue here, which was the specific reason I asked that question.

The one (and only) example given is Intelligence. That means it can ONLY affect your choice if you are choosing specifically to multiclass as either Wizard or Artificer. There are no other classes which require Intelligence in order to multiclass into them (or out of them, notably).

So, unless the player is (a) already a Wizard or Artificer who for some godforsaken reason chose to play with super low Int, or (b) some other class and choosing to MC to one of those two, then the Puzzle card is completely irrelevant. It has zero impact on their ability to multiclass.

The Puzzle card doesn't affect any stat. It only affects Intelligence.

There are other ways, but like I said they are rare and I don't recollect most off the top of my head. A second way is the Reincarnation spell, which "...changes it's racial traits accordingly." Racial ability score increases are listed under traits, therefore you can permanently lose points from an ability score by being reincarnated. Since racial ASIs run the gamut of stats, this means that it could potentially happen to any ability score.

Admittedly, I've only seen Reincarnation cast maybe twice while playing 5e, but I doubt my table is the only one that has ever used it. It's rare, but it does happen.

 

[ECMO3]

The one (and only) example given is Intelligence. That means it can ONLY affect your choice if you are choosing specifically to multiclass as either Wizard or Artificer. There are no other classes which require Intelligence in order to multiclass into them (or out of them, notably).

Well the character I am talking about is lost Charisma.

Also though as I noted above low intelligence does not just affect multiclassing in or out of Wizard it stops all multiclassing if Wizard is one of your class. So a Rogue-Wizard can't take any multiclass - not fighter, not Monk, not anything.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Well the character I am talking about is lost Charisma.

Yes....and I was talking about ways this could happen in RAW 5.x. So if you were inserting a correction only relative to your character affected by a homebrew monster...that pretty obviously wouldn't apply to what I'm talking about.

Also though as I noted above low intelligence does not just affect multiclassing in or out of Wizard it stops all multiclassing if Wizard is one of your class. So a Rogue-Wizard can't take any multiclass - not fighter, not Monk, not anything.

Sure? I already said that. ("...into them (or out of them, notably)."

 

[EzekielRaiden]

There are other ways, but like I said they are rare and I don't recollect most off the top of my head. A second way is the Reincarnation spell, which "...changes it's racial traits accordingly." Racial ability score increases are listed under traits, therefore you can permanently lose points from an ability score by being reincarnated. Since racial ASIs run the gamut of stats, this means that it could potentially happen to any ability score.

Admittedly, I've only seen Reincarnation cast maybe twice while playing 5e, but I doubt my table is the only one that has ever used it. It's rare, but it does happen.

Okay, reincarnation is actually a meaningful example, albeit not one that would fit under the original scope since it isn't actually ability damage. It's not dependent on a rare result from a rare magic item (with a major notorious reputation). It's a spell any Druid of 9th level or higher could cast. That's a meaningful thing, especially if you don't have a Cleric or Bard in the party. As such, it is a bit silly that 5.0 does not have any official rule for this, since it's a pretty foreseeable issue.

That said? 5.5e fixes that loophole by tying ABIs to background rather than ancestry, so while I 100% grant this as an example for 5.0, it's technically no longer applicable.

 

[ECMO3]

Yes....and I was talking about ways this could happen in RAW 5.x. So if you were inserting a correction only relative to your character affected by a homebrew monster...that pretty obviously wouldn't apply to what I'm talking about.

It is not from a monster, it is a magic item, and in the 2024 rules it is possible for all ability scores RAW. It is in the major detrimental properties in the magic item section of the 2024 DMG, a similar wording is in the 2014 DMG in the same section.

The book of Vile Darkness also reduces one ability score by 2, although you choose the ability score, so this might be less likely to be your multiclass requirement (or might not depending on your character and how the question here is interpreted at the table).

 

[Fanaelialae]

Okay, reincarnation is actually a meaningful example, albeit not one that would fit under the original scope since it isn't actually ability damage. It's not dependent on a rare result from a rare magic item (with a major notorious reputation). It's a spell any Druid of 9th level or higher could cast. That's a meaningful thing, especially if you don't have a Cleric or Bard in the party. As such, it is a bit silly that 5.0 does not have any official rule for this, since it's a pretty foreseeable issue.

That said? 5.5e fixes that loophole by tying ABIs to background rather than ancestry, so while I 100% grant this as an example for 5.0, it's technically no longer applicable.

I'm admittedly less familiar with 5.24e, since my table is still playing 5.0, but if you want a 5.24e example, then we can once again look at the DoMT. Admittedly, it's less likely to happen by accident with these cards, since they give you a choice, but it certainly could happen. It's more likely with Puzzle since you could have a multiclass setup that requires both Int and Wis.

DMG 5.24e pages 250-251:

Balance. You can increase one of your ability scores by 2, to a maximum of 22, provided you also decrease one of your ability scores by 2...

Puzzle. Permanently reduce your Intelligence or Wisdom by 1d4+1 (to a minimum score of 1)...

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Okay, reincarnation is actually a meaningful example, albeit not one that would fit under the original scope since it isn't actually ability damage. It's not dependent on a rare result from a rare magic item (with a major notorious reputation). It's a spell any Druid of 9th level or higher could cast. That's a meaningful thing, especially if you don't have a Cleric or Bard in the party. As such, it is a bit silly that 5.0 does not have any official rule for this, since it's a pretty foreseeable issue.

What exactly would we need a specific rule for ability score reductions for? There isn't any rule for what happens when ability scores increase either, you just use the new value in all calculations from then on.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

What exactly would we need a specific rule for ability score reductions for? There isn't any rule for what happens when ability scores increase either, you just use the new value in all calculations from then on.

For multiclassing. The thing that explicitly requires specific score values.

It would literally just need a single sentence. "Should any required ability score drop below 13, you cannot take new levels as that class, but you can always continue taking levels of whatever class you had at first level." Or like four other possible variations depending on how they wanted to roll with it (e.g. "These requirements only apply when you try to take a level of a new class, not when increasing your level with any class you already have.")

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I'm admittedly less familiar with 5.24e, since my table is still playing 5.0, but if you want a 5.24e example, then we can once again look at the DoMT. Admittedly, it's less likely to happen by accident with these cards, since they give you a choice, but it certainly could happen. It's more likely with Puzzle since you could have a multiclass setup that requires both Int and Wis.

DMG 5.24e pages 250-251:

Balance. You can increase one of your ability scores by 2, to a maximum of 22, provided you also decrease one of your ability scores by 2...

Puzzle. Permanently reduce your Intelligence or Wisdom by 1d4+1 (to a minimum score of 1)...

Again, I don't feel the DoMT is a relevant example, as already discussed.... especially since I explicitly referenced the Puzzle card multiple times now.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

It is not from a monster, it is a magic item, and in the 2024 rules it is possible for all ability scores RAW. It is in the major detrimental properties in the magic item section of the 2024 DMG, a similar wording is in the 2014 DMG in the same section.

The book of Vile Darkness also reduces one ability score by 2, although you choose the ability score, so this might be less likely to be your multiclass requirement (or might not depending on your character and how the question here is interpreted at the table).

Isn't that table for full-on Artifact-power items?
Is there a method of curing the effect given? Pretty sure that there wouldn't be an easy way of losing actual ability points permanently.
(Although at level 17+ when artifacts might come into play, the "cure" might be a wish spell admittedly.)