Wishing For A Higher Ability Score

[airwalkrr]

I seem to recall reading in the 1st edition AD&D DMG about how to referee the process of wishing for a higher ability score with the wish spell and similar effects (ring of three wishes, etc.). I forget exactly where to find it. Maybe it wasn't in the DMG as I've been looking for about 10 minutes now and can't locate it. From what I recall it allowed one to increase one's ability up to 18 on a 1 wish-1 point basis and after that each wish increased the ability by 1/10 of a point. Does anyone recall where this information was located?

 

[Crothian]

It is one for one up to 16, ten for one from that point on. PG 11 DMG right column under "Effects of Wishes on character ability scores."

 

[domino]

Grant a creature a +1 inherent bonus to an ability score. Two to five wish spells cast in immediate succession can grant a creature a +2 to +5 inherent bonus to an ability score (two wishes for a +2 inherent bonus, three for a +3 inherent bonus, and so on). Inherent bonuses are instantaneous, so they cannot be dispelled. Note: An inherent bonus may not exceed +5 for a single ability score, and inherent bonuses to a particular ability score do not stack, so only the best one applies.

From the things a Wish spell can do. Wish :: d20srd.org

 

[Crothian]

The question was about 1e not 3e.

 

[airwalkrr]

Thanks, Crothian. I'd +1 you if I could but it seems I've done so recently. Appreciate the help.

 

[domino]

Man, that's what I get for assuming 3.x is the only old version of the game people talk about.

 

[kitcik]

Here is the (hypothetical) question we always struggled with.

Say you are a fighter with 17 strength.

10 wishes gets you to 18 - do you roll a percentile?

Presumably not since that would be increasing you from 17+9 wishes with 1 wish to a score substantially better than 18.

If you answered "yes" stop here.

If, like us, you answered "no" - what do 10 more wishes get you?

1 = 18/10
2 = 18/20
...
9 = 18/90
10 = 18/00? But then 18 + 10 wishes <> 19?

We never figured that out satisfactorily, but then again we never had 10 wishes.

 

[Nagol]

Here is the (hypothetical) question we always struggled with.

Say you are a fighter with 17 strength.

10 wishes gets you to 18 - do you roll a percentile?

Presumably not since that would be increasing you from 17+9 wishes with 1 wish to a score substantially better than 18.

If you answered "yes" stop here.

If, like us, you answered "no" - what do 10 more wishes get you?

1 = 18/10
2 = 18/20
...
9 = 18/90
10 = 18/00? But then 18 + 10 wishes <> 19?

We never figured that out satisfactorily, but then again we never had 10 wishes.

That's how we ran it; a Fighter needed 21 wishes to get from 17 to 19; 10 to reach 18, 10 sets of percentile (we had a bit of a random element, but it was expected 10 would be necessary), and a final to reach 19.

In other words, at that level, it was time to look for other ways the raise the attribute.

 

[Crothian]

Here is the (hypothetical) question we always struggled with.

Say you are a fighter with 17 strength.

10 wishes gets you to 18 - do you roll a percentile?

I think you do because the rules say a fighter with an 18 strength gets to roll percentage. It's one advantage of the class.

 

[airwalkrr]

Here's how I would do the fighter who wished himself to 18 Str. Roll percentile as soon as he reaches 18. Say he rolled 37. He would then have Str 18/37. It would require ten more wishes to get him to 19, but his Str would remain at 18/37 until he received that 10th wish.

I suppose starting him at 18/01 and letting him go up by 10 percentile points each time would be fair too though.