Ability bonuses and damage [Archive] - Wizards Community

Ability bonuses and damage [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
savant_warlord13
09-05-06, 05:58 PM Lets say you are fighting a wraith while wearing an amulet of health +4.

Your constitution score without the amulet is 10.

How much constitution drain does the wraith have to deal to kill you, 10 or 14?
General_Ridley
09-05-06, 06:35 PM I would think, if you are still wearing the amulet, 14.

not certain, but it seems easiest to deal with.
AT-AT Assault
09-05-06, 06:44 PM I would say 10 since that's your natural Con Score. 14 Con is due to a temporary enhancement bonus. In other words your Con is best represented as 10 + 4, not 14. Thus if you're at 0 + 4 you're dead, I dont think the amulet has resurrection qualities. Though this is my uneducated opinion, I do not know the rules like the back of my hand.
General_Ridley
09-05-06, 06:58 PM I would say 10 since that's your natural Con Score. 14 Con is due to a temporary enhancement bonus. In other words your Con is best represented as 10 + 4, not 14. Thus if you're at 0 + 4 you're dead, I dont think the amulet has resurrection qualities. Though this is my uneducated opinion, I do not know the rules like the back of my hand.

that was my initial reaction to my own post. However, I'm not entirely sure. It's a difficult thought.
Escef
09-05-06, 07:13 PM It would have to deal 14 Con damage because that is your current score. Period. Now, if it knocked you down by 10 and then your amulet got hit with a targeted dispel, then you'd be dead too. Same reason why a raging barbarian is still alive after his 'normal' HPs run out, the bonus HPs from his adjusted Con score keep him alive until they are removed by damage or the expiration of his rage.
Shinryouga
09-05-06, 07:26 PM I recently called the Wizards Line on a similar question. The official answer is 14, because thats what your con is. Best way to think of stat boosting items is as follows, according to the guy I talked to:

For the purposes of ability damage/drain, a stat boosting item could be considered to, when put on, automatically cast a spell with a boost of +2, +4, or +6 with a duration of "until the item is taken off". Because dispel magic "surpresses" magic items, we dont worry about it for these purposes.

But, while this does mean that if your score of 10 is boosted by 4, any ability damage or drain must exceed your "current" score, which is 14. If the item is removed or dispelled/supressed/disjunctioned, your entire score lowers, just as if it had been further drained.

But, unless the ability in question is Con (in which case your dead), there is good news. Abilities can not be drained below 0, so you dont keep track of negative ability scores. If the item is removed, (which someone else will have to do, since any score besides con leaves you effectively paralyzed.) and then put back on, it "re-casts" its buff, restoring 2, 4, or 6 points, as appropriate. In this way, a badly drained character could at least have a semblance of mobility (Str or Dex of 2,4 or 6)

This is a good think to remember when the fighter is dex drained, and no one wants to carry him. If the rogue is willing to loan his gloves of dex, the fighter can move himself.

Hope this helps.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
savant_warlord13 09-05-06, 05:58 PM	Lets say you are fighting a wraith while wearing an amulet of health +4. Your constitution score without the amulet is 10. How much constitution drain does the wraith have to deal to kill you, 10 or 14?
General_Ridley 09-05-06, 06:35 PM	I would think, if you are still wearing the amulet, 14. not certain, but it seems easiest to deal with.
AT-AT Assault 09-05-06, 06:44 PM	I would say 10 since that's your natural Con Score. 14 Con is due to a temporary enhancement bonus. In other words your Con is best represented as 10 + 4, not 14. Thus if you're at 0 + 4 you're dead, I dont think the amulet has resurrection qualities. Though this is my uneducated opinion, I do not know the rules like the back of my hand.
General_Ridley 09-05-06, 06:58 PM	I would say 10 since that's your natural Con Score. 14 Con is due to a temporary enhancement bonus. In other words your Con is best represented as 10 + 4, not 14. Thus if you're at 0 + 4 you're dead, I dont think the amulet has resurrection qualities. Though this is my uneducated opinion, I do not know the rules like the back of my hand. that was my initial reaction to my own post. However, I'm not entirely sure. It's a difficult thought.
Escef 09-05-06, 07:13 PM	It would have to deal 14 Con damage because that is your current score. Period. Now, if it knocked you down by 10 and then your amulet got hit with a targeted dispel, then you'd be dead too. Same reason why a raging barbarian is still alive after his 'normal' HPs run out, the bonus HPs from his adjusted Con score keep him alive until they are removed by damage or the expiration of his rage.
Shinryouga 09-05-06, 07:26 PM	I recently called the Wizards Line on a similar question. The official answer is 14, because thats what your con is. Best way to think of stat boosting items is as follows, according to the guy I talked to: For the purposes of ability damage/drain, a stat boosting item could be considered to, when put on, automatically cast a spell with a boost of +2, +4, or +6 with a duration of "until the item is taken off". Because dispel magic "surpresses" magic items, we dont worry about it for these purposes. But, while this does mean that if your score of 10 is boosted by 4, any ability damage or drain must exceed your "current" score, which is 14. If the item is removed or dispelled/supressed/disjunctioned, your entire score lowers, just as if it had been further drained. But, unless the ability in question is Con (in which case your dead), there is good news. Abilities can not be drained below 0, so you dont keep track of negative ability scores. If the item is removed, (which someone else will have to do, since any score besides con leaves you effectively paralyzed.) and then put back on, it "re-casts" its buff, restoring 2, 4, or 6 points, as appropriate. In this way, a badly drained character could at least have a semblance of mobility (Str or Dex of 2,4 or 6) This is a good think to remember when the fighter is dex drained, and no one wants to carry him. If the rogue is willing to loan his gloves of dex, the fighter can move himself. Hope this helps.