Abilities Bonuses, Damage and PP [Archive] - Wizards Community

Abilities Bonuses, Damage and PP [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Wharin
03-28-07, 07:39 PM Sorry if this has already been answered... A fairly quick search didnt provide any answers, so forgive me if this has already been brought up

How do bonuses to Wis/Cha work... What i mean is, say I have a Psion and along the way, I pick up a headband of brilliance +6. Right when i put it on, do I gain bonus PP? Now I understand that the next day, after a full nights rest (wearing the bonus giving item), I'll gain the bonus PP of the raised INT, no question. Its just that for that short time before the rest that i am confused aobut. I did read in Animal Affinity that that particular power doesn't give extra power points, but I don't know if that was to set a precidence or be an exception to the rules.

Now I think I've seen rulings for Wizards and Sorcerors in similiar situations (IIRC, they were different), but how would it work for a Psion? This question would also be applicable to other ability boosting powers/spells our there, as well, I suppose.

Also, the converse also concerns me. Say an illithid knocks me with some int damaging power. Do I lose PP? Or will i simply have fewer PP refreshed the next morning?

And finally, maybe someone with a bith more technical suave on the polymorph rules can fill me in on how exactly polymorph spells/powers (are there polymorph powers?) work with replenishing power points, if at all... Someone in our group brought it up, but for the life of me I can't find anything concerning this.
Kiklio
03-28-07, 08:03 PM Increasing or decreasing one's primary manifesting ability does not automatically increase or reduce your power points. Imagine that your power point pool is filled only once per day; the amount that it can be filled depends on your ability score at the time of filling.

Some effects can affect your power point pool (Power Leech, Bestow Power) and even grant temporary power points that are used up first like temporary hit points (None come to mind...)

Additionally, powers like Metamorphosis and spells like Polymorph do not change your mental ability scores.
Bacris
03-28-07, 11:39 PM Kiklio covered it pretty thoroughly, but just to put my spin on it:

After resting and doing your meditation to regain power points, your power point pool is no longer based on your manifesting stat - it's set for the day. If you lose or gain INT/WIS/CHA, it doesn't change your power point pool.

All that matters is your stat when you do the meditation to regain points - and that you aren't using effects such as animal affinity / fox's cunning.
AntiDjinn
03-29-07, 12:12 AM Instantaneous changes to stats don't alter current bonus points any more than they would bonus spell slots for casters. If your primary stat is drained it may block access to your higher level powers (but not to lower level ones augmented to your full ML because augmentation never changes power level) and it will lower the DC of the powers you throw. It does not change your current point total. If you suffer ability burn to your primary, you really feel the burn the next day when your pool replenishes.

When you think about it, there are two good reasons not to alter bonus spells and power points due to short-term stat changes:

1) It is abusable. Apply Animal Affinity to your manifesting stat, get bonus power points (more than 3 and you are in business) use them to manifest powers or charge up your cog crystal. After the power expires manifest it again (a dorje of AA works well for this), get more bonus points (not the same ones you had before; that was your total 5 minutes ago, this is your new total now). I watched a sorcerer and bard trade a Cloak of Charisma +6 back an fourth hopping to make use of the bonus slots (nixed by DM).

2) It would be a royal pain in the posterior. Seriously, why add more bookkeeping? My Int just got drained and I lost 10 bonus points; do the points I have already spent count against those or are they only subtracted from the points I have left? If a wizard's Int gets drained how does he know which memorized spells were taken with bonus slots? If my wilder/psychic warrior looses Wis and Cha do I really have to calculate how much his pool should be adjusted right now?
Wharin
03-29-07, 08:16 AM Thanks guys, thats what I thought.

I'll have to look though, but i could have SWORN that i read an "Ask Wizards" where a sorceror gained extra spell slots when his CHA got bumped. The only thing was, though, that those extra spell slots, once they were used up, couldn't be used again that day, even if his CHA got bumped up again; they'd have to be bumped up even higher than the previous boost to sqeek out another bonus spell.

::Edit- As i was typing this i realized that that "Ask Wizards" (probably) actually was about Clerics turning undead, and not Sorcerors::

Thanks guys. I figured it was as much, I just wanted to make sure that my gut was right about it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Wharin 03-28-07, 07:39 PM	Sorry if this has already been answered... A fairly quick search didnt provide any answers, so forgive me if this has already been brought up How do bonuses to Wis/Cha work... What i mean is, say I have a Psion and along the way, I pick up a headband of brilliance +6. Right when i put it on, do I gain bonus PP? Now I understand that the next day, after a full nights rest (wearing the bonus giving item), I'll gain the bonus PP of the raised INT, no question. Its just that for that short time before the rest that i am confused aobut. I did read in Animal Affinity that that particular power doesn't give extra power points, but I don't know if that was to set a precidence or be an exception to the rules. Now I think I've seen rulings for Wizards and Sorcerors in similiar situations (IIRC, they were different), but how would it work for a Psion? This question would also be applicable to other ability boosting powers/spells our there, as well, I suppose. Also, the converse also concerns me. Say an illithid knocks me with some int damaging power. Do I lose PP? Or will i simply have fewer PP refreshed the next morning? And finally, maybe someone with a bith more technical suave on the polymorph rules can fill me in on how exactly polymorph spells/powers (are there polymorph powers?) work with replenishing power points, if at all... Someone in our group brought it up, but for the life of me I can't find anything concerning this.
Kiklio 03-28-07, 08:03 PM	Increasing or decreasing one's primary manifesting ability does not automatically increase or reduce your power points. Imagine that your power point pool is filled only once per day; the amount that it can be filled depends on your ability score at the time of filling. Some effects can affect your power point pool (Power Leech, Bestow Power) and even grant temporary power points that are used up first like temporary hit points (None come to mind...) Additionally, powers like Metamorphosis and spells like Polymorph do not change your mental ability scores.
Bacris 03-28-07, 11:39 PM	Kiklio covered it pretty thoroughly, but just to put my spin on it: After resting and doing your meditation to regain power points, your power point pool is no longer based on your manifesting stat - it's set for the day. If you lose or gain INT/WIS/CHA, it doesn't change your power point pool. All that matters is your stat when you do the meditation to regain points - and that you aren't using effects such as animal affinity / fox's cunning.
AntiDjinn 03-29-07, 12:12 AM	Instantaneous changes to stats don't alter current bonus points any more than they would bonus spell slots for casters. If your primary stat is drained it may block access to your higher level powers (but not to lower level ones augmented to your full ML because augmentation never changes power level) and it will lower the DC of the powers you throw. It does not change your current point total. If you suffer ability burn to your primary, you really feel the burn the next day when your pool replenishes. When you think about it, there are two good reasons not to alter bonus spells and power points due to short-term stat changes: 1) It is abusable. Apply Animal Affinity to your manifesting stat, get bonus power points (more than 3 and you are in business) use them to manifest powers or charge up your cog crystal. After the power expires manifest it again (a dorje of AA works well for this), get more bonus points (not the same ones you had before; that was your total 5 minutes ago, this is your new total now). I watched a sorcerer and bard trade a Cloak of Charisma +6 back an fourth hopping to make use of the bonus slots (nixed by DM). 2) It would be a royal pain in the posterior. Seriously, why add more bookkeeping? My Int just got drained and I lost 10 bonus points; do the points I have already spent count against those or are they only subtracted from the points I have left? If a wizard's Int gets drained how does he know which memorized spells were taken with bonus slots? If my wilder/psychic warrior looses Wis and Cha do I really have to calculate how much his pool should be adjusted right now?
Wharin 03-29-07, 08:16 AM	Thanks guys, thats what I thought. I'll have to look though, but i could have SWORN that i read an "Ask Wizards" where a sorceror gained extra spell slots when his CHA got bumped. The only thing was, though, that those extra spell slots, once they were used up, couldn't be used again that day, even if his CHA got bumped up again; they'd have to be bumped up even higher than the previous boost to sqeek out another bonus spell. ::Edit- As i was typing this i realized that that "Ask Wizards" (probably) actually was about Clerics turning undead, and not Sorcerors:: Thanks guys. I figured it was as much, I just wanted to make sure that my gut was right about it.