06-20-2016, 12:23 AM
My initial reaction is similar to that of the old sage advice.
I would add other reference points to the game; Age modifiers in the DMG 1st Ed specifically stipulate that the modifiers can't drop a character below (or above) racial or class limitations. I assume the rationale is that the rigorous nature of playing as a "fighter" class means that even if your STR or CON diminish due to age, you are maintaining a certain level of fitness in your day-to-day activities as a member of that class.
So similarly, I would assume any effect, even a "permanent" one, would be compensated for by the character over time as they are continue to fulfill the duties and practice the skills of the class. Unless there's a really good reason why the character couldn't compensate or adjust over a period of time, the score would eventually bounce back to the class minimum. I believe hackmaster as a specific mechanism for increasing attributes. That would certainly be an applicable place.
As to short-term effects on spell-casters, I'll be more generous than previously selected here. With the rules given, it's pretty easy to extrapolate. A magic-user whose intelligence is dropped to 5 somehow would only be able to cast 1st and 2nd level spells. I would assume chance to learn new spells drops 10% for every 2 points of intelligence (so 35% for INT 8-9, 25% for 6-7, leaving only a 15% chance for 5 intelligence), and min/max spells knowable likewise drop by 1 per two points (so minimum 2, maximum 4 for a character of 5 intelligence). I would not rule that the character loses known spells in this instance, merely that new ones can't be learned until intelligence returns to normal.
Clerics likewise would see chance for spell failure rise by 5% per point of Wisdom below 9. So a cleric dropped to 5 wisdom somehow would have 40% chance of spell failure. At 9 wisdom, only up to 5th level spells are castable--I would drop this max by 1 per point of WIS as well, so only 1st level spells are castable by a cleric with 5 WIS. Indeed, the rationale behind use of cleric spells in the DMG is that 1st and 2nd level spells come entirely from the cleric's wisdom. So below level 5, they are powerless.
In the case of the injured monk, any class abilities clearly dependent upon speed and agility would be impacted by a DEX deficit from the class minimum. Multiple open hand attacks, increased movement rate, blocking/dodging missile attacks, certain thieving functions, et cetera, would all be performed as if the character were one level lower point point of deficit.
I would add other reference points to the game; Age modifiers in the DMG 1st Ed specifically stipulate that the modifiers can't drop a character below (or above) racial or class limitations. I assume the rationale is that the rigorous nature of playing as a "fighter" class means that even if your STR or CON diminish due to age, you are maintaining a certain level of fitness in your day-to-day activities as a member of that class.
So similarly, I would assume any effect, even a "permanent" one, would be compensated for by the character over time as they are continue to fulfill the duties and practice the skills of the class. Unless there's a really good reason why the character couldn't compensate or adjust over a period of time, the score would eventually bounce back to the class minimum. I believe hackmaster as a specific mechanism for increasing attributes. That would certainly be an applicable place.
As to short-term effects on spell-casters, I'll be more generous than previously selected here. With the rules given, it's pretty easy to extrapolate. A magic-user whose intelligence is dropped to 5 somehow would only be able to cast 1st and 2nd level spells. I would assume chance to learn new spells drops 10% for every 2 points of intelligence (so 35% for INT 8-9, 25% for 6-7, leaving only a 15% chance for 5 intelligence), and min/max spells knowable likewise drop by 1 per two points (so minimum 2, maximum 4 for a character of 5 intelligence). I would not rule that the character loses known spells in this instance, merely that new ones can't be learned until intelligence returns to normal.
Clerics likewise would see chance for spell failure rise by 5% per point of Wisdom below 9. So a cleric dropped to 5 wisdom somehow would have 40% chance of spell failure. At 9 wisdom, only up to 5th level spells are castable--I would drop this max by 1 per point of WIS as well, so only 1st level spells are castable by a cleric with 5 WIS. Indeed, the rationale behind use of cleric spells in the DMG is that 1st and 2nd level spells come entirely from the cleric's wisdom. So below level 5, they are powerless.
In the case of the injured monk, any class abilities clearly dependent upon speed and agility would be impacted by a DEX deficit from the class minimum. Multiple open hand attacks, increased movement rate, blocking/dodging missile attacks, certain thieving functions, et cetera, would all be performed as if the character were one level lower point point of deficit.