Strength damage from Shadow.... Example please

[hughnme]

Hi,
I'm a newbie GM with a question concerning an encounter that occurs in "Crypt of the Everflame".
In one of the rooms the players encounter a Shadow that deals strength damage,could you provide me with an example of what would happen when a character is hit by strength damage from a game mechanic point of view.
Say a Fighter is hit with normal fighter stats and how that effects him,or a wizard etc.
Thanks in advance

[Kvantum]

Strength damage is just like any other ability score damage, a temporary penalty applied to the character's ability scores. A character who takes 2 points of Strength damage functions as if their strength was suddenly 2 points lower, so they have a reduced Strength modifier, and thus a reduced bonus to melee attacks, and damage, and their CMB and CMD, and their Climb and Swim skill checks. Intelligence damage would affect any Int-based skill and save DCs and bonus spells for Wizards. It's the same thing for any other ability score damage - a temporary reduction in the ability score, until the damage heals.

Ability score damage heals naturally at a rate of one point per day, or a cleric can use the Lesser Restoration spell to heal 1d4 points of ability damage

[hughnme]

Thanks for the quick reply,wow,that seems kind of harsh punishment for first level characters.
I'm guessing that the "incorporeal' nature of the attack will mean it goes through armor and the like?
I'm also wondering if I'm right and perhaps given there will be 3 adventures at most I should tone the monster down?

[Kvantum]

Oh, absolutely, if there's only 3 PCs, you almost have to tone it down or you can almost EXPECT a TPK (total party kill). The module is designed for 4 PCs. For only 3 PCs, maybe just reduce the damage to 1d4 Str per hit instead of 1d6, and give the shadow a -2 penalty to AC and all d20 rolls and -2 hp/hit die (so only 10 total hp, not 16) as essentially a sort of "Regressed" template. (The Advanced template is to make a creature a bit tougher, +2 to AC and all rolls, and +2 hp/hit die.)

Incorporeal attacks target touch AC, so the PCs' ACs against it are basically just 10 + their Dex modifiers, plus their size bonus if they're Small (halfling or gnome).

But keep in mind, the shadow won't follow the PCs if the decide to run away and go heal up somewhere.