Smite Evil states you add your Charisma BONUS to your to hit and your HD to your damage. If you had a 7 CHA would your hit then be -2? Or would it be +0 since it isnt a bonus?
| 4 people marked this as FAQ candidate. 12 people marked this as a favorite. |
It says "bonus," not "modifier," so it never drops below +0.
(I've done my best to hammer the writers into saying "bonus" when they mean "it's always going to be +0 or better," or when using "modifier" has the possibility of making no sense, such as "you can use this a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier," which would mean you could have negative uses per day. So trust whether it says "bonus" or "modifier" to mean exactly that. :))
I've always read that terminology as being specific to a bonus because they used that specific term as opposed to modifier. For example, to calculate your AC, you add your Dex bonus. If you have negative Dex, then you would end up with a situation where your flatfooted AC is higher than your normal AC, which is a ridiculous situation.
Actually... the rules do say "modifier", not "bonus".
You apply your character's Dexterity modifier to:
Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows, crossbows, throwing axes, and many ranged spell attacks like scorching ray or searing light.
Armor Class (AC), provided that the character can react to the attack.
Reflex saving throws, for avoiding fireballs and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly.
Acrobatics, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks.
The text for flat-footed references your Dexterity bonus (if any), not the modifier.
Flat-Footed: At the start of a battle, before you have had a chance to act (specifically, before your first regular turn in the initiative order), you are flat-footed. You can't use your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) while flat-footed.
Q.E.D., you do not gain your dexterity bonus to AC when flat-footed, but the rules do not say that you don't take your dexterity modifier (if negative) to AC when flat-footed. Therefor, you take the same negative to flat AC as you do normal AC.
|
Not really. Your caught unaware, so you natural clumsiness doesn't have time to screw anything up. :)
Honestly, I'm not sure I like that, as it sort of mitigates (in a small way) having low stats, and makes min/maxing (slightly) better. Particularly when it comes to poisons, or temp "penulties"/"modifiers".
Sometimes you can't use your Dexterity bonus (if you have one). If you can't react to a blow, you can't use your Dexterity bonus to AC. If you don't have a Dexterity bonus, your AC does not change.From Combat third paragraph under Armour Class section (just above Other Modifiers section). If you don't have a Dex Bonus, your AC does not change. It must be a bonus in order to apply to your AC. Your argument is invalid.
You raise a very valid point... I missed that sentence before.
This section of rules needs to be updated:
Armor ClassYour Armor Class (AC) represents how hard it is for opponents to land a solid, damaging blow on you. It's the attack roll result that an opponent needs to achieve to hit you. Your AC is equal to the following:
10 + armor bonus + shield bonus + Dexterity {modifier} + other modifiers
The bolded word should be replaced with {bonus}.
Both of those sentences work, actually.
The main one says you use your Dexterity modifier. This works regardless of if you have a positive or negative Dexterity.
The other one speaks only of those times you can't effectively use a bonus, and then goes on to explain that in those cases, if you don't have a bonus [ie: you have a negative or 0 modifier], then your AC doesn't change. That means that if your AC includes a negative Dex modifier, then you keep that negative Dex modifier even in situations where you can't apply a Dex bonus (such as when you're flat-footed).
Basically, the second sentence explains that you don't get a better AC when caught flat-footed with a negative Dex modifier.
Edit: The easiest way to check the validity of this is in the statblock of a creature with a negative Dex modifier. The Basilisk, for instance. It has an 8 Dex, which applies a Dex modifier of -1 to its AC. The flat-footed AC is the same as the regular AC, because it keeps the negative modifier.
The wording of this is hurting my head... so in other words my original post in this thread was correct.
It doesn't get a lot more official than Sean K Reynolds coming in and answering you.