Ability Penalty Question


Advice


Do ability penalties (such as from conditions) actually reduce ability scores? And even if they don't, to what extend do they affect creatures? For example, do strength penalties apply to climb checks? Do spellcasters lose ability to cast spells if they take a high enough penalty to spellcasting stat?

There is an interesting combo of two conditions: exhausted and entangled. Together they provide a -10 dex penalty. Is a creature with 10 dex incapable of moving when both exhausted and entangled?


Manve wrote:

Do ability penalties (such as from conditions) actually reduce ability scores? And even if they don't, to what extend do they affect creatures? For example, do strength penalties apply to climb checks? Do spellcasters lose ability to cast spells if they take a high enough penalty to spellcasting stat?

There is an interesting combo of two conditions: exhausted and entangled. Together they provide a -10 dex penalty. Is a creature with 10 dex incapable of moving when both exhausted and entangled?

Penalties do not reduce scores. They function just like ability damage, except don't render you unconscious/dead.

Quote:
Some spells and abilities cause you to take an ability penalty for a limited amount of time. While in effect, these penalties function just like ability damage, but they cannot cause you to fall unconscious or die. In essence, penalties cannot decrease your ability score to less than 1.

As to what is affected, everything that relies on that ability score. Ability checks, skills, saving throws, attack rolls, spell saving throw DCs, etc.


Thanks!

-10 dex is still pretty harsh even without actually dropping dex to 0)

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