When a character has an item that enhances an attribute that they've been wearing for more than 24 hours (say, a belt of Giant Strength +2), and they're attacked by something that drains said enhanced attribute (say, a shadow), is it possible for them to die of ability damage, or will the item prevent that attribute from slipping below whatever it's enhancement bonus is?
Your guy with the +2 strength enhancement doesn't die from ability damage unless it's to his Con score; all other ability damage just puts you down, hard. Ignoring that for the moment, enhancement bonuses to ability scores (such as what your belt grants) won't protect you from the damage. It's not the equivalent of DR. Let's say your fighter has been wearing this belt for the requisite 24 hours. His unequipped strength is 20, but equipped it's now 22. He will go down from 22 points of strength damage, as described under ability damage/drain in the Glossary. The boost from that belt directly increases the attribute for these purposes.
There have been a few threads on this in the (relatively) recent past, see if you can find one. The logic is better described in the last one I recall seeing. I found several by searching the messageboards with the keywords "enhancement ability damage". Hope this helps!
If you have a permanent ability bonus (say from a belt of giant strength +2) then it counts as part of your ability score.
This means that if you started with a strength of 22 and add the permanent bonus of +2 you have a strength of 24. It takes 24 points of strength damage to drop you.
Now if you have 22 points of strength damage and you lose that permanent ability bonus for whatever reason (dispelled, taken off, anti magic field, whatever) then your strength would again be 22 and you would drop.
Creative Director
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An item that boosts your ability scores like that DOES increase the score. For all practical purposes, your stat IS the higher stat. So if you have a Strength of 10 and you put on a belt of giant strength +2, your new strength is 12. It'll take 12 points of strength drain to reduce you to 0, not 10.
If you're reduced to 2 or 1 Str while wearing the belt, the belt basically puts your strength on "life support" and you'd better not take it off until you get restored up to at least 3 Str.
The best way to do it is to track your ability score, even if it goes into the negatives.
So if you have a 22 Str and a +2 Str belt, you're at 24.
If you take 23 Str damage, you're effectively at 1 Str... weak, but mobile.
But take off your belt and you're effectively at -1 Str... which is just like 0, you're helpless.
Someone puts the belt on you again and you're at 1 Str and functional again.
This prevents the cheat tactic of "I've been reduced to 0 Str, take off my belt! Now I'm still at 0 Str! Put my belt back on! Now I'm at 2 Str again!"
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Your guy with the +2 strength enhancement doesn't die from ability damage unless it's to his Con score; all other ability damage just puts you down, hard.
OP said a shadow,
"Strength Damage (Su)
A shadow's touch deals 1d6 points of Strength damage to a living creature. This is a negative energy effect. A creature dies if this Strength damage equals or exceeds its actual Strength score."
shadows create an exception to the rule
think of it like bonus hit point a barbarian gets while raging from the +4CON
he gets an extra 2HP per HD but these go away once the rage ends.
so for example say you 18STR with +2 from belt for 20STR
you take 10 STR damage during a fight
your strength is now 10
if you then get his with a dispel, or you take the belt off your strength is now 8.
by the same token somone reduced to 0 Strength could be made mobile again by putting a +2 stength belt on them riasing thier strength to 2 and at least allowing them to move.