The first 24 hours you wear the item, its a temporary bonus, and can't be used as a prerequisite for anything requiring a minimum ability score. Once you have worn the item for longer than 24 hours, your ability score is considered to be permanently that ability score, and can be used as a prerequisite for anything that requires a certain ability score at a minimum.
If you ever take the item off, the 24 hour counter starts over again.
As far as a raw bonus to your ability score, it doesn't matter that much.
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The first 24 hours you wear the item, its a temporary bonus, and can't be used as a prerequisite for anything requiring a minimum ability score. Once you have worn the item for longer than 24 hours, your ability score is considered to be permanently that ability score, and can be used as a prerequisite for anything that requires a certain ability score at a minimum.
If you ever take the item off, the 24 hour counter starts over again.
As far as a raw bonus to your ability score, it doesn't matter that much.
Yeah, that's what confuses me, the whole concept is metagame-y. Who doesn't take off a belt when they bathe, for instance, or a diadem for that matter.
Adventurers.
Seriously, they are always armed and armored, regardless of circumstance. If they always have their armor on and their sword on their hip (if not on hand), why wouldn't they have on the belt that makes swinging that sword better?
Also, your characters bathe? I'm all for immersive roleplaying, but I don't bother getting that into character.
Also also, in a pseudo-medieval society people really didn't bathe that often. You typically wore the same thing day after day without changing.
Seriously though, would you take off your magical protection/ass-kicking items if you are camping in woods full of monsters, or dungeons full of monsters or swamps full of monsters or...you get the point. But seriously, would you? I'd make sure I was as ready as possible if I knew that I was one failed Perception check away from getting eaten by a grue.
So I guess all my belt wearing fighters had better also be wearing a kilt... or maybe fancy magic long johns if I want that bonus to not drop to temp...
I agree the rule is very odd, but it is there to prevent players trying to abuse the items by passing them around. If it is yours and you are the only one wearing it, most DM's will hand wave the rules minutia IMO.
If you read the rules on ability bonuses (click here), the lline suddenly makes a lot more sense.
A temporary bonus only ups certain stats and not others (as shown in the glossary of the Core book). Granting yourself a bonus to Strength via Bull's Strength, for example, increases your melee attack and damage as well as Strength-based skill checks and ability checks. It does NOT, however, increase your carrying capacity.
Say you started with 16 Strength and your wizard friend cast Bull's Strength on you. You do NOT have 20 strength now, you have 16 strength with a +4 bonus--this is why you do not meet the requirements for certain things that require 20 strength.
The same applies for ability penalties, or even ability damage! Accruing 8 points of Strength damage does not lower your score from 16 to 8, nor does it decrease your carrying capacity. It only effects the stats specifically listed under your ability score description in the glossary under the "Ability Score Damage, Penalty, and Drain" section.
If you had a permanent increase, such as wearing a belt long enough or gaining an inherent bonus from a wish or tome, then your score actually DOES increase (it is now ACTUALLY 20) and you gain ALL of the benefits having such a score entails.
I hope that helped.
Some spells and abilities increase your ability scores. Ability score increases with a duration of 1 day or less give only temporary bonuses. For every two points of increase to a single ability, apply a +1 bonus to the skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability.
Strength: Temporary increases to your Strength score give you a bonus on Strength-based skill checks, melee attack rolls, and weapon damage rolls (if they rely on Strength). The bonus also applies to your Combat Maneuver Bonus (if you are Small or larger) and to your Combat Maneuver Defense.
Dexterity: Temporary increases to your Dexterity score give you a bonus on Dexterity-based skill checks, ranged attack rolls, initiative checks, and Reflex saving throws. The bonus also applies to your Armor Class, your Combat Maneuver Bonus (if you are Tiny or smaller), and your Combat Maneuver Defense.
Constitution: Temporary increases to your Constitution score give you a bonus on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this bonus and add that amount to your current and total hit points. When the bonus ends, remove this total from your current and total hit points.
Intelligence: Temporary increases to your Intelligence score give you a bonus on Intelligence-based skill checks. This bonus also applies to any spell DCs based on Intelligence.
Wisdom: Temporary increases to your Wisdom score give you a bonus on Wisdom-based skill checks and Will saving throws. This bonus also applies to any spell DCs based on Wisdom.
Charisma: Temporary increases to your Charisma score give you a bonus on Charisma-based skill checks. This bonus also applies to any spell DCs based on Charisma and the DC to resist your channeled energy.
Permanent Bonuses: Ability bonuses with a duration greater than 1 day actually increase the relevant ability score after 24 hours. Modify all skills and statistics related to that ability. This might cause you to gain skill points, hit points, and other bonuses. These bonuses should be noted separately in case they are removed.
Diseases, poisons, spells, and other abilities can all deal damage directly to your ability scores. This damage does not actually reduce an ability, but it does apply a penalty to the skills and statistics that are based on that ability.
For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability. If the amount of ability damage you have taken equals or exceeds your ability score, you immediately fall unconscious until the damage is less than your ability score. The only exception to this is your Constitution score. If the damage to your Constitution is equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you die. Unless otherwise noted, damage to your ability scores is healed at the rate of 1 per day to each ability score that has been damaged. Ability damage can be healed through the use of spells, such as lesser restoration.
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.
Strength: Damage to your Strength score causes you to take penalties on Strength-based skill checks, melee attack rolls, and weapon damage rolls (if they rely on Strength). The penalty also applies to your Combat Maneuver Bonus (if you are Small or larger) and your Combat Maneuver Defense.
Dexterity: Damage to your Dexterity score causes you to take penalties on Dexterity-based skill checks, ranged attack rolls, initiative checks, and Reflex saving throws. The penalty also applies to your Armor Class, your Combat Maneuver Bonus (if you are Tiny or smaller), and to your Combat Maneuver Defense.
Constitution: Damage to your Constitution score causes you to take penalties on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this penalty and subtract that amount from your current and total hit points. Lost hit points are restored when the damage to your Constitution is healed.
Intelligence: Damage to your Intelligence score causes you to take penalties on Intelligence-based skill checks. This penalty also applies to any spell DCs based on Intelligence.
Wisdom: Damage to your Wisdom score causes you to take penalties on Wisdom-based skill checks and Will saving throws. This penalty also applies to any spell DCs based on Wisdom.
Charisma: Damage to your Charisma score causes you to take penalties on Charisma-based skill checks. This penalty also applies to any spell DCs based off Charisma and the DC to resist your channeled energy.
Ability Drain: Ability drain actually reduces the relevant ability score. Modify all skills and statistics related to that ability. This might cause you to lose skill points, hit points, and other bonuses. Ability drain can be healed through the use of spells such as restoration.
As to the bathing/cleaning thing. Adventurers have no need to change. Prestidigitation does a fine job of cleaning everyone up day after day.
I would suggest taking off the item acts as ability damage for the first 24 hours that can only be healed by replacing the item after that it is considered an actual loss of the stat.
Just don't use the belt to also hold up your trousers. Otherwise every time nature calls you'd reset the 24 hours!
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I think it's safe to say allowances can be made for baths and other things without the clock restarting. I'd say just make a seperate ruling that it takes 24 hours for the magic to be undone since it takes that long for it to go into full effect. This rule can even be used to have some fun with your PCs by getting an item (or items) stolen, giving them 24 hours to get it back or lose the magic they worked so hard to achieve. Nice little mini-adventure, yes?