Wish and Inherent Ability Bonuses

[Maese Mateo]

The spell Wish says it can grant a permanent Inherent Ability bonus to an Ability Score, but if you have multiple Inherent Bonuses to the same Ability Score, only the higher applies.

What other sources of Inherent Ability Bonuses exist? Or is it only something a Wish spell can grant?

Are permanent bonuses from Magical Items like Headband of Vast Intellect also inherent and don't stack?

[hogarth]

Maese Mateo wrote:

What other sources of Inherent Ability Bonuses exist?

The other prominent sources of inherent bonuses are the various tomes (e.g. Tome of Understanding, Tome of Clear Thought, etc.).

Headbands and belts provide enhancement bonuses, not inherent bonuses.

[sunbeam]

I've never been clear on how the inherent bonuses and wish worked.

from the description of wish:

"Grant a creature a +1 inherent bonus to an ability score. Two to five wish spells cast in immediate succession can grant a creature a +2 to +5 inherent bonus to an ability score (two wishes for a +2 inherent bonus, three wishes for a +3 inherent bonus, and so on). Inherent bonuses are instantaneous, so they cannot be dispelled. Note: An inherent bonus may not exceed +5 for a single ability score, and inherent bonuses to a particular ability score do not stack, so only the best one applies."

Does that mean you have to do it all at one time? This is the way I've always seen this.

You can't add +1 to a stat a day with wish. If you cast one wish a day to increase abilities with this spell, you never change your +1.

If you don't play it that way, I think there are "djinni" sorcerer archetypes with wish as a spell like ability once a day at 20th level.

They'll all be walking around with +5 inherent bonuses to all stats after about a month.

[Weables]

Right. the key wording in that phrase is 'immediate succession'. That means you have to do 5 wishes in 5 rounds, or it doesn't work.

[Midnight_Angel]

Quite easy. 'Once a day' does not equal 'Immediate succession'.

So, yes, you'll have to cast them (or have them cast at you) one right after another... most probably in consecutive rounds (though faster than that shouldn't hurt, either)

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

They have to be case in succession, but not necessarily by the same person/creature.

Summon 5 Djinn (you'll have to make some sort of deal, no doubt) and have them use wish to increase a particular score over the course of 5 rounds.

Rinse repeat for different scores.

[Drejk]

Inherent bonus to ability score is also granted by certain class features: Abyssal bloodline sorcerer gains inherent bonus to Strength, Pit-touched bloodline sorcerer (UM) gains inherent bonus to Constitution. Both were superior to books/wishes as they were the only sources of +6 inherent bonus to an ability score.

[Maese Mateo]

Thank you all for the answers! =)