Maximum Attainable Value of an ability.

[Alexander Nudd]

When an ability references a maximum attainable value, such as the inspire courage ability below, is that always the maximum?

"At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level."

Let's say I was somehow a 23rd level bard for the purposes of inspire courage (Banner of Ancient Kings and/or Aasimar alternate racial). Would my Inspire Courage add +5 due to the +1 per 6 levels past 5 clause or would it still add +4 due to the explicit maximum laid out in the text?

I'm not sure if the listed maximum is intended to be a hard cap regardless of effective level, or to make clear how the pattern progresses.

I imagine if one had an ability that simply added +1 to Inspire Courage (via lets says Master Performer) that it would override this by specific trumps general. Just no idea with the effective level increases cited above.

This is just one of MANY Examples of this maximum bonus language which can easily be invalidated by other features that adjust effective level.

[Legowaffles]

It's rather clear. It would be +4.

That said, if you were leveling past 20th, I don't think it'd be an unreasonable house rule to let it continue to progress.

[Trekkie90909]

If something has an explicit cap then that is always the cap. There are a few abilities without caps, but they're mostly in the CRB. That said talk to your GM, in the bard example it shouldn't be overpowered to houserule.

[Rub-Eta]

It's to a maximum of +4.

[Alexander Nudd]

Alright.

Just to make sure we're still on the same page, if I took Master Performer as a 20th level Bard I could get +5 to inspire Courage due to specific > general right?

Master Performer "When any of your bardic performance abilities grant your allies a bonus, that bonus is increased by +1."

Thanks for the quick responses.

[wraithstrike]

It is not really an override. The new ability is adding an additional 1, but for your answer you get 5.

[Lifat]

Yeah. I'm with the rest of the guys on this. It is a hard cap. But like them, I feel like this would be an OBVIOUS thing that needed changing if you allowed lvling above 20th lvl.

[Alexander Nudd]

True, was to bogged down in the first limitation that I somehow failed to realize existed until a few minutes ago. The wording of master performer doesn't need an "override" as you put it, that is correct. Thanks for the help guys. Now I am frantically searching all my characters to make sure that I haven't been breaking a rule! (Oracle channeling at above 20th is clear, same with Paladin Lay on of Hands above 20, and alchemist bomb damage above 20. So looks like I am all good!)

I was stating up a bard build, and via Aasimar Alternate Favored Class Bonus and Banner of Ancient Kings had level 34 Inspire Courage at level 20 but then realized that doesn't actually do anything.