Can Ability Damage Exceed Ability Score?


Rules Questions


Say a PC has been poisoned by Poisonous Maximus the terrible spider. Which somehow has maximized poison damage dice and thus deals 6 damage per "tick" of the poison.

The PC starts with 10 Strength (he's a rogue or something).

He fails a Fort save. He's down to 4 Strength (6 damage).

He fails another Fort save...then what happens?

Clearly he's down to 0 Strength and faints. But is it...

0 Strength (10 damage)

or

0 Strength (12 damage)

If he then fails another Fortitude save while unconscious, is he...

0 Strength (10 damage)

or

0 Strength (18 damage)

Aka does it keep stacking even if the ability score is at zero or is zero the worst it can get? Thanks.


CRB wrote:

This damage does not actually reduce an ability

...
If the amount of ability damage you have taken equals or exceeds your ability score

It is important to note that damage does not actually reduce your ability score (unlike drain).

So your rogue always has a strength of 10, but with an amount of damage that applies penalties. When that damage reaches 10 you become unconscious.

The system will keep tracking ability damage beyond the point it exceeds your ability score. You will need to heal that damage to where it no longer equals/exceeds your strength to regain consciousness.


dragonhunterq wrote:
The system will keep tracking ability damage beyond the point it exceeds your ability score. You will need to heal that damage to where it no longer equals/exceeds your strength to regain consciousness.

So if Poisonous Maximus ticks 6 times for 6 damage each and does 36 total to the rogue with Str 10 (and the rogue fails every time) then the rogue will need 27 damage healed/cured/restored to regain consciousness?


I don't think you can ever dip into negatives concerning Ability Damage. It doesn't really make sense considering what a 0 in an ability score represents.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
Balkoth wrote:
So if Poisonous Maximus ticks 6 times for 6 damage each and does 36 total to the rogue with Str 10 (and the rogue fails every time) then the rogue will need 27 damage healed/cured/restored to regain consciousness?

That is correct. (Best to get a restoration instead of a lesser at that point.)

Dark Archive

TriOmegaZero wrote:
That is correct. (Best to get a restoration instead of a lesser at that point.)

Or just sleep for a month! It'll wear off. Eventually.


Keith Apperson wrote:
Or just sleep for a month! It'll wear off. Eventually.

Technically if you're being treated for long-term care with the Heal skill you'll regain consciousness in seven days.

Though there still seems to be some disagreement on whether it goes into the negatives (effectively) or not.

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