Bonuses and Penalties

Skill Bonuses and Penalties

In general, bonuses from the same (or a very similar) source do not stack with each other. Penalties, however, do stack with each other. Bonuses with the same name never stack.

For example, if you have two +1 Innate bonuses to Knowledge, you only get +1. If you had a +2 and a +1 Innate bonus, you would get +2. If you  had a +1 Innate bonus and a +1 circumstance bonus, they would stack to be +2.

Ability Boosts and Drains

Ability boosts and drains are usually temporary modifications to ability scores, such as Strength and Spirit. Some things cause permanent boosts or drains, particularly Innate racial modifiers. While boosts and drains modify your abilities, they do not change the skill points a character gets every level.

Nonabilities and Abilities of Zero

Some creatures have ability scores marked with an asterisk (*) instead of a number. This is because that creature has a nonability. This is different from an ability score of zero.

1.   * Strength: A creature with a nonability in Strength This usually either means that it has no physical body, or is completely immobile. If it has no physical body, see Incorporeal in Creature Abilities for more information. If it is immobile, it can't use weapons, objects, or anything. An immobile creature uses it's Endurance for anything that would require a Strength score. If it also has no endurance, it uses its Spirit.
2.   * Dexterity : Creatures with no dexterity can't move. It applies its Intelligence to anything that would normally require a Dexterity score, such as initiative.
3.   * Endurance: A creature with no Endurance has no metabolism or other bodily functions, and is generally treated as an object. It is not living in the traditional sense. A creature with * endurance simply adds 3 to its toughness instead of an endurance score, and uses its Strength in any other place that would require an Endurance score. Creatures with * Endurance never tire, have no need of sleep, food, drink, air, etc.; are immune to poison, disease, and the like;
4.   * Intelligence: A creature with no intelligence has no thought beyond basic instincts or instructions. It can never learn or improve. For example, if a horde of zombies attack our intrepid heroes, and there trap between them and the heroes, the zombies will continue to trigger the trap over and over again. Creatures with * Intelligence use their Spirit instead of their intelligence. Creatures with * Intelligence are not smart enough to feel fear, and are therefore immune to any fear effect.
5.   * Spirit A creature with no spirit has no free will or soul. They use their intelligence score instead of their spirit whenever one is necessary.

A character or creature with an ability score of 0 is almost always the victim of some sort of disease, curse, or special attack. Depending on the ability score, effects vary:

1.   0 Strength: A character with zero strength is paralyzed. They cannot move at all, cannot attack, or take any actions that cannot be accomplished completely mentally. They cannot even speak, meaning they can‚t cast spells except those that can be done silently. A character who hits strength zero immediately collapses to the ground, all his muscles limp.
2.   0 Dexterity: Like a character with zero strength, a character with zero dexterity is also paralyzed. The difference is that the character‚s muscles remain rigidly locked in their last position, but otherwise effects are identical.
3.   0 Endurance: A character with zero endurance has no functioning metabolism and severe organ failure. A character in this state falls unconscious in 1d4 rounds and dies 1d4 rounds later.
4.   0 Intelligence: A character with zero intelligence is completely brain dead. They enter a deep coma and remain there until their intelligence increases past zero.
5.     0 Spirit: A creature with zero spirit gains the Broken condition until their spirit increases past zero.