Non-enhancement boosts to strength?

[tuesdayscoming]

Howdy!

Anyone know of any ways to Boost your strength score that are NOT enhancement bonuses? I feel like there have to be a number of them, but I'm drawing a blank.

Thanks in advance!

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Size increases, such as from Enlarge Person, Expansion, Righteous Might, etc.

Rage-type bonuses, such as from a Barbarian's Rage, the Rage spell (which is specified as a Morale bonus), etc.

The spell Draconic Polymorph in the Draconomicon makes your Strength score eight points higher than normal for the acquired form. As per Alter Self, you can Polymorph into yourself, so that would increase your normal Strength score by +8 as an untyped bonus.

You could use the feat Ability Enhancer from Dragon Compendium to increase the Enhancement bonus to Strength from a spell you cast by +2, so for example Divine Power would give you +8 Str instead of the normal +6.

War Hulk gives you +2 Str per level of the class.

[Baroncognito]

For what purpose? And is this Pathfinder or 3.5?

[Drelua]

Half-orc Half-Orc Paragon 3/Orc Paragon 3/Bear Warrior 5/Frenzied Berserker 9? If you put an 18 into Strength and get an inherent bonus and a belt of strength +6, that gets it up to 66 at level 20, and you could probably use spells to get it higher. I know you didn't ask for a build, but I just came up with that yesterday and it covers pretty much every way to boost strength that I can think of.

[Volthawk]

The Silthilar Muscles graft from Lords of Madness give you an untyped +2 bonus to Strength. Costs 110k though.

[tuesdayscoming]

This is 3.5, non pathfinder.

Good suggestions, all, so far. The Silthilar is great, but my word is that ever overpriced.

The specific character I'm looking to help is a Soul Eater (BoVD). Effectively, he's got a 24-hour Bull's Strength up, so it seems a terrific waste to spend cash on a belt of strength. Still, having a hard time hitting some of the things the DM is throwing at us, so I'd love to add some to-hit.

[Volthawk]

Good suggestions, all, so far. The Silthilar is great, but my word is that ever overpriced.


Eh, it's expensive, but it's like that since as a graft, it's Extraordinary (doesn't go down in an AMF, and can't be suppressed by Dispel Magic) and can't be taken away from you. Also, as it's untyped, it stacks with everything (including the Manual of Gainful Exercise, the other way of getting permanent Strength boosts). Essentially, it's a straight permanent +2 to Strength for 110k.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Soul Eater gets full BAB and you don't need to lose any BAB to enter it, do you just have an extraordinarily high level adjustment? A few more specifics about your character would help us give useful advice. For example, Multiattack and Improved Multiattack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiattack) could be useful, or they could be irrelevant.

Note that the Energy Drain (Su) ability takes a standard action to activate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#supernaturalAbilities), so it would probably be delivered via a normal touch attack which ignores most of opponents' AC since you can't even full attack with it.

[Andion Isurand]

Righteous Fury gives a +4 sacred bonus to Strength.

Greater Visage of the Deity grants the half-fiend or half-celestial template.

There's also the Festering Anger disease as well as the Consumptive Field spells.

[tuesdayscoming]

Soul Eater gets full BAB and you don't need to lose any BAB to enter it, do you just have an extraordinarily high level adjustment? A few more specifics about your character would help us give useful advice. For example, Multiattack and Improved Multiattack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiattack) could be useful, or they could be irrelevant.

Nope, LA of 1. More than a problem with the build, its a problem of the enemies having a ridonculously high AC. I'm frankly not sure what we're fighting, but I assume that it they are homebrewed.

The build is a thri-kreen totemist as a base. Has Multiattack, but not Improved. That would be a good thing to pick up, thanks :smallbiggrin:


Note that the Energy Drain (Su) ability takes a standard action to activate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#supernaturalAbilities), so it would probably be delivered via a normal touch attack which ignores most of opponents' AC since you can't even full attack with it.

Ahh, this argument.

Note that Supernatural Abilities are Standard Actions "unless otherwise noted." The old counterargument – which, for what it's worth we have been relying on – is that the Soul Eater description does note otherwise; something along the lines of "the Soul Eater's touch bestows negative levels," implying that this just happens, and cannot be turned on or off.

Regardless, this is not the question at issue for the post.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You could just make a touch with every natural weapon you have, rather than trying to beat the opponents' AC. Start out your full attack with one or more regular attacks, if you have a difficult time hitting then just use the rest of the full attack for touch attacks.

You can use a natural weapon to trip an opponent, though you'll probably want Improved Trip unless you have greater reach than they do. That would give them a -4 AC, and the initial touch for the trip attempt would deal the energy drain so it wouldn't really matter if all your trip checks failed.

[Keld Denar]

Valiant Fury is on the Courage domain list, and gives a +4 Moral bonus to IIRC, Str and Dex, along with a bonus attack/round (doesn't stack with Haste or any Haste-like effects). Its like, a 4th level cleric spell which doens't appear on the normal Cleric list (its Courage domain ONLY), though.

There is a relic belt in Complete Divine which gives a +4 Moral bonus to Str along with some other candy. You need True Believer (or spell slot sacrifice) to get the Str part, though. Still, that would stack if you used the MIC rules to add Str to your vest or glove slot and wear the relic.

[Zombimode]

War Mind's Chain of Personal Superiority gives a +2 (+4 at 7th level) insight bonus to Str and Con.

[tuesdayscoming]

You could just make a touch with every natural weapon you have, rather than trying to beat the opponents' AC. Start out your full attack with one or more regular attacks, if you have a difficult time hitting then just use the rest of the full attack for touch attacks.

You can use a natural weapon to trip an opponent, though you'll probably want Improved Trip unless you have greater reach than they do. That would give them a -4 AC, and the initial touch for the trip attempt would deal the energy drain so it wouldn't really matter if all your trip checks failed.

These are fair points, but energy drain via touch attacks is a bit cheesier than I (or, I'm sure, my DM) can stand.

The way I've been thinking about it is that you need to touch the target's "fleshy bits", not whatever might be covering them. Thus, you need to make a successful attack to get through their armor/carapace/what-have-you for the level drain to work.

Still, good thoughts.

[Krazzman]

Wish for it?

[Kansaschaser]

If you really want a lot of strength, have a Wizard with Craft Construct give you an Iron Golem arm. That gives you a +12 bonus to strength. Just don't loose your Will save or you basically become an evil NPC.

[Claudius Maximus]

Cut your arms off, then buy an Arm of Nyr (DotF) and an Enervaring Arm (LM). That's +6 for 52800 gp.

[sreservoir]

Cut your arms off, then buy an Arm of Nyr (DotF) and an Enervaring Arm (LM). That's +6 for 52800 gp.

actually, buy them, then cut your arms off. it's less messy.

[Mockingbird]

Warshaper from CW gives you +4 strength, +4 constitution when in an alternate form, and when you're a changeling (like me) that's all the time.

[Human Paragon 3]

Animal Devotion feat for up to a +8 Sacred or Profane bonus to STR.

[Tr011]

Here you go. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=13134.0)

[deuxhero]

Warmind gets +2 (later +4) insight to str and con. It's 1 min 3 times a day and a free action to start. No BAB bonus loss required (though qualification is iffy, requiring you blow at least 1 feat/race, likely 2 as you aren't likely to have Know: Psioncs as a class skill)

You can also get expansion from the class!

[Adamantrue]

Frostburn (p 111) has the Ring of the White Wyrm. Besides the other abilities, 1/day you can change forms for a +8 Racial bonus to Str which stacks with other Racial bonuses. One of my favorites for 64,000 gp.

[Diarmuid]

Nope, LA of 1. More than a problem with the build, its a problem of the enemies having a ridonculously high AC. I'm frankly not sure what we're fighting, but I assume that it they are homebrewed.

The build is a thri-kreen totemist as a base. Has Multiattack, but not Improved. That would be a good thing to pick up, thanks :smallbiggrin:



Ahh, this argument.

Note that Supernatural Abilities are Standard Actions "unless otherwise noted." The old counterargument – which, for what it's worth we have been relying on – is that the Soul Eater description does note otherwise; something along the lines of "the Soul Eater's touch bestows negative levels," implying that this just happens, and cannot be turned on or off.

Regardless, this is not the question at issue for the post.

So having it work for every attack is fine because it specifically doesnt say it takes a standard action to activate....but having those attacks be touch attacks is "too much" when the ability specifically states that the "touch" of a Soul Eater causes the drain?

Seems a little inconsistent to me...