Kensai's Instill Ability

[Talderas]

I've been trying to find rules on how to actually handle the effects this ability confers upon the recipient of the power.

For Reference:

He subtracts up to 1 point per class level from his base attack bonus and/or any or all of his base save bonuses and transfers the same amount to the recipient.

The things that I am clear on about this is that you may select any combination of BAB/Fort/Ref/Will to subtract from. You could keep your fort save while transferring the others.

Here are the things about the ability on which I am unclear.
#1 - Must all selected sources be diminish at the same value? Can you subtract 5 BAB, 2 Reflex, and 4 Will save to transfer or must they all be 5?
#2 - What happens when you reduce a base attack bonus or base save below 0? Can you even do that?
#3 - If a Kensai with a BAB of 13 subtracts 5 from his base attack bonus reducing it to 8 does he lose the iterative attack?
#4 - Does the transferred base attack bonus increase the base attack bonus of the recipient?
#5 - Does a recipient with +8 BAB that gained 5 from a kensai gain an additional iterative attack?
#6 - Does a recipient with +20 BAB that gained 6 from a kensai gain two additional iterative attacks?
#7 - Are there any rules or content anywhere regarding having a BAB higher than 20?

[Xerxus]

No, no, yes, yes, yes, don't know, probably not.

[kardar233]

The ELH states that even if you have a BAB greater than 20 (as many monsters do, as they don't use the Epic AB and Save progressions) you still only get four iteratives.

[Talderas]

The ELH states that even if you have a BAB greater than 20 (as many monsters do, as they don't use the Epic AB and Save progressions) you still only get four iteratives.

ELH isn't the most appropriate source to cite. It's 3.0 written content unlike CW which is 3.5. Further, DMG 3.5 does have rules regarding advancing characters at epic levels and there aren't any such limitations in its section on BAB. The other issue I have with the ELH "rule" your citing is that it's located in sidebar explaining the rational for the rules. It appears to be citing a rule to limit attacks but such a rule is not list anywhere else but in that sidebar not withstanding that it is talking in the context of BAB's higher than 20 due to racial HD.

[kardar233]

ELH isn't the most appropriate source to cite. It's 3.0 written content unlike CW which is 3.5. Further, DMG 3.5 does have rules regarding advancing characters at epic levels and there aren't any such limitations in its section on BAB. The other issue I have with the ELH "rule" your citing is that it's located in sidebar explaining the rational for the rules. It appears to be citing a rule to limit attacks but such a rule is not list anywhere else but in that sidebar not withstanding that it is talking in the context of BAB's higher than 20 due to racial HD.

I don't know rules for source precedence very well, so I can't speak to most of this argument. The Solar (here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/angel.htm)) has a BAB of 22 but only four iteratives on his full attack, which is solid enough for me. True, it doesn't specifically address what happens when you have >20 BAB from character classes, but I don't feel that there's really a difference.

[Talionis]

ELH isn't the most appropriate source to cite. It's 3.0 written content unlike CW which is 3.5. Further, DMG 3.5 does have rules regarding advancing characters at epic levels and there aren't any such limitations in its section on BAB. The other issue I have with the ELH "rule" your citing is that it's located in sidebar explaining the rational for the rules. It appears to be citing a rule to limit attacks but such a rule is not list anywhere else but in that sidebar not withstanding that it is talking in the context of BAB's higher than 20 due to racial HD.

I'd suggest its really going to be a DM question. The 3.5 rules are far less extensive than the 3.0 rules. There is valid reasons described in the 3.0 Epic for limiting the number of attacks per round, but I would agree its ambiguous whether 3.5 has overwritten the Epic rules regarding higher BAB that were included in 3.0. I'm not aware of any 3.5 errata on the subject.

Let your DM decide how he wants to run his Epic level creatures.

[Talderas]

I'd suggest its really going to be a DM question. The 3.5 rules are far less extensive than the 3.0 rules. There is valid reasons described in the 3.0 Epic for limiting the number of attacks per round, but I would agree its ambiguous whether 3.5 has overwritten the Epic rules regarding higher BAB that were included in 3.0. I'm not aware of any 3.5 errata on the subject.

Let your DM decide how he wants to run his Epic level creatures.

I agree, but this issue isn't an epic issue. Because of how the Instill ability works, it is quite possible to have a party of 13th level adventurers where one party member has a BAB of +21.