Temp/Perma ability score damage

[Elusivemike]

My friends and I are playing a modified Castle Ravenloft campaign from 3.5 into the new 5e rules and we just hit a bit of a head scratcher... After a combat where an enemy (marsh hag) did ability score damage to us we asked, "Sooooo, how do we cure it?" After search for FAR too long we couldn't find anything. I don't know if maybe we missed it or (what we think) they removed this type of score loss in the playtest package. We still want to play with the terror of having your CON drop to 4 in a battle so what spells/actions would you recommend to cure said damages.

[obryn]

My friends and I are playing a modified Castle Ravenloft campaign from 3.5 into the new 5e rules and we just hit a bit of a head scratcher... After a combat where an enemy (marsh hag) did ability score damage to us we asked, "Sooooo, how do we cure it?" After search for FAR too long we couldn't find anything. I don't know if maybe we missed it or (what we think) they removed this type of score loss in the playtest package. We still want to play with the Terror of having your CON drop to 4 in a battle so what spells/actions would you recommend to cure said damages.
If you insist on having it in, it's not unreasonable to just import whatever 3.x rules are appropriate in the circumstance. Next's bones aren't so far removed from 3.x that you couldn't just drop the ability damage rules, unchanged, into the system along with a few of the 3.x spells for it.

I'm personally glad it's nowhere to be seen, though; it's a fiddly and time/math-intensive process that I'm happier without! :smallsmile:

[Lokiare]

If you insist on having it in, it's not unreasonable to just import whatever 3.x rules are appropriate in the circumstance. Next's bones aren't so far removed from 3.x that you couldn't just drop the ability damage rules, unchanged, into the system along with a few of the 3.x spells for it.

I'm personally glad it's nowhere to be seen, though; it's a fiddly and time/math-intensive process that I'm happier without! :smallsmile:

I agree. Instead in 5E ability damage is probably converted to disadvantage on all attack, checks, and saves that have to do with Constitution (or the appropriate ability score). Which is equivalent to losing 2 to 10 points on your ability score.

[Kryx]

Bumping an old thread as I have the same question. I'm converting RotRL and looking at the haunts I'm not sure how to handle Ability damage.

For instance "1d4 Cha damage and 1d4 Con damage". I would have to give the creature disadvantage on Cha checks/saves & make their spells less effective. They'd also have to get disadvantage on con checks/saves and lose some max hp for a time...

I'm not convinced that this is an easier solution - especially since we play on roll20 so we can adjust stats quite easily.

Any suggestions?

[Jacque]

You could let them suffer the ability score damage and let them heal it off after a short/long rest.

[AstralFire]

Bumping an old thread as I have the same question. I'm converting RotRL and looking at the haunts I'm not sure how to handle Ability damage.

For instance "1d4 Cha damage and 1d4 Con damage". I would have to give the creature disadvantage on Cha checks/saves & make their spells less effective. They'd also have to get disadvantage on con checks/saves and lose some max hp for a time...

I'm not convinced that this is an easier solution - especially since we play on roll20 so we can adjust stats quite easily.

Any suggestions?

If you use the Roll20 character sheets for 5E, they already roll two dice for any stat checked, so it would be quicker still.

[Rilak]

Con damage seems to have been mostly replaced by life drain until long rest (so it's pretty much HP damage that cannot be healed by cure wounds/hit dice).

[Kryx]

If you use the Roll20 character sheets for 5E, they already roll two dice for any stat checked, so it would be quicker still.

And how about the second time they take damage to that stat? And the third? It doesn't really work imo.

[Gnomes2169]

Well, it says that a long rest cures all damage... Never specifies that it is limited to HP... :smalltongue:

But yeah, con damage seems to be limited to max hp reduction; str damage is sort of a shadow only thing (and hits like a truck) and seems to heal pretty quickly as well; int damage is an intellect devouerer thing and is most likely meant to go away after a long rest. The other attributes don't have a damage or recovery method associated with them, so just changing them to imposing disadvantage on attack rolls, skill rolls and saving throws works.

[Kryx]

The Shadow from MM 269 has ability damage.

Done.