Paragnostic Initiate question

[razorback]

Normally you are limited to a +5 inherent bonus to any stat. Casting 5 Wish (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wish.htm) spells in immediate succession can grant a creature a +5 inherent bonus to an ability score.
Paragnostic Initiate has a Tactical Combat ability that reads

Physical Augmentation: Choose one of your physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution). When any spell that applies a bonus or penalty to this score is cast upon you by someone else, any bonus granted increases by 2, and any penalty imposed is reduced by 2 (minimum penalty 1). You can select this ability multiple times, choosing a different ability score each time. (Knowledge [nature] 6 ranks)
Is there any reasonable interpretation or previous precedent of Inherent bonus' exceeding +5, which this ability to to raise your chosen stat by +15 with 5 castings of Wish?

[daremetoidareyo]

Nice find!

There isn't precedent for enhancement bonuses to ability scores above 5 that I know of, but it might be worth cracking open the epic level handbook to see what's there

[Troacctid]

The +5 limit is a property of inherent bonuses, not of wish. It would still apply. You do save a ton of xp though.

Probably a more common use for this ability is enlarge person—especially if you can get a permanency to go with it. Maybe some horn of gorgon as an extra material component.

[JNAProductions]

By my reading, it'd let each Wish increase your stat by +3, but still be limited by the cap of 5.

[razorback]

The +5 limit is a property of inherent bonuses, not of wish. It would still apply. You do save a ton of xp though.

Probably a more common use for this ability is enlarge person—especially if you can get a permanency to go with it. Maybe some horn of gorgon as an extra material component.
Understood. As its someone else casting, it doesn't really gain you too much on the XP front.
I see this as a good ability for PC bodyguard or a cohort. Friendly caster casts spells with different types of bonus' (enhancement, sacred, etc) can start stacking fairly quickly. A gish with War Weaver could get some extended milage out of this.


By my reading, it'd let each Wish increase your stat by +3, but still be limited by the cap of 5.

That would be my reading, too. I was just wondering if there was anything out there that might set a precedent (PrC, feat, class ability, etc) that breaks the cap.

[JNAProductions]

I believe there's a single PrC that can raise Strength's inherent bonus to +6, but am not sure.

[sreservoir]

The multiple castings of wish provide a single bonus (which can be increased by +2, but is still limited to +5 because that's a property of inherent bonuses, which happens to be repeated in the spell text, not a limit of the spell). SO as I understand it, you could get +3 from a single casting, and you could usefully cast it twice to get +4 or three times to get +5.

[ExLibrisMortis]

If you want to boost this further, you can use Fell Energy Spell + shapechange (into any undead creature) to get a wish that provides a +5 inherent bonus. Or an incantatrix' Cooperative Metamagic ability to apply Twin Spell to the wish (for a +4, as per sreservoir's reasoning). Ability Enhancer doesn't work, as wish isn't a transmutation... unless you take the UA variant transmuter (transmuter 3/master transmuter 10/archmage 2/transmuter +2 picks it up at level 17 precisely).

Fixed bonus increases + wish makes for a good time :smalltongue:.