How useful are bonuses to Strength checks?

[SangoProduction]

So, assume, just hypothetically, that someone has a +10 to all strength and strength-based checks, not including attacks / CMB.

Aside from winning arm wrestling contests, what really changes for him?

[Twurps]

Not sure what CMD stands for. Is this a pathfinder thing?

Assuming 3.5.

If the +10 is from actual strength: carrying capacity is a thing. Not a lot you can do with that, but flying in full plate maybe?

If it's only the check: Several special attacks require a(n opposed) strength check. Most notably: Bull-rush and trip.
I've never been interested in Bull-rushing myself, but it's a somewhat popular strategy on this forum so I'm sure there's decent builds and strategies to be found.

As for the tripping (I have made a few trippers in my time): making the strength check is actually a tricky part of tripping. The preceding attack is a touch attack, so hitting isn't usually the issue. So a +10 can really help, specially against those pesky multi legged monsters that have boni to the opposed check because of their many legs.

[Maat Mons]

CMB and CMD are how Pathfinder handles tripping and stuff. (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/Combat/#TOC-Combat-Maneuvers)

[Lilapop]

Not sure what CMD stands for. Is this a pathfinder thing?

CMB/CMD is a PF thing, yes. It stands for combat maneuver bonus/defense, so the question excludes most of the good stuff you mentioned. Though it should be mentioned that any bonus to Strength checks and doesn't specifically exclude combat maneuvers does applies to them and is priced as such.

Otherwise... sometimes lifting the portcullis is quieter than the dungeon redecoration tool. And sometimes you have to help a random merchant replace a wheel on his cart for 25 xp and a keg of wine. And then there is the adhesive on mimics, cave fishers, kua-toa etc, and probably a few spells that do faux-bullrushes.

Really though, the reason you want those bonuses is to apply them to your trip checks, so I'm not sure excluding them is a good idea.

[SangoProduction]

Really though, the reason you want those bonuses is to apply them to your trip checks, so I'm not sure excluding them is a good idea.

I know. It's the most obvious improvement, if it did apply. I am trying to probe for the least obvious ones.

[pabelfly]

You can boost your Climb and Swim checks. If you take the feat "Intimidating Prowess", you get STR to Intimidate, and the trait "The Flexing Arm" to get STR to Escape Artist checks.

[ShurikVch]

Check the Table: DCs to Break or Burst Items (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/exploration.htm#breakingItems)
Also, Stronghold Builder's Guidebook have DC for breaking walls

[Psyren]

Strength check bonuses apply to:

- climbing
- swimming
- breaking down doors
- bursting bonds (including alchemical ones, e.g. tanglefoot bag)
- breaking items through sudden force instead of damage
- forcing your way through wind
- digging your way out of a cave-in
- resisting/countering some monster abilities (e.g. escaping the breath of a Rope Dragon)
- resisting/countering some spell effects (e.g. breaking free of an Icy Prison)
- interacting with some spells in unique ways (e.g. bursting an enclosure when Enlarged, tipping over a Wall of Iron).
- interacting with some items in unique ways (e.g. moving an immovable rod)

Just search the PRD for "strength check" and you should get plenty of examples that fall into one or more of these.

[Fouredged Sword]

I would be very useful in low to mid levels for characters, but drop off near high levels when magic just sorta takes over the skill check scene. It's essentially a self only double power motivate strength from the marshal class. Useful, but not great. It solves a number of problems, but the problems it solves tend to be ones that magic will trivially solve later in the game.

[Telonius]

"Strength-based checks" - are you including skill checks in that? +10 to Jump would probably be useful to somebody with Tiger Claw maneuvers, since several of those require you to either jump over something or connect if your jump check exceeds x. (Plus all the other situations where being better at jumping, climbing, or swimming would help you out).

[Calthropstu]

Distance throwing maybe? Picking up Bob and throwing him out of harms way should be a strength check.

Operating a tree catapult, by which I mean "I bend a tree and use its snap back for launch".


You can do some creative things with raw ability checks.

[SangoProduction]

"Strength-based checks" - are you including skill checks in that? +10 to Jump would probably be useful to somebody with Tiger Claw maneuvers, since several of those require you to either jump over something or connect if your jump check exceeds x. (Plus all the other situations where being better at jumping, climbing, or swimming would help you out).

Correct, including skills.

[Telonius]

Here's a really niche one: fighting using a net (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#net). You can "control" the target if you win an opposed strength check, and they're limited to moving "only within the limits that the rope allows."

The Net and Trident Feat, from Complete Warrior, improves that. Hit the person with a Net, and win the Opposed Strength Check to control them. Then you get to take a 5-foot step and make a full attack on the target with your trident.

[Dalmosh]

Improvised objects as melee/thrown weapons probably become a bit more appealing when you can pick up whole tables or wagons and bash people with them.
There would be situational uses where you could barricade a door much faster than a normal character could by dragging a heavy object.

I've always been curious about characters able to do things like rip stone doors out of their foundations with their bare hands or access the next level of the dungeon simply by sundering the floor with a hammer.