Inherent Bonuses in Anti-magic fields, and when polymorphing/wildshaping etc.

[Yogibear41]

If you have an inherent bonus to say Strength do you keep said bonus in an Anti-magic field? Would you also retain the bonus when changing into another form via wildshape or polymorphing adding whatever your inherent bonus is to that new form's base score? If there is an official answer to this somewhere a citation would be wonderful.

[Beni-Kujaku]

Inherent bonus are not magical anymore, there is no magic item in use and no ongoing effect to dispel. They stay there even in an antimagic field. I'd say they also stay there while polymorphing, but I'm not so sure.

[Anthrowhale]

I'd say they also stay there while polymorphing, but I'm not so sure.
I believe they stay while polymorphing as well. I don't know anywhere in the rules that directly addresses this though.

My reasoning is that if creature X has an inherent +5 to strength and polymorphs into a War Troll, then it's still creature X, just with a War Troll body.

[Tzardok]

I believe they stay while polymorphing as well. I don't know anywhere in the rules that directly addresses this though.

My reasoning is that if creature X has an inherent +5 to strength and polymorphs into a War Troll, then it's still creature X, just with a War Troll body.

Sure, but if the inherent bonus is bound to the body, well...

[Anthrowhale]

Sure, but if the inherent bonus is bound to the body, well...

As best I can tell, it is bound to the identity, not the body. For example, Wish says "Grant a creature a +1 inherent bonus ...". For the other binding, it should say something like "Grant a creature['s body or mind] a +1 inherent bonus...".

[Biggus]

I'm pretty sure inherent bonuses never go away. The nearest I can find to an actual citation is these:


Inherent bonuses are instantaneous, so they cannot be dispelled.



Instantaneous: The spell energy comes and goes the instant the spell is cast, though the consequences might be long-lasting. For example, a cure light wounds spell lasts only an instant, but the healing it bestows never runs out or goes away

(italics mine)

There's also this:


Because the tome of clear thought provides an inherent bonus, the reader will earn extra skill points when she attains a new level (unlike with the benefit provided by a headband of intellect)

Finally, most dictionary definitions of inherent support this interpretation, for example:


existing in someone or something as a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute

[Crake]

I've always viewed inherent bonuses as, effectively, permanent, static changes, rather than a floating bonus that sits atop your regular abilities. It was only labelled as such to prevent it from being infinitely stacked upon. The fact that it's instantaneous I think lends credence to the notion. If it was an ongoing effect, it would be constantly applied ontop of everything that happens, but since it's an instantaneous effect, it can't be "reapplied" atop a polymorph's ability score changes, since the magic is over, and there's nothing to apply the bonus to the new form.

[ShurikVch]

Arguably, Ability Bonus of the Forsaker PrC may count as magical: it listed as (Ex), but fueled by destroying magic items (and goes away if you fail to fuel it)

[Duke of Urrel]

I've always viewed inherent bonuses as, effectively, permanent, static changes, rather than a floating bonus that sits atop your regular abilities. It was only labelled as such to prevent it from being infinitely stacked upon. The fact that it's instantaneous I think lends credence to the notion. If it was an ongoing effect, it would be constantly applied ontop of everything that happens, but since it's an instantaneous effect, it can't be "reapplied" atop a polymorph's ability score changes, since the magic is over, and there's nothing to apply the bonus to the new form.

I agree with this, and I justify my view in the following manner.

I begin with the following rule.


"Unless otherwise noted in the spell's description, the subject of a Polymorph spell takes on all the statistics and special abilities of an average member of the assumed form in place of its own, except as follows. […] In all other ways, the subject's normal game statistics are effectively replaced by those of the assumed form."


Player's Handbook v. 3.5 (2012), page 320

A big question that we have to answer is: What is a polymorphable statistic? The rules for polymorphing mention many specific statistics as either polymorphable or not polymorphable, but the rules never specifically mention inherent bonuses. They also don't specifically mention certain other statistics, such as ability drain, increases to ability scores due to experience, and decreases to ability scores due to aging, all of which, like inherent bonuses, are permanent effects but not effects of ongoing magic.

So I have created a general house rule to answer the question "What is a polymorphable statistic?" for all specific cases that the rulebooks don't mention. Of course, my general rule is not intended to nullify any existing specific rule. Rather the reverse: Any specific rule that appears in the rulebooks may nullify my general rule, following the principle that "Specific trumps general."

Here is my general house rule.

I consider a creature's polymorphable statistics to include all of its permanent attributes except for effects of ongoing magic.


I consider any permanent change in a creature's ability score due to ability drain, aging, experience, a feat, an inherent bonus, instantaneous magic (such as the Feeblemind spell), or the manifestation of a template to be a permanent attribute and therefore a polymorphable statistic.


In contrast, I consider ability damage, lethal and nonlethal damage, temporary Hit Points, and any temporary ability bonus or penalty (such as the Bull's Strength spell or the barbarian's extraordinary Rage ability bestows) to be temporary conditions that are not polymorphable (though some Polymorph spells heal some damage).