[3.5] Houserule Idea (Attribute Cap)

[Drakevarg]

This is a bit of idle musing, really, but I thought I'd run it up a flagpole and see who salutes it.

Thing is, I'm honestly not a fan of the whole "Wizard with 40 INT" thing. Or any other variation of "<class> with 40 <attribute>". I just think it's a bit much. So, with that in mind, I thought up this houserule-

• The maximum level of any inherent ability score is (20 + Racial Modifier).

Meaning, the most powerful a human character can get when stark naked in an anti-magic field (or in more sane terms, without buffs and without magic items), is 20. Anything more is simply beyond human capacity to pull off. An elf has different standards, capable of having 22 DEX but only 18 CON. Because these are the limits of elven development.

Like I said, this is just idle musing, but I thought I'd see what the Playground thought.

[Myou]

Wow, I have a cap in place, but it's ECL+24.

[Saintjebus]

By the time that you got to high levels, everyone would be approaching average stats. You would be able to put your level up bonuses into your secondary or tertiery stat. You'll get wizards with high con, for example.

[Greenish]

Nerfs melee more than casters. (Casters can use non-save spells, and having a couple of less spells doesn't ruin them.)

[nedz]

Very 1st or 2nd Edition; where the cap is 25 (except for strength, but thats another story)

[sofawall]

• The maximum level of any inherent ability score is (20 + Racial Modifier).

So that would be 20, including boosts from a high HD, correct? So starting with an 18 int, a human could max it at level 8? Also, what about wish? It is a inherent bonus, but also comes from a magic source.

[Drakevarg]

I'd say that both wish and those tomes that increase stats are still confined to this limitation. Or perhaps not. I'd really have to playtest this idea to be sure. Since this is suppose to indicate that people DO have their limits, it makes sense on one hand to say that wish only increases how strong someone is, not alters their biology to change how strong they CAN be. On the other hand, it IS a 9th level spell...

I'd go with the second option. For the purposes of this houserule, the inherent bonus granted by wish or those tomes qualify as an enhancement to their Racial Modifier. Still +5 max, though.

(Thinking outloud ftw.)