Ability score cap?

[Fisticuffs]

I seem to remember that there was a cap on ability scores but I can't seem to find it in the Epic Handbook or the DMG, where I would think it would be.

[EvilJoe15]

No, ability scores are completely open ended.

[Rin_Hunter]

If you are thinking of D&D 3.5E, a cap is new to me.

4E? No clue, you'd have to ask someone else. Same with the older editions.

[Squark]

2nd Edition AD&D capped scores at 25. That's the only cap I can think of, though.

[Fisticuffs]

Then I'd been misinformed, explains that, thanks all.

[Telonius]

There's an effective cap for starting ability scores for PCs. The maximum you can roll is 18 using 3d6, and (iirc) point buy also caps out at 18. You can fiddle it up from there a bit using races (racial stat bonuses) and starting out as an older character to bump up your mental stats slightly at the expense of physical stats. But the base score is never going to exceed 18.

You also might be thinking of the cap on Inherent Bonuses. In 3.5, there's a maximum of +5 for Inherent bonuses to a single stat (such as would be found in a Tome of Understanding, Manual of Bodily Health, etc). A single stat can't have more than a +5 to it from those sources.

[HunterOfJello]

Looking at Deities and Demigods, Zeus and Hephaestus have 51 strength and Hercules has 55 Strength so if there's an ability cap, it's above 55.

Thor has 92 Strength (although that may be a typo).


A DM could consider capping ability scores around 100. However, if your players are getting scores that high, then they're probably already taking over the cosmos and enslaving the gods.

[Snake-Aes]

Tormenta's gods have +200 to all abilities while they're in their home planes.

The Carrying Capacity tables allow for any possible positive value for strength too, so no, there's no cap.

[Tengu_temp]

4E? No clue, you'd have to ask someone else.

There's no cap, but if there's a way of getting a PC's ability scores above 30 (base 18 + 2 race + 8 from levels +2 epic destiny), I haven't heard of it. There are monsters with higher stats though.

[LibraryOgre]

Looking at Deities and Demigods, Zeus and Hephaestus have 51 strength and Hercules has 55 Strength so if there's an ability cap, it's above 55.

Thor has 92 Strength (although that may be a typo).

He's got a left glove
Right glove
girdle of strength
And a hammer called Mjolnir

Talkin' 'bout red bearded Asa-Thor
Asa-Thor
Asa-Thor
Talkin' 'bout red bearded Asa-Thor
He's the bane of all Jotunar.

[Tyger]

Or if you are from the Neverwinter Nights gaming club, there was a coded maximum of +12 stat bonus, so no more than 34 in a stat.

[Another_Poet]

Looking at Deities and Demigods, Zeus and Hephaestus have 51 strength and Hercules has 55 Strength so if there's an ability cap, it's above 55.

They gave Hercules more Str than Zeus?

That's a fail sandwich with a side of fail and fail on top.

[AtopTheMountain]

There's no cap, but if there's a way of getting a PC's ability scores above 30 (base 18 + 2 race + 8 from levels +2 epic destiny), I haven't heard of it. There are monsters with higher stats though.

You're forgetting the +1 to all you get at 11 and 21.

EDIT: Aaaand I epicly failed that one.

[Zeta Kai]

That's a fail sandwich with a side of fail and fail on top.

Kinda like your avatar. I kid, I kid, don't hit me.

Anyway, yeah, I'd be willing to bet that Thor's STR is a typo. A score of 42 or 52 would be more appropriate.

I think that ability score should have some limit, even if it's only a theoretical one. One can only be so strong, so agile, so hardy, so smart, so wise, & so charming. There's gotta be a ceiling, otherwise the numbers have a certain arbitrary-ness that I find distasteful. Even temperatures have a limit, albeit an absurdly high in-theory one.

[NecroRebel]

You're forgetting the +1 to all you get at 11 and 21.

No he isn't. 18 (maximum point-buy) +2 (maximum racial) +1 (level 4) +1 (level 8) +1 (level 11) +1 (level 14) +1 (level 18) +1 (level 21) +2 (some epic destinies) +1 (level 24) +1 (level 28) gives a maximum attribute of 30 at levels 28 through 30. The +8 levels he mentioned included the paragon and epic tier boosts, as well as the boosts you get at levels whose last digit is 4 or 8.

But yeah, in 4E there's no theoretical cap to attributes, there's just no way of getting more than 30 in WotC-published materials, and likely never will be any way.

[KillianHawkeye]

Anyway, yeah, I'd be willing to bet that Thor's STR is a typo. A score of 42 or 52 would be more appropriate.

It's not a typo. IIRC, his equipment doubles his Strength score. I believe it also notes that he actually needs to be that strong to wield his hammer.

[HunterOfJello]

They gave Hercules more Str than Zeus?

That's a fail sandwich with a side of fail and fail on top.

This is post-ascension Hercules. It's plausible that he's slightly stronger than his father.

Zeus is still far more powerful, especially with his thunderbolts.

[Zovc]

This is post-ascension Hercules. It's plausible that he's slightly stronger than his father.

Zeus is still far more powerful, especially with his thunderbolts.

Indeed. One can only throw lightning so hard before it stops mattering how hard you threw it.

[Another_Poet]

Kinda like your avatar. I kid, I kid, don't hit me.

Ma abatar has been fixed!

And now I'm a gonna test out my Str score on you!!

:)

ap

[nyjastul69]

2nd Edition AD&D capped scores at 25. That's the only cap I can think of, though.

In AD&D (1e) ability scores are capped at 20. 21+ scores are god-like and not 'normally' attainable for PC's.

[Kaiyanwang]

He's got a left glove
Right glove
girdle of strength
And a hammer called Mjolnir

Talkin' 'bout red bearded Asa-Thor
Asa-Thor
Asa-Thor
Talkin' 'bout red bearded Asa-Thor
He's the bane of all Jotunar.

Translation: has a belt that doubles his base strenght. An 92 is before he rages.

[Prime32]

Note that Thor's belt was said to double his strength... but in D&D you're twice as strong if you increase your Str score by 5.

+46 Str is multiplying your strength by 614.4

[Fortuna]

Note that Thor's belt was said to double his strength... but in D&D you're twice as strong if you increase your Str score by 5.

+46 Str is multiplying your strength by 614.4

Where does it say that +5 is doubling? I can't extract that from the rules.

[Prime32]

Where does it say that +5 is doubling? I can't extract that from the rules.

See the carrying capacity charts.

[Chronos Flame]

Where does it say that +5 is doubling? I can't extract that from the rules.

Though it's not true of every entry on the table, all entries above 10 str on the carrying capacity chart double the max weight every 5 str. I assume that's what's being referred to.

edit: ninja'd

[KillianHawkeye]

Note that Thor's belt was said to double his strength... but in D&D you're twice as strong if you increase your Str score by 5.

It's doubling his Strength score, not his ability to lift things.

[Morph Bark]

I wonder what Atlas' Strength score is then. If in DnD "the heavens" = "the upper planes", he must have one hel--imean, heaven of a Strength score.

Actually, multiple ones.

[Zeta Kai]

I wouldn't give Atlas a numerical STR score, as it would only illustrate the absurdity of statting out gods, titans, & other divine beings.