Half-Orcs Exceptional Strength

[robertsconley]

Half-Orcs get +1 to Strength. If I rolled an 18 strength and chose the Fighter class how that add into the Exceptional Strength roll? Or does it go to 18/00 or 19?

In the game I am current playing I rolled a 18/91 and the DM allowed me to bump it up to 18/00 to reflect the +1 Strength. I am curious if there is a book answer to this.

[ScottyG]

You get nothing, except maybe making your strength 18/99 instead of 18/91, which has no effect at all. A racial bonus can't take you over your racial ability scpre max.

[deathanddrek]

(The 18/99 maximum score for half-orcs is nestled away in "STRENGTH TABLE I" (pg 9) not in "CHARACTER RACE TABLE III" (pg 13).)

We always used to add 10% but I've heard others bump up to the next bracket. Not sure if there's an official guideline.

[T. Foster]

I've always played it that if you're a half-orc and rolled an 18 for strength you get no benefit (and, incidentally, I've never seen anyone who rolled an 18 strength choose to play a half-orc, but I've seen lots of people who rolled 17s do so), but I can see adding +1 category (so 18/01-50 becomes 18/51-76, etc. up to the racial max. of 18/99), similar to the Strength spell, as a reasonable compromise.

[AxeMental]

18.00. Don't listen to those pussies. Remember, your playing a butt ugly half orc limited in levels, so you should get something nice out of it. Enjoy that strength while you live.

[Solinor]

Half-Orcs get +1 to Strength. If I rolled an 18 strength and chose the Fighter class how that add into the Exceptional Strength roll? Or does it go to 18/00 or 19?

In the game I am current playing I rolled a 18/91 and the DM allowed me to bump it up to 18/00 to reflect the +1 Strength. I am curious if there is a book answer to this.

Who are you to argue with the wisdom of the DM. I wouldn't dream of correcting him in this case.

[deathanddrek]

That's funny - perhaps I'm screwed up in the head but I think of it like this.

If I was unsure and didn't speak up, resulting in a character that is better than if I did speak up, then that would feel like cheating on a die roll - that character is a total fake from that point on and his accomplishments are invalid.

If I did speak up and the ruling was to my disadvantage, why, that makes my character's accomplishments more significant.

[Solinor]

That's funny - perhaps I'm screwed up in the head but I think of it like this.

If I was unsure and didn't speak up, resulting in a character that is better than if I did speak up, then that would feel like cheating on a die roll - that character is a total fake from that point on and his accomplishments are invalid.

If I did speak up and the ruling was to my disadvantage, why, that makes my character's accomplishments more significant.

If I knew better in the first place, I agree wholeheartedly. If knowledge comes after the fact, I as a DM will often let rulings that didn't follow the rules stand. If I was the player and wanted to play my character as the strongest half-orc to have ever lived, I would show the rule to the DM and then present my case to let it stand(18(00) strength).

[Guy Fullerton]

It doesn't modify the exceptional strength because you first choose race (and apply racial stuff), and *then* choose class afterward.

Your racial stat modifiers get applied when you choose the race (and can therefore help you qualify for, or prevent you from qualifying for a class). But at this point you're not a fighter yet, so you don't have exceptional strength yet, so the half-orc's bonus can't possibly take you above 18.

Then once you choose your class(es), you get to roll your exceptional strength. And because you've already passed the step of applying racial stat modifiers, those modifiers can't possibly affect your exceptional strength roll.

[Thorkhammer]

PhB p.15


" Maximums applicable are easily met, for the ability score is simply lowered to conform to the maximum"


"...some races can exceed the 18 total possible in the initial generation of abilities..." as in Dwarf/Half-orc, CON19, Elf DEX19. There is no such example that implies a strength above 18/00 or the racial maximum is possible.

(In my best Charlton Heston Moses voice...)

Those that will not live by the law...
shall DIE by the law...

YMMV

[Solinor]

Great clarification of the rules, Guy and Thork. I learned something new!

[deathanddrek]

If I knew better in the first place, I agree wholeheartedly. If knowledge comes after the fact, I as a DM will often let rulings that didn't follow the rules stand.

+1

("I had to kill Bob Morton because he made a mistake. Now it's time to erase that mistake.")

I once made the awful decision to allow a player to introduce a 2e kit (a gnome "Professor" demi-bard) because he really wanted to play a 3.5e race/class combo (and that was too much work to accomodate). I was in an all-accommodating mood at the start of that campaign. That player wasn't ready to make the cognitive leap to 1e style play. The character didn't offer anything to a standard party - it was gimped by the kit's tweaks to the already horrendous 2e bard. It was joy of joys when that character got killed. It was sincerely a legitimate, non-fudged death.

[AxeMental]

Just looked at the PH pg. 9, its only humans that can reach 18.00, Halforcs are limited to 18.99. I guess it was another one of those things we just said, screw that, and simply forgot about.
I guess you want to be a +3+6 bad ass, role a 00.
Fosters suggestion of bumping up to the next % bonus seems logical and fair.

[Benoist]

Love Guy's reading of the rules on this one. Well done.

[ken-do-nim]

I do +10%, and the same goes for the mature age category as well which bumps strength by 1.