A qustion about Strength

[thorswulf]

So we have a character with an 18 Strength. He gets a bonus to experience if he's a fighter and that it. Gauntlets of Ogre strength allow the wearer to do Ogre damage 1d6+2 according to Volume 2 of the LBB's. Later editions of the game, Holmes in particular state that Gauntlets of Ogre Strength bestow the strength of an ogre (18), damage is increased with a weapon, and without, and that the wearer cancrush things like an Ogre could.

So here's my question: Would it be out of line if a natural 18 was rolled for a fighter to have Ogre Strength damage, without the other abilities? If so, then I feel all characters with a Strength between 13 and 17, should have a +1 to damage.

My problem with this is that the magic item becomes useful to those who do not posess high strength, but useless to those who do posess a high strength.

So maybe some kind of compromise is in order. I do feel that a character with a high strength of 13+ should get a +1 to damage. After all not all mages are puny, nor are all thieves feeble! I also feel that the Greyhawk rules about dwarves with higher Strength being allowed to attain higher levels are fair.

I guess I can see why there are no bonuses in OD&D. Some fighter thinks he can wrestle an Ogre because he has an 18 Strength... and winds up with his head ripped off! makes those critters nice and scary! What's your two coppers worth?

[korgoth]

The way I plan to adjudicate it, a 6 or less in something is a -1, and a 15 or better in something is a +1. For Str, I'm giving +1 to hit and damage at 15+. If such a chap found gauntlets of ogre power, he would still be entitled to a bonus.

[coffee]

thorswulf said:

So here's my question: Would it be out of line if a natural 18 was rolled for a fighter to have Ogre Strength damage, without the other abilities? If so, then I feel all characters with a Strength between 13 and 17, should have a +1 to damage.

My problem with this is that the magic item becomes useful to those who do not posess high strength, but useless to those who do posess a high strength.

So maybe some kind of compromise is in order. I do feel that a character with a high strength of 13+ should get a +1 to damage. After all not all mages are puny, nor are all thieves feeble! I also feel that the Greyhawk rules about dwarves with higher Strength being allowed to attain higher levels are fair.

I guess I can see why there are no bonuses in OD&D. Some fighter thinks he can wrestle an Ogre because he has an 18 Strength... and winds up with his head ripped off! makes those critters nice and scary! What's your two coppers worth?

I say go ahead and do that, if you want to. It's your game. And it totally makes sense.

And anyway, you don't have to give out Gauntlets of Ogre Power if they're not going to be useful.

[Deleted]

This is good question. I think that magic objects should have some benefit to the user, so if a person gets Ogre gloves then it should give a better bonus than without them. Maybe just another +1. So use the rules as written but if player already has 18 strength just give the extra +1.

[serendipity]

Maybe it's because I like to root for the underdog, or possibly it's because I like the idea of party unity, but I don't think it would be a bad thing if there were magical items which helped someone who is weak but were less useful or even useless to those who are already strong. Take the Gauntlets of Ogre Strength. If they are found as treasure, a weakish fighter (perhaps a low level one) would get a great benefit from them. But a fighter who is already strong would then have the opportunity of strengthening the rest of his party. Or perhaps the gauntlets would be used at a later point in the game to barter for something the PCs truly need.

--Sere

[crimhthanthegreat]

If I am playing with just the 3 books, then Gauntlets of Ogre Power give full benefit to anyone wearing them regardless of whether they have a 3 or and 18. If I am playing with Greyhawk, then Gauntlets of Ogre Power raise anyone to an 18 (100%), if the player already has an 18 (100%) then he gets no additional benefit and someone else would take that item. Now if it were a Girdle of Giant Strength, then that starts at greater than 18 (100%) with Greyhawk, being at least a 19 or higher.