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Strength is a measure of muscle, endurance, and stamina combined. For purposes of relating this ability to some reality, assume that a character with a Strength of 3 is able to lift a maximum of 30 pounds weight above his or her head in a military press, while a character with 18 Strength will be able to press 180 pounds in the some manner. Strength is the forte of fighters, for they must be physically powerful in order to wear armor and wield heavy weapons. Therefore, Strength is the major characteristic (or prime requisite) of fighters, and those fighters with Strength of 16 or more gain a bonus of 10% of earned experience.
Furthermore, fighters with an 18 Strength are entitled to all percentile dice in order to generate a random number between 01 and 00 (100) to determine Exceptional Strength; Exceptional Strength increases hit probability and damage done when attacking, and it also increases the weight the character is able to carry without penalty for encumbrance, as well as increasing the character’s ability to force open doors and similar portals.
The tables give complete information regarding the effects of Strength. Note that only fighters are permitted to roll on the Exceptional Strength section of Strength Table I.
The Strength characteristic of a human or humanoid of any type, and of player-characters in particular, is more than a simple evaluation of the musculature of the body.
Strength is a composite rating of physical power, endurance, and stamina. A rating of 3, for example, indicates that the creature in question has little of each of the three categories, a score of 10 or thereabouts shows that the creature has the norm for a human adult male (based on an assumed medieval standard where the typical individual was in “good shape” due to the necessity of hard labor), while a score of 18 means that the creature has a composite rating far above average in all respects.
By way of comparison, kobolds will have an average Strength rating of 9, goblins 10, orcs 12, hobgoblins 15, gnolls 16, bugbears 17, ogres 18, and trolls, a Strength rating of 18+. Gnomes have an average Strength rating of 10, dwarves 14, elves 12, halflings 8, and giants 19 and up.
Exceptional Strength
Exceptional Strength
Assume further that a Strength of 18 indicates that the creature can lift weight equal to its own body weight, or 180 pounds, whichever is the greater, above its head. This rating is modified by a restriction that no creature of human/humanoid nature can lift more than twice its own body weight above its head. A human with an 18 Strength and an additional percentile dice roll is able to lift 1 additional pound for every percentage point up to and including 50%, 4 pounds for every percentage point from 51% to 90%, and 8 pounds for each percentage point from 91% to 00%.
Dragon #137, Sage Advice: Q: “A 20-year-old human fighter has a Strength of 18/01. When he reaches the age of 21 (mature), he gains one point of Strength. What is the fighter’s new Strength score?” A: The character’s new Strength score is 18/11. The additional point of Strength equals 10% on the exceptional rating.
* The number in parentheses is the number of chances out of six for the fighter to be able to force open a locked, barred, magically held, or wizard locked door, but only one attempt ever (per door) may be made, and if it fails no further attempts can succeed.
Notes Regarding Strength Table II
Notes Regarding Strength Table II
Hit Probability adjustments refer to the score generated by dice roll in melee combat. Subtraction from or addition to the number rolled is made according to the table as applicable.
Damage Adjustment likewise applies to melee combat. The damage done by scoring a successful hit on an opponent is adjusted downwards or upwards as applicable. Thus, if a hit would normally score 1-6 points of damage upon the opponent, and the character’s Strength was only 3, the actual damage done would be reduced by 1 point; but, on the other hand, if the attacker had Strength of 18/00, the actual damage done would be adjusted upwards by 6 hit points, and possible damage would jump from 1-6 to 7-12.
Weight Allowance is given in number of gold pieces over and above the maximum normally stated for unencumbered movement. The conversion ratio of gold pieces to pounds of weight is 10 to 1. If a character could normally carry 350 gold pieces without encumbrance, but the character had Strength of 17 instead of the normal 8-11 range, 850 gold pieces could be carried without incurring movement penalty. (1)
Open Doors indicates the number of chances out of 6 which the character has of opening a stuck or heavy door on that try. Successive attempts may be made at no penalty with regard to damage to the character attempting to force the door open, but each such attempt requires time and makes considerable noise.
Bend Bars/Lift Gates states the percentage chance the character has of bending normal soft iron bars or of lifting a vertically moving gate (such as a small portcullis barring a passage). The attempt may be made but once, and if the score required is not made, the character will never succeed in the task.
Example: A character with 16 Strength is trapped in a dead end passage by a set of iron bars which drop down from the ceiling when a stone slab is stepped on and triggers the release of the gate. The character first attempts to lift the gate, a roll of 01-10 indicating success, but the percentile dice come up 74, so failure is indicated. The character next attempts to bend the bars in order to squeeze between them, the percentage chance of success is the same as for lifting the gate, and this time a 07 is rolled, so the character slips out and is free.
1. Ed.: The original text noted 500 g.p. as the value for unencumbered movement. This did not match the encumbrance tables, so the text has been changed to read “350 gold pieces” and “850 gold pieces”. See Equipment, Encumbrance.
Dragon #64, Sage Advice: Q.How do you figure the chance to open doors if more than one character tries to do it at the same time?A. That depends on what sort of door the characters are confronted with, how the DM chooses to define and describe the door in game terms, and what the capabilities of the characters are. There is no set of “rules” for such a situation that could apply in all possible cases. The size of the door and the number of gripping places (handles) it has will help determine, first and foremost, whether two or more characters can even get their hands on it. If they can, and if the door is nothing more than an ordinary “stuck or heavy door” as described in the Players Handbook, then the chance for a pair of characters to pull or push open the door might be as great as a simple sum of their chances: Two characters each with a Strength of 12 would have a 1-4 (on d6) chance together, while two characters each with Strength of 16 or better would automatically be able to open such a door. Or, the chance might not be quite that great if the DM reasons that the individual characters can’t each apply all the Strength at their disposal (for lack of good balance or leverage), so that perhaps the chance for two 12-Strength characters would only increase to 1-3, and the pair of 16-Strength characters might have an 80% or 90% chance (or at least something short of guaranteed success). If you want to get really particular, it would be more efficient for characters to work in tandem against a door that pushes open rather than one that is pulled. The procedure used will vary according to the circumstances and the surroundings — and in cases where it isn’t a matter of life or death for that door to be opened in the next round of action, it often doesn’t really matter what the exact chance of success might be. A good DM won’t make a big thing out of it if two characters want to “attack” a door at the same time, unless there’s something really important about the door — or behind it — in which case the door would generally already be locked or magically sealed to prevent it from being breached by Strength alone.
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