Last night our Kalashtar Way of the Astral Self Monk had to make a STR save. They had their Astral Arms active, which means they got to use their WIS modifier for the save instead. The Kalashtar Dual Mind ability gives the character advantage on all WIS saves. Does the WIS save advantage apply to saves where they replace the modifier they are using? My group was torn on the issue. Someone said that with Finesse a STR attack becomes a DEX attack, so a STR save would become a WIS save. Is there a rule for this sort of thing?
The Astral Self is a UA subclass, so it’s by definition a first draft. I’m really not sure what the design intent is.
However, as the subclass is currently written, nothing about it says you can make a WIS save instead of a STR save. It just says you can use your WIS modifier instead of your STR modifier. It remains a STR save.
What this means is that if you’re proficient in wisdom saves but not strength saves, you still don’t get to add your proficiency bonus to the save (I feel like monks might get both but I’m not gonna look it up). It also means that the kalashtar feature doesn’t apply, because it’s still a STR save, not a WIS save.
Saga is correct, that a "Strength saving throw" is a "Strength saving throw," even if a feature lets you use your Widsom modifier instead of your Strength modifier. A feature that said "When making a Strength saving throw, you may instead make a Wisdom saving throw" would be needed to actually change what save (and what proficiency) you are using.
You mention the issue with Finesse and Strength and Dexterity attacks, so its worth pointing out that attacks work very differently. Look for example at the Barbarian's rage ability:
When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
If another feature (like say Hexblade, or Finesse) lets you use an attribute for melee weapon attacks that isn't Strength... then it's no longer a "melee weapon attack using Strength," it's a "melee weapon attack using [Cha/Dex/whatever]."
Strength Checks are kind of halfway between the two extremes. A Strength Save is always a Strength Save, even if somehow it's being keyed off of a different attribute bonus. An Attack Using Strength is only an Attack Using Strength when it uses Strength. But a check like Athletics might use a different stat in one of two ways...
First, a DM might ask for an Athletics check keyed off of a different stat, like Constitution, making it a Constitution Check:
Variant: Skills with Different Abilities
Normally, your proficiency in a skill applies only to a specific kind of ability check. Proficiency in Athletics, for example, usually applies to Strength checks. In some situations, though, your proficiency might reasonably apply to a different kind of check. In such cases, the DM might ask for a check using an unusual combination of ability and skill, or you might ask your DM if you can apply a proficiency to a different check. For example, if you have to swim from an offshore island to the mainland, your DM might call for a Constitution check to see if you have the stamina to make it that far. In this case, your DM might allow you to apply your proficiency in Athletics and ask for a Constitution (Athletics) check. So if you're proficient in Athletics, you apply your proficiency bonus to the Constitution check just as you would normally do for a Strength (Athletics) check. Similarly, when your half-orc barbarian uses a display of raw strength to intimidate an enemy, your DM might ask for a Strength (Intimidation) check, even though Intimidation is normally associated with Charisma.
But separate from that, you might instead have a class feature like the Astral Self Monk's, which lets you make a Strength check while not using Strength:
You can use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Strength modifier when making Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
I'm not sure this added complexity for checks is intended, it's poor design that I'm pretty sure only pops up in the context of this one UA class. Odds are, if the Astral Self monk is ever published, that line about "using Wisdom in place of" other save and check modifiers would be rewritten to be less novel.
Last night our Kalashtar Way of the Astral Self Monk had to make a STR save. They had their Astral Arms active, which means they got to use their WIS modifier for the save instead. The Kalashtar Dual Mind ability gives the character advantage on all WIS saves. Does the WIS save advantage apply to saves where they replace the modifier they are using? My group was torn on the issue. Someone said that with Finesse a STR attack becomes a DEX attack, so a STR save would become a WIS save. Is there a rule for this sort of thing?
The Astral Self is a UA subclass, so it’s by definition a first draft. I’m really not sure what the design intent is.
However, as the subclass is currently written, nothing about it says you can make a WIS save instead of a STR save. It just says you can use your WIS modifier instead of your STR modifier. It remains a STR save.
What this means is that if you’re proficient in wisdom saves but not strength saves, you still don’t get to add your proficiency bonus to the save (I feel like monks might get both but I’m not gonna look it up). It also means that the kalashtar feature doesn’t apply, because it’s still a STR save, not a WIS save.
Saga is correct, that a "Strength saving throw" is a "Strength saving throw," even if a feature lets you use your Widsom modifier instead of your Strength modifier. A feature that said "When making a Strength saving throw, you may instead make a Wisdom saving throw" would be needed to actually change what save (and what proficiency) you are using.
You mention the issue with Finesse and Strength and Dexterity attacks, so its worth pointing out that attacks work very differently. Look for example at the Barbarian's rage ability:
If another feature (like say Hexblade, or Finesse) lets you use an attribute for melee weapon attacks that isn't Strength... then it's no longer a "melee weapon attack using Strength," it's a "melee weapon attack using [Cha/Dex/whatever]."
Strength Checks are kind of halfway between the two extremes. A Strength Save is always a Strength Save, even if somehow it's being keyed off of a different attribute bonus. An Attack Using Strength is only an Attack Using Strength when it uses Strength. But a check like Athletics might use a different stat in one of two ways...
First, a DM might ask for an Athletics check keyed off of a different stat, like Constitution, making it a Constitution Check:
But separate from that, you might instead have a class feature like the Astral Self Monk's, which lets you make a Strength check while not using Strength:
I'm not sure this added complexity for checks is intended, it's poor design that I'm pretty sure only pops up in the context of this one UA class. Odds are, if the Astral Self monk is ever published, that line about "using Wisdom in place of" other save and check modifiers would be rewritten to be less novel.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.