Warrior classes get to roll for "exceptional strength" between 1 and 100 when their strength is 18. Higher numbers have larger bonuses. The wiki has a good chart.
Note that regardless of having Strength 18, Strength 18/01, or Strength 18/00, a +1 increase to strength (such as the tome), will bump it up to 19. Still, I prefer to get a solid exceptional strength on my PC if I play a warrior, because the tome is really late game. With the new UI autorollers, it's pretty easy to get solid stats with a /00 modifier, which I highly recommend if you're playing a melee warrior class.
18/01-50 is barely better than a flat 18, only providing +1 damage. 18/51-99 provides an additional +1 attack, and further additional damage. 18/00 is simply amazing, and the max for anyone not a half-orc.
This second number is still a little confusing. Kivan has 18/12, so the 12 gives a plus 1 attack because it is within the 01-50 range. Does the 12 ever get raise to say 15 and if it does what would be that significance? Going on what about to 20, 25, 35 etc.
Everything in the 01-50 range gets exactly the same bonuses. 18/12 is functionally identical to 18/43, for example. Same for each of the ranges 51-75, 76-90, and 91-99.
It is a complex and outdated system that 3rd edition got rid off. Unfortunately, Baldur's Gate is based on the 2nd edition, which had a few odd kinks in it's system.
When you choose to play a warrior class (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian), AND you roll an 18 for your strength, you then roll for exceptional strength. This is done by rolling two tensided dice, numbered 0 to 9. One die indicates the ten digit, while the other die indicates the one digit.
For example, I have a red and a blue d10 (tensided die), and I say the red indicates the ten digit. Then, when I roll the die, the red die comes up 4, and the blue die comes up 8, giving me an exceptional strength of 48. This is indicated with 18/48.
Note that a 0 for the ten digits and a 0 for the one digits indicates 100. Therefor, 18/00 is the best possible exceptional strength.
In Baldur's Gate, you can rearrange your ability scores, so you can always take an 18 strength, so the game always rolls the exceptional strength, and displays it whenever your strength is 18.
Also, you only receive an exceptional strength if you start as a warrior class with a strength of 18 after racial modifiers. If you play a Halfling, your maximum strength is 17, so you won't have exceptional strength. Likewise, if you play a Half-orc and start with a strength of 19, you also won't have exceptional strength (but 19 is better than 18/00).
Also, if you start as, say, a Cleric with a strength of 18, and then dualclass into a Fighter, you do not suddenly receive exceptional strength. Nor will you receive exceptional strength if you start with a strength of 17, and read a tome to increase your Strength by 1. If you have exceptional strength, and read a tome to increase your Strength to 19, you lose the exceptional strength (but again, 19 is better than 18/00).
So, exceptional strength is for warrior classes with a strength of 18. Exceptional strength will not change during a game (except if items set your strength to a specific value), but it will go away if your Strength becomes anything but 18.
Joluv's link shows exactly what exceptional strength value provides what bonuses. As you can see, there is no difference between having a strength of 18/01 or 18/50. They're the exact same thing. Likewise, a strength of 18/91 is identical to a strength of 18/99.
In Kivan's case, since he's a ranger, he rolled exceptional strength of 12. That's better than, say, a cleric with 18 strength, without exceptional strength. But had Kivan rolled 51 or better, he would've received better bonuses from the exceptional strength.
For a bit of historical perspective: The number after the 18 was once called "Bend Bars/Lift Gate chance". It was originally the percentage chance that a strong warrior had of performing a Conan-style feat of superhuman strength. Like bending a jail cell's bars, lifting a heavy portcullis or ripping manacles out of a dungeon wall.
For a bit of historical perspective: The number after the 18 was once called "Bend Bars/Lift Gate chance". It was originally the percentage chance that a strong warrior had of performing a Conan-style feat of superhuman strength. Like bending a jail cell's bars, lifting a heavy portcullis or ripping manacles out of a dungeon wall.
That must've been very old 1st edition stuff. In 2nd edition, the bend bars/lift gates chance was based on total strength, not exceptional strength specifically.
Comments
18/01-50 is barely better than a flat 18, only providing +1 damage.
18/51-99 provides an additional +1 attack, and further additional damage.
18/00 is simply amazing, and the max for anyone not a half-orc.
The same goes for 51-99. What about 57, etc, etc?
That 12 is a twelve till it gets adjusted magically (through a strength of one spell, which raises it to a 50, or a tome, or potion).
When you choose to play a warrior class (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian), AND you roll an 18 for your strength, you then roll for exceptional strength. This is done by rolling two tensided dice, numbered 0 to 9. One die indicates the ten digit, while the other die indicates the one digit.
For example, I have a red and a blue d10 (tensided die), and I say the red indicates the ten digit. Then, when I roll the die, the red die comes up 4, and the blue die comes up 8, giving me an exceptional strength of 48. This is indicated with 18/48.
Note that a 0 for the ten digits and a 0 for the one digits indicates 100. Therefor, 18/00 is the best possible exceptional strength.
In Baldur's Gate, you can rearrange your ability scores, so you can always take an 18 strength, so the game always rolls the exceptional strength, and displays it whenever your strength is 18.
Also, you only receive an exceptional strength if you start as a warrior class with a strength of 18 after racial modifiers. If you play a Halfling, your maximum strength is 17, so you won't have exceptional strength. Likewise, if you play a Half-orc and start with a strength of 19, you also won't have exceptional strength (but 19 is better than 18/00).
Also, if you start as, say, a Cleric with a strength of 18, and then dualclass into a Fighter, you do not suddenly receive exceptional strength. Nor will you receive exceptional strength if you start with a strength of 17, and read a tome to increase your Strength by 1. If you have exceptional strength, and read a tome to increase your Strength to 19, you lose the exceptional strength (but again, 19 is better than 18/00).
So, exceptional strength is for warrior classes with a strength of 18. Exceptional strength will not change during a game (except if items set your strength to a specific value), but it will go away if your Strength becomes anything but 18.
Joluv's link shows exactly what exceptional strength value provides what bonuses. As you can see, there is no difference between having a strength of 18/01 or 18/50. They're the exact same thing. Likewise, a strength of 18/91 is identical to a strength of 18/99.
In Kivan's case, since he's a ranger, he rolled exceptional strength of 12. That's better than, say, a cleric with 18 strength, without exceptional strength. But had Kivan rolled 51 or better, he would've received better bonuses from the exceptional strength.