I searched but couldn't find a proper answer for a question in this forum.

My question is:

I am playing a lore invesitgator and have for example 4 + 3 (from any source item etc). I also have this spell (I dont remember the name) that allows me to use my Lore modifier during combat encounters instead of Strenght. Now my question is:

When I am facing a monster that gives - 3 to Strength checks. Does this also affect my spell? I mean when I use the spell to use my Lore modifiers does it count as Strength now and this number is subtracted for my rolls and I only roll 4 die or I dont loose any modifiers and roll still 7 dies as it still counts a spell effect?

Thank you in advance for the help.

I would take it literally lore replaces str so str-3 becomes lore-3 but I am sure more experienced players can confirm or deny this.

So, the spell itself permits you to use lore in place of strength during combat checks.

First, make sure the bonuses you are counting are lore bonuses. If they are strength bonuses, they will not help your combat roll. For example, if you use the spell, it would be pointless to also have a rifle/shotgun (although the abilities on the items would likely still apply? Just not the bonuses). However, if you had a tome that gave you a lore bonus of +2, that would help you during the combat check as the combat check is now a lore test.

Secondly, the modifier of the combat roll is simply a modifier to your combat check. It is not -3 to strength checks, it is -3 to your combat check. Typically (all?) monsters do require you to use strength, but this could change as Horror Tests are sometimes replaced with other tests (Rat-thing uses Observation, Riot can use Influence, etc). If the monster is one that requires you to test a different stat other than strength, obviously your spell would be moot.

Do you get what I am saying?