Eldritch Horror · Board game rules
Can a negative modifier larger than an Investigator's Skill be applied to a test?
Quick answer
Yes, but the investigator always rolls a minimum of 1 die regardless of how negative the modifier is. [p.12 — Tests]
Details
When resolving a test, an investigator rolls a number of dice equal to his skill value, adjusted by any modifiers. However, the rulebook explicitly states: "Investigators roll a minimum of 1 die on each test." [p.12 — Tests]
This means that even if a modifier is larger than the investigator's skill (making the calculation negative), the investigator cannot roll fewer than 1 die. For example, if an investigator has a Lore skill of 2 and faces a test with a -3 modifier, he would normally calculate 2 + (-3) = -1 dice, but instead rolls 1 die as the minimum. [p.12 — Tests]