[RPG] Do bonuses of the same type stack

dnd-3.5emagic-itemsspells

My group and I have a question about stacking enhancement effects of spell and items. For example: A fighter got ogre power gauntlets +2; in a fight, the wizard cast Bull's Strength on him, which gives +4 strength bonus of same type as the ogre gauntlets. Do these effects stack?

Sorry for my English but I'm used to play with translated game…

Best Answer

Usually bonuses of the same type don't stack

The System Reference Document on Stacking says

In most cases, modifiers to a given check or roll stack (combine for a cumulative effect) if they come from different sources and have different types (or no type at all), but do not stack if they have the same type or come from the same source (such as the same spell cast twice in succession). If the modifiers to a particular roll do not stack, only the best bonus and worst penalty applies. Dodge bonuses and circumstance bonuses however, do stack with one another unless otherwise specified.

An enhancement bonus is a type of bonus. Thus, for example, a fighter wearing gauntlets of ogre power (that grant a +2 enhancement bonus to the fighter's Strength score) who then is the target of the spell bull's strength (that grants a +4 enhancement bonus to the fighter's Strength score) receives only the higher bonus, that provided by the spell bull's strength.

Exceptions exist, of course, but enhancement bonuses aren't one of those exceptions.

Related Topic