How does the Swift Aid feat interact with the Aid Allies Order of the Dragon ability? The Swift Aid feat states that you grant your ally either a +1 bonus on his next attack roll or a +1 bonus to his AC, and the Aid Allies ability states that the ally receives a +3 bonus to his armor class, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check.
Does it:
- Simply add a +1 bonus, no additional benefit?
- Work at the full bonus for
Aid Allies, granting +3 (or higher) - Moderate at +2 (or
Aid Alliesbonus -1)
Is there any specific Paizo ruling on this? If not, is their indication on how it should be adjudicated?
Best Answer
I think the main point of confusion lies with the wording of the Swift Aid feat. While it says:
it then immediately follows that with new rules that contradict it
I take that as a replacement for the basic +2 bonus for aiding another, not in addition to it. My rule of thumb is that specific cases override general ones. Aid Allies replaces the bonus for all uses of the aid another action, and Swift Aid only replaces the bonus when aiding another as a swift action; so if I were forced to play by rules as written, I would give Swift Aid the final word, and the beneficiary would receive a +1.
Looking at it from the perspective of rules as intended however, it's obvious that Swift Aid was meant as a reduced benefit for a reduced cost, but I see no reason why the two abilities should not work together. Going by the same logic as above, I would still apply Aid Allies first, then Swift Aid. That then leaves the GM to decide how far to reduce the Swift Aid bonus (with the simplest options being a -1 penalty to the bonus, or a x1/2 penalty to the bonus).