D&D 3E/3.5 Bonus stacking in 3.5

[Constance Clochard]

Newbie to 3.5 (but not to D&D ) here... I've just started playing under the 3.5 rules with a bunch of other 3.5 newbies. We're handling stacking spell effects as per the PH(171) ie: you can't stack a bard's inspire courage pluses with the Cleric's bless spell - both are a morale bonus.

The question came up with stacking effects of magical items with other magical items for example we're playing you CAN"T stack 2 +1 Rings of protection even though you could wear one on each hand - they are the same type of bonus.

Then there's the stacking effects of magical items with a spell - for example a +1 Ring of Protection (+1 deflection bonus to AC) with say a Cleric's Sheild of Faith spell - also a +1 deflection bonus to AC. We've been playing that they wouldn't stack since they are the same type of bonus.

We're at low levels (and don't have any experience with the rules at higher levels) - but looking ahead to the bigger badder things we may someday take on - are we cheating ourselves out of an advantage by not allowing magical items to stack with other magical items and spell?
Would the 2 +1 rings stack giving a +2 to AC? Would the Shield of Faith stack with the Ring of Protection giving a temporary +2 to AC?

 

[Hypersmurf]

We're at low levels (and don't have any experience with the rules at higher levels) - but looking ahead to the bigger badder things we may someday take on - are we cheating ourselves out of an advantage by not allowing magical items to stack with other magical items and spell?

You're doing it right. With a couple of exceptions (Dodge bonuses, racial bonuses), named bonuse don't stack with themselves, so two Deflection bonuses overlap, rather than stacking.

-Hyp.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

You're doing quite well, in fact. I've seen a guy who played for several years before he got into our group and finally was told, "no, you can't wear a ring of deflection on each hand and get the bonus twice."

 

[Constance Clochard]

I've seen a guy who played for several years before he got into our group and finally was told, "no, you can't wear a ring of deflection on each hand and get the bonus twice."

You could stack +1 rings in most of the 2.0 games I've played. I never really bother to see if it was valid or not because it was assumed to work that way. The change over to 3.5 has us all actually reading and applying the rules. It's quite a paradigm shift.

Thanks for the help. Looks like we're doing it right!

 

[Delta]

ou could stack +1 rings in most of the 2.0 games I've played. I never really bother to see if it was valid or not because it was assumed to work that way.

They didn't. The 3.0 stacking rules are really just a codification of the same rules as 1E/2E that happened to be scattered all over the rules (in different magic item descriptions).

http://www.superdan.net/adndfaq1.html