Do alignment domain bonuses stack?

[Quasqueton]

This just came to me this minute. I can't beleive I didn't think of this before. But maybe I'm wrong, so y'all check me on this:

A 5th-level Lawful Evil cleric with the Law and Evil domains casts summon monster III to summon a fiendish ape (LE). The spell duration is 5 +1 for Law domain +1 for Evil domain = 7 rounds. Correct?

If so, wow, this is a major revelation to me. Can really make the alignment domains [more] useful.

Quasqueton

 

[Mekabar]

No. The +1 caster level only applies to spells on the given domain list. Summoning a lawful evil being doesn't make Summon Monster a spell of the law and evil domain.

Edit: Just saw that Summon Monster IX is indeed on both spell lists, so yes, a +2 CL bonus would apply if you cast that spell and have both domains. The alignment of the summoned being is still not relevant, however.

 

[Quasqueton]

Per the SRD:
When you use a summoning spell to summon an air, chaotic, earth, evil, fire, good, lawful, or water creature, it is a spell of that type.

Quasqueton

 

[diaglo]

but you are still only a 6th lvl caster

6th lvl for law
and 6th lvl for evil

 

[Darkness]

but you are still only a 6th lvl caster

6th lvl for law
and 6th lvl for evil

That's like saying Kursk (Str 20base+4belt+4rage) has only 24 Str - 24 with his item, 24 while raging.

 

[diaglo]

That's like saying Kursk (Str 20base+4belt+4rage) has only 24 Str - 24 with his item, 24 while raging.

i know it doesn't make sense.

it is more like the multiplier system.


truth is the caster level is your caster level and then add.

so each of the +1 only add to your base caster lvl in this case 5 + 1 = 6 and 5+1= 6. edit: not 5+1=6+1=7

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

They are unnamed bonuses. They stack.

Thus, when casting a Lawful spell, you're at +1.
When casting an Evil spell, you're at +1.
When casting a Lawful Evil spell, you're at +2.

 

[Mistwell]

No. The +1 caster level only applies to spells on the given domain list.

That is not correct. It applies to all spells of the given alignment type. It has nothing to do with what spells are on your domain list. If you have anything to show otherwise, lets see it. As it reads, you get a +1 caster level to spells with the particular descriptor, not just your domain spells.

Summoning a lawful evil being doesn't make Summon Monster a spell of the law and evil domain.

While true, it's not relevant. The spell still has the lawful and evil descriptor if it is a summon monster spell of a lawful and evil creature, thus gaining the +1 caster level.

In my opinion, the +1 caster levels DO stack. There is no multiplication here, so those multiplication rules do not apply. In addition, it is NOT a specific modification to a d20 roll (not attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, etc...), though it can have an indirect effect on a d20 roll, so I do not think the stacking rule applies. Finally, even if the stacking rules do apply to a bonus to caster level, the "bonus" in this case is unnamed, and therefore the stacking rule does not apply. Any way you look at it, the two +1 caster levels appear to apply just fine, and your summon monster spells would in fact be +2 caster level if you had both alignment domains and summoned a monster that met both alignment requirements.

Why this is a big deal to some I have no idea. So you get your summoned monsters for 2 more rounds, for having chosen some relatively mediocre domains. That doesn't in any way sound overpowered to me.

 

[the Jester]

In my opinion:

First of all, some time ago I posted a thread about whether the divination domain's +1 caster level to divinations granted power applied to spells outside the domain that were of the divination school. The conclusion I came to was yes they do.

Second, the two granted powers both grant unnamed bonuses. They stack; that might even be why they're unnamed bonuses.

 

[Diirk]

Why this is a big deal to some I have no idea. So you get your summoned monsters for 2 more rounds, for having chosen some relatively mediocre domains. That doesn't in any way sound overpowered to me.

good domain + consecrate spell or evil domain + corrupt spell They aren't that mediocre.