Do Flaming and Flaming Burst stack?

[kreynolds]

If you get hit by three crossbow bolts, each doing 10 points of damage, then with each hit, both spells lose 10 points of absorption capacity in the course of protecting you.

This, I totally and complete disagree with. The caster level 3 spell wasn't doing a thing. The caster level 4 spell was doing all the work. Why would one spell lose absorption capacity when the other spell is doing the absorbing? That doesn't make any sense.

Ah well. At least I know the core of our disagreement now.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Why would one spell lose absorption capacity when the other spell is doing the absorbing?

They both absorb the first 10 points from any ranged attack. There's no hierarchy - they both kick in simultaneously and absorb the same damage.

Ah well. At least I know the core of our disagreement now.

Yup.

-Hyp.

 

[kreynolds]

They both absorb the first 10 points from any ranged attack. There's no hierarchy - they both kick in simultaneously and absorb the same damage.

If that was true, then the damage absorption would stack. It either stacks or it doesn't. You can't have it both ways. Since it doesn't stack, then the second spell doesn't absorb anything.

 

[Hypersmurf]

If that was true, then the damage absorption would stack.

No, it's true because they overlap

-Hyp.

 

[kreynolds]

No, it's true because they overlap

Then two bull's strength spells, one at +3 and one at +4, would net +7, because they overlap, according to your position anyway. That's what you're saying. You're saying that special overlapping rules apply to the elements spells, and I don't see any evidence of that whatsoever.

 

[Hypersmurf]

We're not going to get anywhere with this, kreynolds, because we see overlapping as working in two completely different ways.

In my opinion, if someone with Str 14 is wearing a Belt of Giant Strength +4, and acting under a 4-point Bull's Strength, then both effects are boosting his Strength to 18. If you could hook up an Effort-o-Meter to each effect, they're both working just as hard to provide that Enhancement Bonus as if the other one weren't in effect.

Both of them are adding 4 points to his Strength - unfortunately, the points they're adding are, in both cases, 15, 16, 17, and 18.

As I understand it, your view is that while both effects are on the character, one of them is providing the Enhancement bonus, while the other lies back in its EZ-Chair sipping a cocktail until either its duration expires, or the Enhancement bonus goes away.

Fair assessment?

-Hyp.

 

[kreynolds]

We're not going to get anywhere with this, kreynolds, because we see overlapping as working in two completely different ways.

Yup.

As I understand it, your view is that while both effects are on the character, one of them is providing the Enhancement bonus, while the other lies back in its EZ-Chair sipping a cocktail until either its duration expires, or the Enhancement bonus goes away.

Fair assessment?

Aside from your snide remarks, yeah, basically. More to the point, either the spell works or it doesn't. If the spell isn't absorbing damage, then it isn't absorbing damage. It either does or it doesn't.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'm going to try one more analogy to explain my position.

Picture Protection from Elements as a Countermissile Battery, with a magazine of (say) 60 Countermissiles.

Resist Elements is a Battery with a magazine of 12 Countermissiles, that restock at the start of each round.

Any given point of fire damage is an incoming Missile.

And the PfE Battery and the RE Battery don't know about each other.

The evil sorcerer throws three 5-point Fire Orbs - which show up on scanners as three clusters of five incoming Missiles.

First cluster - PfE and RE each launch 5 Countermissiles.
Second cluster - PfE and RE each launch 5 Countermissiles.
Third cluster - RE launches its last 2 Countermissiles, and PfE fires off 5.

PfE has 45 Countermissiles left in its magazine; RE restocks at the start of the next round.

After a few rounds of combat, PfE is down to 5 Countermissiles.

The sorcerer launches another barrage.

PfE and RE both launch five Countermissiles at the first Orb - PfE expires.

RE takes out the second Orb.

But for the third Orb, with five incoming Missiles, RE has only 2 Countermissiles left. Three get through - the caster takes 3 points of Fire damage.

That's how I view overlapping.

Now Endure Elements, on the other hand, does know about Resist Elements - because the spell descriptions say so - but not PfE. So as long as Resist Elements is running, the gunners in the Endure Elements Battery can drink coffee and hang around on Yellow Alert.

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Aside from your snide remarks...

?

Unintentionally so, I assure you...

-Hyp.

 

[kreynolds]

Unintentionally so, I assure you...

I'll take your word for it.