Drows' Special Abilities

[ptolemy18]

Hello everybody,

Looking in the Monster Manual 3.5, I see that Drow have a +2 on all Will saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.

Since the Drows' special abilities are "in addition" to the normal Elf abilities, does this +2 stack with the normal Elf +2 on Will saving throws against enchantments? Or not?

Thanks,

Jason

 

[ThirdWizard]

They're both racial bonuses, so no, they would not stack.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Actually, racial bonuses do stack, don't they?

 

[UltimaGabe]

No, racial bonuses don't stack. However, it's never an issue- because no race gives two racial bonuses to the same thing, and as it's impossible to change your race without losing your racial bonuses, there's no way to get more than one racial bonus to the same thing.

In other words, no, the +2 vs. spells doesn't stack, because it's the same bonus, just printed twice. If it stacked, it would be mentioned as such.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Ahah!

I am right! I am t3h win!

Bonus Types: Usually, a bonus has a type that indicates how the spell grants the bonus. The important aspect of bonus types is that two bonuses of the same type don’t generally stack. With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the better bonus works (see Combining Magical Effects, below). The same principle applies to penalties—a character taking two or more penalties of the same type applies only the worst one.

Hah hah! Glad I looked it up.

 

[MichaelH]

Ahah!

I am right! I am t3h win!



Hah hah! Glad I looked it up.

Interesting. The passage in the DMG on pg. 21 leaves out the section of the sentence refering to racial bonuses. I have always assumed based on this page in the DMG that racial bonuses do not stack. Is this SRD passage found in any of the core books and I just missed it?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

You got me, MichaelH. No books at work ...

It's possible that the SRD text is a mis-typed carry-over from 3.0, but:

Bonus Types: Many spells give their subjects bonuses on ability scores, Armor Class, attacks, and other attributes. Each bonus has a type that indicates how the spell grants the bonus. Two bonuses of the same type don't generally stack. With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and bonuses granted by a suit of armor and a shield used in conjunction by a creature, only the better bonus works. The same principle applies to penalties — a character suffering two or more penalties of the same type applies only the worst one.

the racial text does not appear there.

Are you perhaps using the 3.0 DMG?

 

[ptolemy18]

You got me, MichaelH. No books at work ...

It's possible that the SRD text is a mis-typed carry-over from 3.0, but:
the racial text does not appear there.

Are you perhaps using the 3.0 DMG?

I'm running a 3.5 game... lemme know what you guys decide...

Jason

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Wow, it looks like Drow might actually get a +4 to Spells and Spell-like Abilities.

Wow...

But I suppose its not that unbelievable from the more recent drow visions (ala Drizzt). Those drow to brush spells off them without too much trouble.

 

[Darkness]

Wow, it looks like Drow might actually get a +4 to Spells and Spell-like Abilities.

Wow...

After Spell Resistance, for that matter. Drow are teh h4rdc0r3.