Official Ruling- multiple False Lifes?

[UltimaGabe]

I've been wondering for quite some time... is there an official ruling on whether or not a character could theoretically cast False Life on himself several times for lots of Temporary Hit Points? I know a lot of people say "multiple effects from the same source never stack", but that's definitely not the case with other spells that affect your hit points. Anyone know of an official ruling?

 

[Pielorinho]

Ultima, most other spells that affect your hit points are instantaneous: once your hp total is adjusted, the spell is over and done with, and any subsequent effect is like a whole new effect.

You do raise an interesting question, though: what happens in the case of multiple, say, walls of fire in the same area? These are ongoing effects that adjust HP on anyone within them; I'd be strongly inclined to say that they don't stack, that you only take the greater amount of damage from one wall or the other. (If you wanted to get persnickety, you'd roll damage for both walls and apply the greater).

But False Life is an ongoing effect; you can only benefit from one copy of it at a time.

Daniel

 

[DarkMaster]

Ultima, most other spells that affect your hit points are instantaneous: once your hp total is adjusted, the spell is over and done with, and any subsequent effect is like a whole new effect.

You do raise an interesting question, though: what happens in the case of multiple, say, walls of fire in the same area? These are ongoing effects that adjust HP on anyone within them; I'd be strongly inclined to say that they don't stack, that you only take the greater amount of damage from one wall or the other. (If you wanted to get persnickety, you'd roll damage for both walls and apply the greater).

But False Life is an ongoing effect; you can only benefit from one copy of it at a time.

Daniel

Wall of fire damage don't stack. And you should roll damage for both and apply the greater

 

[Quidam]

vigor

Why is it then that every psionic build I see mentioned uses stacked vigors? Does it explicitly say that it stacks in the power description? And if so, why for vigor and not for false life?

 

[Dracomeander]

Augmenting not Stacking

Why is it then that every psionic build I see mentioned uses stacked vigors? Does it explicitly say that it stacks in the power description? And if so, why for vigor and not for false life?

Vigor does not stack with itself, but it is augmentable. That is, separate applications of Vigor simply replace the previous application. However, being augmentable, you are allowed to spend extra points on a single application to grant a greater number of temporary hp. Just one of the areas where the psionic ability is more versatile than the magic one.

 

[3d6]

The best I could find for an offical ruling is from the 3.0 Main FAQ:

In general, any effect that allows you to gain temporary hit points over time allows you to stack those points, but only those points. For example, if you use the vampiric touch spell, the temporary hit points you gain from that particular casting of the spell stack. They don’t stack with the temporary hit points you get from an aid spell, nor would the effects of two vampiric touch or aid spells stack. If you were to use two body feeder weapons (or two mind feeder weapons), you could not stack the temporary points from the two weapons.

 

[Thanee]

Temporary hit points do not stack (body feeder is the sole exception, I think).

Bye
Thanee

 

[xazil]

Temporary hit points do not stack (body feeder is the sole exception, I think).

Bye
Thanee

Actually the body feeder doesn't stack, its an example of overlap.

From the SRD -
Bodyfeeder: All feeder weapons have a special ability that functions only upon scoring a successful critical hit. A bodyfeeder weapon grants its wielder temporary hit points equal to the total damage dealt by a successful critical hit. These temporary hit points last for 10 minutes. Thus, if the wielder of a bodyfeeder weapon successfully scores a critical hit while the wielder still enjoys temporary hit points from a previous critical hit, the wielder gains only the better of the two values: either his current number of temporary hit points, or the new influx of temporary hit points, whichever is higher.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually the body feeder doesn't stack, its an example of overlap.

Did it say that in 3E, though? The SRD version is 3.5, isn't it? And the FAQ answer quoted was from 3E...

-Hyp.

 

[ForceUser]

Hi, I answered my own question. I have nothing further to contribute.