Overlapping

[szilard]

Okay - a number of effects and such in the D20 rules note that they "do not stack, they overlap."

How does this work?

For instance, Spell Resistance overlaps. Say that I have SR 20 from an item and I acquire another item (or whatever) that provides SR 19. They don't stack. Fine. What does overlapping mean in this case, though? If someone casts a spell at me, do they have to check separately against the two sources of SR?

-Stuart

 

[Masquerade]

Put simply, you take only the larger of the two values.

 

[szilard]

Put simply, you take only the larger of the two values.

That was my guess - but the term "overlap" is rather ambiguous and I couldn't find an explanation anywhere.

-Stuart

 

[Infiniti2000]

Okay - a number of effects and such in the D20 rules note that they "do not stack, they overlap."

How does this work?

The definition on "overlap" is:

overlap
Coexist with another effect or modifier in the same area or on the same target. Bonuses that do not stack with each other overlap instead, such that only the largest bonus provides its benefit.

In addition, the section on Basics says this, albeit with respect to Modifiers:

If the modifiers to a particular roll do not stack, only the best bonus and worst penalty applies.