Stacking Bane Enhancements

[FireLance]

Would you allow the stacking of Bane enhancements, so that a Chaotic Outsider Bane, Evil Outsider Bane weapon would be +4 to hit and +4d6+4 to damage (in addition to other weapon properties) against a demon? Why or why not?

 

[green slime]

No, I'd not allow it, because the description of bane says:

A bane weapon excels at attacking one type or subtype of creature. Against its designated foe, its effective enhancement bonus is +2 better than its normal enhancement bonus.

Of course you could create an Axiomatic Holy weapon of Chaotic Outsider Bane,

That would be +2 to hit and +6d6 damage vs demons.

In general, I do not like the "Bane vs Chaotic/Good/Evil/Law outsiders" weapon enhancement because the categories are too broad, and it comes cheaper than the Axiomatic/Anarchaic/Holy/Unholy weapon enhancement, yet is better. Now if it were restricted to LG/LE/CE/CG outsiders, then I would be more comfortable with this pricing, and it would be pointless to stack as you suggested.

 

[Ottergame]

Since both give enchancement bonuses, even having a Bane Bane weapon wouldn't allow you to stack the bonuses.

 

[FireLance]

In general, I do not like the "Bane vs Chaotic/Good/Evil/Law outsiders" weapon enhancement because the categories are too broad, and it comes cheaper than the Axiomatic/Anarchaic/Holy/Unholy weapon enhancement, yet is better. Now if it were restricted to LG/LE/CE/CG outsiders, then I would be more comfortable with this pricing, and it would be pointless to stack as you suggested.

Fair point on the stacking of enhancement bonuses, but I would just like to add that I think bane is quite alright at +1 compared to the alignment qualities.

An Evil Outsider Bane weapon is +2 to hit and does +2d6+2 damage against evil outsiders for a +1 enhancement. A Holy weapons only does +2d6, but is also effective against evil aberrations, dragons, elementals, fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, undead, etc for a +2 enhancement. In addition, it penetrates DR x/Good. I think the balance is fine.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Since both give enchancement bonuses, even having a Bane Bane weapon wouldn't allow you to stack the bonuses.

Well, Bane doesn't provide an enhancement bonus. It provides an increase to an enhancement bonus.

If you have an ape (+3 natural armor bonus), give it an Amulet of Natural Armor +2 (increases natural armor bonus by 2) and cast Animal Growth (increases natural armor by 2), there's only one natural armor bonus involved: +7. There are no stacking issues, since only one of the three is actually a bonus.

So potentially, there's no stacking issue with multiple Banes, either...

-Hyp.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Well, Bane doesn't provide an enhancement bonus. It provides an increase to an enhancement bonus.

If you have an ape (+3 natural armor bonus), give it an Amulet of Natural Armor +2 (increases natural armor bonus by 2) and cast Animal Growth (increases natural armor by 2), there's only one natural armor bonus involved: +7. There are no stacking issues, since only one of the three is actually a bonus.

So potentially, there's no stacking issue with multiple Banes, either...

-Hyp.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[the Jester]

I'd allow you to have a weapon with multiple bane qualities, but only one would 'apply' against a given target. So if you had a weapon with bane vs. chaotic outsiders and bane vs. evil outsiders, it'd only add 2 to the enhancement bonus and 2d6 damage against a demon. My reasoning is that the bonuses come from the same source. (After all, you can't stack barkskin with itself, can you?)

 

[Camarath]

So potentially, there's no stacking issue with multiple Banes, either...

But with a Bane weapon the weapon's effective enhancement bonus is +2 better than its normal enhancement bonus. I would think that two Bane special abilities would both separately increase the weapon's effective enhancement bonus to +2 better than weapon's normal enhancement bonus. Unless one considers the effective enhancement bonus granted by one Bane ability to be the weapon's normal enhancement bonus from calculating the bonus of the second Bane ability I dont see how the effective enhancement bonus from multiple Bane abilities could ever be more than +2 better than the weapon's normal enhancement bonus.

On the other hand I see no reason why the extra damage would not stack since that is a normal unnamed bonus. I think that a Chaotic Outsider Bane, Evil Outsider Bane weapon would be +2 to hit and +4d6+2 to damage against a demon.