Undead and Enervation

[Baramay]

After reading the enervation thread, I began to wonder. If an undead uses enervation to gain temporary hps, how many can it get? The spell states that undead gain 1d4*5 hps for one hour. Since the spell stacks, how many temporary hps could a vampire for example receive, given enough warning?

 

[Stalker0]

temporary HP do NOT stack, so you could never get more than 20 (1d4=4*5) from enervate

 

[MarkB]

More precisely, temporary HPs from the same source don't stack, so multiple castings of enervation won't stack with each other for this purpose.

 

[Hypersmurf]

It's interesting to compare the 3E and 3.5 FAQs on this question.

The 3.5 FAQ recommends that you keep track of the various 'pools' of temporary hit points. For example, if you have a False Life spell and an Aid spell cast on you, those temporary hit points will stack, because they go into separate pools. But if you have a second False Life spell cast on you, the THP it provides will overlap with any THP already in the 'False Life pool'.

It only gets more confusing once you start taking damage, or once spells start expiring!

The 3E FAQ, on the other hand, states that THP from the same source will stack, but THP from different sources (including separate instances of the same spell) will not. The example it gave was a Bodyfeeder weapon, which it allowed to stack; in 3.5, of course, the Bodyfeeder ability specifically notes that THP from multiple criticals with the weapon overlap with each other.

-Hyp.

 

[moritheil]

You appear to be confusing the stacking of negative levels mentioned in another thread with the stacking of temporary HP.

 

[Baramay]

Yes.