Questions tagged [stacking]
For questions about whether multiple effects stack on the same target.
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When a creature is hit with more than one fireball simultaneously, do they take damage from all of them?
Say a creature walks through a door and triggers two spell glyphs from two glyph of warding spells that are programmed to cast a fireball at the creature that walks through the door. Both glyphs are ...
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If two Moonbeam spells are placed on a Large creature, does it take damage from both beams on its turn?
If two moonbeam spells are placed on different parts of a size Large (or larger creature), does it take damage from both beams on its turn?
Or is this subject to the rule on combining magical effects ...
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How are numerical bonuses combined?
Are there explicit rules for combining numerical bonuses in 5th edition, or is it just left implicitly to "common sense"? There are special cases (e.g. damage resistance and vulnerability, ...
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Does natural armor stack with unarmored defense?
In D&D 5E, does natural armor stack with Unarmored Defense? We have a level 2 player character who wild shaped into an animal. The player said they could stack its natural armor with Unarmored ...
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How do the Death Ward spell and the half-orc's Relentless Endurance racial trait interact?
What happens when you cast Death Ward on a half-orc? Do the effects of the spell and the half-orc's Relentless Endurance racial trait stack?
If so, and you get reduced to 0 HP more than once, can you ...
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Do you have advantage when multiple sources give advantage and only one gives disadvantage?
As I understand it:
if you have Advantage from two different sources, you simply have Advantage (no stacking)
if you have advantage from one source, and disadvantage from one source, they cancel out.
...
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How do two castings of Mirror Image interact when one starts losing illusory duplicates?
Inspired by this question: Can you cast Mirror Image twice on successive turns and have 6 duplicates of yourself instead of 3?
Mirror Image (PHB, pg. 260) says:
Three illusory duplicates of yourself ...
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Combining various AC-providing clothing and armor
Are there any rules for combining different clothing/armor for providing AC? For example, can an adventurer wear full plate and bracers and get the AC bonus from both? Can an adventurer wear a Cloak ...
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Can I repeatedly Awaken something in order to give it a variety of languages?
So, the Awaken spell must be cast on a beast or plant with int of 3 or less. For beasts, it has the following permanent effect: "The target gains an Intelligence of 10. The target also gains the ...
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Can a Torch shed bright light for 160ft?
The cantrip Control Flames has a list of effects it can do: four items, out of which two are instantaneous, and two are non-instantaneous. One of the non-instantaneous effects listed there is:
You ...
user27327
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Does the Spirit Guardians spell stack with multiple casters?
Recently played with a group, where 3 of their clerics would cast spirit guardians, claiming monsters in the area had to make 3 wisdom saves for 3d8 damage each, potentially adding up to 9d8 damage ...
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If I drop a bag containing 15 flasks of alchemist's fire on a giant and it hits, will it take 15d4 fire damage and so on?
While flying over a giant, I drop a bag containing 15 flasks of alchemist's fire and hit them. Will the giant take 15d4 fire damage and so on? Will the damage also be 15d4 for the following round?
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Do proficiencies with one thing from multiple different sources stack?
In D&D 5e it is possible for a character to receive proficiency in the same skill, tool, weapon and/or armor more than once via Class, Race, and/or Background.
Do any of these proficiencies ...
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Does the additional attack from the Gloom Stalker ranger's Dread Ambusher feature stack with Extra Attack?
The Gloom Stalker Ranger from Xanathar's Guide to Everything gets the Dread Ambusher feature at level 3, which says (pg. 42):
At the start of your first turn of each combat, you walking speed ...
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What happens when identical overlapping effects have their end-condition met?
The Dungeon Master's Guide errata (direct download) added the "Combining Game Effects" section which states (emphasis mine):
Different game features can affect a target at the same time. ...
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Does the Enlarge spell stack if it is cast multiple times?
Does the enlarge/reduce spell stack if it is cast multiple times?
In my campaign my character and party want to know if it is possible to cause our barbarian to become huge in size (two enlarge ...
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If a creature with a fly Speed of 30 ft. has the Fly spell cast upon it, does it now have a 90 ft. fly speed, or only 60 ft. total?
According to the wording of the fly spell:
You touch a willing creature. The target gains a flying speed of 60 feet for the duration. When the spell ends, the target falls if it is still aloft, ...
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If two Ensnaring Strikes affect the same target, does it have to make two saves to be unrestrained?
Say two Rangers shot the same target with ensnaring strike and the target failed its saves on both.
The PHB says the effects of the same spell cast multiple times don't combine such as two Clerics ...
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Can two mages cast Wall of Fire in the same place?
I've been playing D&D for a long time but I've never encountered this situation until now. If a party has a wizard and a sorceress who both know Wall of Fire, can they cast it in the same place? ...
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When a wizard with the War Caster feat carrying a shield casts the Shield spell, does the AC bonus stack?
Basically, if you are a wizard with the War Caster feat carrying a shield and you cast shield, do you get both the bonus of your physical shield (+2 AC) and the bonus from the spell shield (+5 AC)?
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Do Life Drain attacks from wights stack?
The wight has an attack called Life Drain:
Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution ...
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What happens when my aasimar Celestial warlock has overlapping class and racial features?
If you are an Aasimar warlock whose otherworldly patron is The Celestial, you will know the light cantrip from both race and class. Additionally, once you reach 6th level in warlock you will have ...
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Do resistances stack?
If a creature had resistance to spells, and then cast fire resistance on it, would it take only 1/4 damage from all fire spells?
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Does the Jump spell stack with the monk's Step of the Wind ki ability?
Inspired by this question, I wonder about the Monk feature (PHB p. 78):
Step of the Wind
... Your jump distance is doubled for the turn
And the jump spell (PHB p.254):
Jump
... the creature's jump ...
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What are all the ways that stacking resistance becomes immunity by RAW?
In this supplement for Rise of Tiamat, on page 4, the properties of the "dragon mask" magic items are described, including this property (bold emphasis mine):
Damage Absorption. You have ...
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Do the Rod of the Pact Keeper and Wand of the War Mage stack?
Can a warlock hold a +3 Rod of the Pact Keeper in one hand and a +3 Wand of the War Mage in the other and gain +6 on her spell attacks?
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Do Guidance and Bardic Inspiration bonus dice stack?
The feature/cantrip descriptions says nothing about their dice can not stack:
Bardic Inspiration
... use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of ...
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Does the Powerful Build trait stack with the benefit to carrying capacity from the Totem Warrior Barbarian's Aspect of the Beast (Bear) feature?
Does the Goliath's carrying capacity increase from its Powerful Build feature stack with the Barbarian's carrying capacity doubling from its Bear Totem feature? For example, would those two together ...
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Would this house-rule that treats advantage as a +1 to the roll instead (and disadvantage as -1) and allows them to stack be balanced?
I've been playing Open Legend RPG and I love that the Advantage in that game can be stacked. I love it when players try to strategize and stack as much advantage as possible.
I want to do this in D&...
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Can more than one instance of Bend Luck be applied to the same roll by multiple Wild Magic sorcerers?
Wild Magic sorcerers get the Bend Luck feature at 6th level (PHB, p. 103):
Starting at 6th level, you have the ability to twist fate using your wild magic. When another creature you can see makes ...
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Do bonuses stack if they come from 2 identical magic items that don't require attunement?
Do bonuses stack if they come from 2 identical magic items that don't require attunement? In particular using 2 transmuter stones with 2 different effects.What if both stones give 10 speed?
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Does the extra damage from Booming Blade stack if the spell is cast twice on the same target?
The booming blade spell (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, p. 142) says:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the ...
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Do the benefits of Oil of Sharpness stack with those of +X magic ammunition?
Do the benefits of oil of sharpness stack with those of +1/2/3 magic ammunition?
I'm really just curious whether these also stack as +X ammo does with a +3 bow, or if there's a point at which things ...
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Do caltrop penalties stack?
As an action, caltrops can be spread to cover a 5-foot-square area:
Any creature that enters the area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or stop moving and take 1 piercing damage. Until ...
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If you cast a spell with different effect options twice on the same creature, do multiple castings of the spell stack?
After researching into how spell effects stack, I find some ambiguity regarding certain spells that have multiple possible effects.
Notably, this answer regarding stacking spell effects contains ...
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Do multiple instances of the Extra Attack feature stack?
The WotC article Unearthed Arcana: Modifying Classes creates the "Favored Soul" sorcerous origin, which grants the the sorcerer the Extra Attack feature at level 6.
Say I made Favored Soul ...
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If I cast the Bestow Curse spell on myself, choosing the fourth curse, and then cast Life Transference, will I heal one creature for an extra 1d8?
The fourth option of the Bestow Curse spell (PHB, p. 218; emphasis mine) states:
[...] While the target is cursed, your attacks and spells deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target.
The Life ...
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Can you add the same modifier to damage rolls multiple times if they come from different sources?
A friend of mine is wanting to do a specific build and as far as I am aware you cannot apply a modifier multiple times in this way. Can someone confirm if this is a RAW legal tactic?
Scenario:
level ...
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Do features that allow you to add twice your proficiency bonus, under some other name, stack with Expertise?
Do features that allow you to add twice your proficiency bonus, under some other name, stack with Expertise?
For instance, dwarves' racial Stonecunning trait, with bards' Expertise as applied to ...
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Do the fighting styles 'Close Quarters Shooter' and 'Archery' Stack?
I am attempting to convert one of my characters from 3.5e to 5e.
In 3.5, my character was a level 15 Wood Elf character was 4 Rng / 5 Wiz / 3 Arcane Archer / 3 Order of the Bow Initiate.
For 5e I ...
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Do I need to use the Arcane Grimoire as a spellcasting focus to gain its bonuses?
The description of the arcane grimoire magic item states (TCE, p. 120; emphasis mine):
While you are holding this leather-bound book, you can use it as a
spellcasting focus for your wizard spells, ...
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Can two Cloud of Daggers be cast in the same area by different spell casters?
Quick overview of the situation, the party is 3rd level and the warlock and the bard can now both cast cloud of daggers. We were in a lizardfolk den and they saw us and came running down a 5-foot ...
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Does a Nabassu benefit from devouring multiple souls or just from the strongest creature it devours?
If a Nabassu (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes) were to use its Devour Soul feature:
A nabassu can eat the soul of a creature it has killed within the last hour, provided that creature is neither a ...
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Can a Hexblade warlock/Battle Master fighter use Armor of Hexes to make an attack miss, then use Riposte to attack after the enemy misses?
My DM allowed me to create a tabaxi warlock/fighter, taking three levels in Battle Master fighter before my character's nature of curiosity led me into a pact with the Hexblade warlock patron. I now ...
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Do Nightsticks stack with themselves?
The Nightstick is a magic item from Libris Mortis (p. 78) that gives anyone who owns one 4 extra turn/rebuke attempts per day. A number of builds use this item in conjunction with abilities that ...
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Do save bonuses stack from multiple magic items in AL?
I play in Adventurers League and have a character that has a +1 Ring of Protection, which gives +1 to AC and saves. I also have a Stone of Good Luck which gives a +1 to saves and ability checks.
If I ...
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Does a monk get cumulative bonuses to proficiency and unarmed movement each level?
As a monk levels up, the monk table says they get the following:
\begin{array}{|c|c|}
\hline
\textbf{Level} & \textbf{Proficiency Bonus} & \textbf{Martial Arts} & \textbf{Unarmored ...
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If two Lore Bards used the Cutting Words feature on an ability check or attack, would they stack?
Let's say the party had two Lore Bards, and both used Cutting Words on a creature who tried to attack.
Does that stack, since they are separate penalties and not enduring effects (like bless)? Or ...
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Can Plant Growth be repeatedly cast on the same area to exponentially increase the yield of harvests there (more than twice)?
I was looking into getting the spell Plant Growth because we work with some agrarian societies in our campaign.
If you cast the 8-hour version that enriches plants in a 1 mile radius to double their ...
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Does the vorpal/defender rune also give a +X attack/damage bonus to a Moonblade?
One of the randomly obtainable runes on a Moonblade (DMG, p. 217) is:
The moonblade functions as a vorpal sword.
A regular vorpal sword has a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls.
If you get the ...
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