Combining magic and items

[PhilHibbs]

One of the balancing elEments of sorcery is the restriction on combining spell effects. If one person casts Enhance STR on themselves then someone else cannot cast Enhance DEX on them. Exactly what spells can and cannot be combined is a little vague, though. My point here, though, is that this balance should be taken into account when considering magic items. In reading the Eberron PDF, there is a Ring of Wizardry that increases INT and POW by 6 each. As a GM you should consider whether this, or any other permanent item, should be compatible with other spells.

 

[Dan True]

One of the balancing elEments of sorcery is the restriction on combining spell effects. If one person casts Enhance STR on themselves then someone else cannot cast Enhance DEX on them. Exactly what spells can and cannot be combined is a little vague, though. My point here, though, is that this balance should be taken into account when considering magic items. In reading the Eberron PDF, there is a Ring of Wizardry that increases INT and POW by 6 each. As a GM you should consider whether this, or any other permanent item, should be compatible with other spells.

That ring is actually a powered-down version of a Ring from SpellCom.
But yes, I agree. In my campaign these would never be able to stack, but I guess it comes natural to me from my D&D years where it is explicitly stated.

If you allow different sources to add to the same element (AP, HP, Stats etc) then you open a world of evil evil possibilities if you have players that like to min-max.

- Dan

 

[Deleriad]

One of the balancing elEments of sorcery is the restriction on combining spell effects. If one person casts Enhance STR on themselves then someone else cannot cast Enhance DEX on them. Exactly what spells can and cannot be combined is a little vague, though.

I'm not entirely sure this is correct but I can see there is definitely ambiguity. My reading is that Enhance DEX is incompatible with Coordination as they both increase DEX but is compatible with, for example, Glamour as that increases CHA.

This is probably something that Loz or Pete need to decide.

Basically. Are the sorcery Enhance (Characteristic) spells *meant* to be incompatible with all spells that boost any characteristic? To give two concrete examples:

Is Enhance INT incompatible with Enhance POW?
Is Enhance DEX incompatible with Glamour?

 

[Dan True]

@Deleriad: I think PhilHibbs means between Sorcery and magic items. So:

If my character wear a Ring that permanently keeps me under the effect of Enhance(CON) - can the party's wizard then cast Enhance(CON) on me as well?

I am pretty sure Enhance(X) is not meant to be incompatible with Enhance(Y), as it is specifically stated that they are distinct spells.

- Dan

 

[Deleriad]

@Deleriad: I think PhilHibbs means between Sorcery and magic items. So:

If my character wear a Ring that permanently keeps me under the effect of Enhance(CON) - can the party's wizard then cast Enhance(CON) on me as well?

I am pretty sure Enhance(X) is not meant to be incompatible with Enhance(Y), as it is specifically stated that they are distinct spells.

- Dan

Well he does specifically say

If one person casts Enhance STR on themselves then someone else cannot cast Enhance DEX on them.

I agree that a ring of Enhance CON would be incompatible with another casting of Enhance CON or a casting of Vigour. Given that Spellcom explicitly has a ring of Enhance INT&POW I suspect that Enhances for different characteristics are indeed compatible. Probably worth while checking just in case.

 

[Dan True]

Well he does specifically say

If one person casts Enhance STR on themselves then someone else cannot cast Enhance DEX on them.

Ah, my mistake then.

I agree that a ring of Enhance CON would be incompatible with another casting of Enhance CON or a casting of Vigour. Given that Spellcom explicitly has a ring of Enhance INT&POW I suspect that Enhances for different characteristics are indeed compatible. Probably worth while checking just in case.

Yep, but it can differ greatly from setting to setting. Both Eberron and Wraith Recon are d2 settings - where the style of the setting allows for heroes to be buffed by many spells and items.
In Glorantha, one could argue that it should be limited - especially as many people think sorcery is very powerful anyway.

- Dan

 

[PhilHibbs]

Is Enhance INT incompatible with Enhance POW?

They are only compatible if they are cast at the same time by the same person as part of the same combined spellcasting.

Is Enhance DEX incompatible with Glamour?

Tricky one. I'd say... no. If Enhance CHA and Glamour are not compatible, and Enhance DEX and Enhance CHA are not compatible unless woven together in the same spell, then transitivity would imply that Enhance DEX and Glamour are also not compatible.

 

[Mixster]

Enhance (characteristic) directly says it is incompatible with any other characteristic boosting spell. That would mean common magic spells as well I guess.

Whether it's incompatible with itself can be argued, but at least we have RAI from Phil.

It doesn't directly state it is incompatible with magic items, but since magic items mimic spell, it would make sense to think it does.

 

[Oku]

Tricky one. I'd say... no. If Enhance CHA and Glamour are not compatible, and Enhance DEX and Enhance CHA are not compatible unless woven together in the same spell, then transitivity would imply that Enhance DEX and Glamour are also not compatible.

I think it's stat dependent... so Enhance INT and Enhance CHA are compatible as they are two different spells. But only one enhancing spell of given stat can be active at a time (the best one).