Do circumstance bonuses stack?

[Trodax]

Simple question: do circumstance bonuses from different sources stack with each other?
For example, a Shemite Nomad gets a +2 circumstance bonus to Hide when in a desert for being a Shemite, and a +1 circumstance bonus to Hide when in a desert for being a Nomad. Do these bonuses stack?

In D&D, the rule is "circumstance bonuses stack with each other, unless they arise from essentially the same circumstance". I don't know if being used to living in the desert counts as "essentially the same circumstance".

How do you people play it? (So far, I've been ruling that they do not stack, but that was mostly because I wasn't aware of the D&D rule mentioned above.)

 

[Neeklus]

I'd say they stack in the case of the example you sited. The people of Hyboria are a diverse bunch who have each adapted themselves to their environments. The specific classes only enchance their natural abilities in my opinion and represents a greater understanding of their terrain. Remember not all Shemite's are nomads, and not all nomad's are Shemites.

 

[argo]

As you said, circumstance bonuses stack if the bonuses arise from different circumstances. In the example you gave the character should have a +3 circumstance bonus to Hide in the desert, +2 for being a Shemite and +1 for being a Nomad.

Hope that helps.

 

[Trodax]

OK, thanks guys!

 

[Bregales]

I was role-playing yesterday, so I just saw this post, but I agree with the other replies, that in your example they would stack. Good question.

 

[Sutek]

I think the general rule is named bonuses do not stack, but un-named ones do stack.

Because a circumstance bonus isn't actually defined where it says that that sort of bonus is warranted (ie. nothing specific is given - just "circumstance bonus") than they stack with one another as log as it's from a different source each time. This would be the case with other such un-named bonuses, but I can't think of any off hand.

A Bonus To Hit is a named bonus because it specifically says it only goes into effect in regards to a To Hit roll. Such bonuses wouldn't stack - you'd take the higher if multiple bonuses are available. A better example might be a REF save bonus. You might get a bonus from a couple of different sources, but only the better one gets applied - they don't stack.

I think...

 

[Trodax]

Thanks for your replies guys!

The answer makes sense to me. As I've been playing it up to now (ie. that circumstance bonuses don't stack) has slightly nerfed some race/class combinations because they've had overlapping abilities that they haven't been able to utilise (Shemite Nomads and Pictish Borderers, for example).

Reason why I've been doing it this way is that I thought the rule was "same-name bonuses never stack, with the only exception being dodge bonuses".
Now I see that it should actually be "...with the exception being dodge bonuses and some circumstance bonuses".

A Bonus To Hit is a named bonus because it specifically says it only goes into effect in regards to a To Hit roll. Such bonuses wouldn't stack - you'd take the higher if multiple bonuses are available. A better example might be a REF save bonus. You might get a bonus from a couple of different sources, but only the better one gets applied - they don't stack.

Nah, now you're mixing things up.
What you're talking about here is what the bonus applies to (for example "to hit", "to reflex saves", "to hide checks") and not what type of bonus it is (for example "circumstance bonus", "dodge bonus"). Its the type of bonus that determines if they stack or not.

For example, you could benefit from both a dodge bonus to Reflex saves and a resistance bonus to Reflex saves, because the bonuses are of differing types. If you on the other hand got two different resistance bonuses to Reflex save, they would not stack, and you could only use the highest of the two.

Unnamed bonuses are bonuses that don't have a specific type (and therefore always stack with everything else). For example, the Weapon Focus feat just gives you a "+1 bonus to hit". Thats an unnamed bonus.