Multiple Guidance Spells

[Ravingdork]

Guidance gives a one time +1 bonus to a single check made within one minute of casting the spell.

Casting the same spell over and over again typically does not stack, but otherwise all continue to function (which may matter in the case of dispelling).

If I cast guidance on myself 3 times before charging into the BBEG's lair, can I use it three times within the next minute? For example, going through the doorway triggers a trap. I choose to gain a +1 on my Reflex save. The BBEG wins initiative and hurls a death spell. I choose to gain a +1 on my Fortitude save. My turn comes around and I shoot an arrow at the BBEG, scoring a natural 20 and threatening a crit. I then choose to gain my final +1 bonus on the attack roll to confirm the crit.

Would this actually work? Or not? Obviously I could not put all the bonuses on a single check and expect them to stack, but would the above be plausible int he RAW?

[Callarek]

As you said, it won't stack on a single check, but, other than a minor verbiage quibble, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

The verbiage quibble: Activating the Guidances individually, not sure if they activate in the same way, or could be set to different activation "wavelengths".

Lots of effort for something with such a short duration (1 minute, flat), of course. And it wouldn't stack with anything else that gives a competence bonus, since that is how it is classified...

And there are better spells to cast during a pre-combat buff-up, if you have time to cast these three Guidances, you would have time to cast a Bless, Prayer and Haste...

[Sekret_One]

I think with multiple castings you just keep resetting that 1 minute window for it to use the effect.

[Laythe]

"...It (the creature in question) must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it applies...".

So from wording, I cast guidance, but that +1 hangs around unspecified until I choose the roll to apply it to. then it is specified and added to X roll.

Multiple casting would only rest the clock, as you haven't specified if its attack,save,skill and rolled.

You could cast and pre apply it to say skill, but if you cast it again it would reset and be unspecified again.

My interpretation

[ohako]

I know this is a thread necro, but what about an emissary familiar? You could just instruct it to cast guidance on you all the time, so you'd have one of the following at the start of combat

9 guidance effects, each with 1 round less of duration (you can't stack them, but you can use them all during a full attack, for instance).

or

1 guidance effect, with 10 rounds of duration.

so which one?