Rules-as-written, if I have a bane weapon that has a bonus against evil outsiders and chaotic outsiders, I only get a +2/+2d6 bonus against chaotic evil outsiders. To me, it makes sense that a weapon that is magically enhanced to fight evil outsiders and chaotic outsiders should be especially strong against chaotic evil outsiders--if the player is going to devote money to creating a demon-slaying weapon, it really should excel at its duty.
Therefore, I think the bonuses should stack. Yay or nay?
Whether you agree or not, I beleive Sage Advice once answered with a "no, they dont stack".
Looking beyond that, I see one big thing in favor of letting them stack. Bonus type.
I can not, for the life of me, ever recall seeing a "bane" bonus. Even ranger favored enemy doesn't have such a descriptor. Since there is no specific "bane" bonus type, that means the bonus provided by the Bane property must therefor be typeless. And typeless bonuses stack. Thats where the logic of the rules takes me. Spirit of the rules? Hard to say. Both camps seem valid.
But I err on the side of cool, and I'd say that "Black Dedication, the cold iron warhammer forged to oppose the demonic forces of chaos and evil, and has passed through the hands of paladins and blackguards alike" is pretty freaking cool. A +1 cold iron warhammer against most things, but against an outsider with chaotic and evil subtypes, its now +5 and adds 4d6? Thats awesome. Entire adventures can revolve around this (relatively) weak +3 weapon. Demons fear it, slaad are annoyed by it, and even devils wouldn't mind seeing it dissapear. Anyone can use it, since it isn't holy/axiomatic. Very good stuff.
Precisely my thinking, and I agree that they don't stack per the rules as they are written. (Well, RAW, the enhancement bonus wouldn't stack but the damage technically would. Either way, that's something that I think needs fixing.)
I realize that the sage said they shouldn't stack, but I've seen plenty of items that combine bane bonuses in various products (though I can't recall if any of them were official WotC merchandise).
That being said, I allow it as a DM. Granted, this isn't a weapon type I'd give out lightly. Plus, if a paladin is going to get ahold of a famed weapon that is bane vs. chaotic and evil outsiders, he'd better realize he just had a big bullseye drawn on his chest, there will be demons gunning for him, and the rest of the PCs better be prepared to get caught in the crossfire...
True, I had forgetten the "enhancement" bonus part of the bane property. That is typed, and wouldn't stack.
But I like it if it does! Heck, I allow an undead and dragon bane weapon to stack on a dracolich. I don't have a problem with that at all. (Course, I'm fond of throwing out Unholy Toughness as the undead feat of choice, so fair is fair.)
Consider this: a Holy weapon actually radiates good, under detect spells. Which means, if fluff is at all considered, a big bad like a Balor can feel one of these things coming. Since Paladins usually aren't very sneaky, not that big of a deal, but the rest of the party probably doesn't like the idea of a Balor getting time to "prepare" for their arrival. Bane weapons, however, don't radiate anything other than magic, so they kind of slip under the radar of big bads like that.
Which brings to the next point. What does a person who's life is at risk hate more, the really powerful thing he can see coming, or the almost as powerful thing he can't? I could see a lot of conflicts arising from the movements of "double-bane" items like that, with the whole "and then it was not seen by mortal eyes for many years, until one day it resurfaced again, far from where it was last seen" thing happening.
The problem with the bane bonus is not that it is an enhancement bonus. Rather, it merely says that the enhancement bonus on the weapon is effectively +2 more. (See, there's a difference. And this is why I'm so nit-picky about mechanics.) When the chaotic bane applies, the +1 becomes a +3. When th evil bane applies, the +1 becomes a +3. But the +3 doesn't become a +5, although I think it should.
I agree with Psychic Robot. I'd let it all add up.
In my games I allow them to stack. Gives the fighters and rangers an enemy to square up against.
Plus fair is fair, bane vs humans and bane vs wizards, put those weapons in the hands of your rogues and let them tumble to the back ranks of the PCs to party.
Plus those racist cults get bane vs humans and bane vs orcs.
And let's face it; the evil guys are going to have bane vs law and bane vs good if they know a paladin is in the mix. Heck, if the party isn't careful, they'll run into the same weapons multiple times. And if you don't personalize them, the party won't even know it's happening.
Example: We ran into a +1 dagger named RabbitSlayer. We sold it. Next adventure, we found RabbitSlayer again. We sold it. Assassin? RabbitSlayer. Sold. I think it was the fourth or fifth time around when our bard identified it and found out that it had been augmented by one of the other owners. He threw it into the ocean. We joked later about finding it in the hands of a kuo-toa assassin, but stayed far away from the coastline.
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In any event, this sort of thing helps to explain why the mortal realm remains in the hands of mortals. I approve of letting the bonuses stack.
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/snip/ The issue that I would have is the frightening stack with Axiomatic and Holy weapons. A Holy Axiomatic Chaotic/Evil Outsider Bane weapon is pretty much the "I descend into the Abyss at level 10 and the gods of wickedness cry" sword.
except you wouldn't hit crap, but I love the imagery here...:)
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So I agree that Bane's enhancement bonus should stack with normal enhancement bonuses, but I don't agree that multiple Banes should stack with each other.
Thus:
- A +1 Evil Outsider Bane longsword should have +3 enhancement bonus to attack a demon and deal +2d6 damage.
- A +1 Evil Outsider Bane, Chaotic Outsider Bane longsword should have a +3 enhancement bonus to attack a demon and deal +2d6 damage (as opposed to +5 bonus and +4d6 damage)
- Either blade would do normal damage to a Human.
Do bane-holy stack?
I have always let them, but if so, does that not solve this problem?