Hello again :) I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Weekend!
I've got another question I'd love some "Guidance" on. ^_~
So, at 4th level a Summoner gets the Extraordinary Ability known as Shield Ally.
"Extraordinary abilities are unusual abilities that do not rely on magic to function. They are not something that just anyone can do or even learn to do without extensive training. Effects or areas that suppress or negate magic have no effect on extraordinary abilities."
"Whenever a summoner is within his eidolon’s reach, the summoner receives a +2 shield bonus to his Armor Class and a +2 circumstance bonus on his saving throws. This bonus does not apply if the eidolon is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious."
That being said, here's some things that I need clarification on...
1. Though I'm pretty sure about it, would an Eidolon with a "reach" evolution be able to grant the summoner this bonus as long as the summoner were "in reach"?
2. I use the spell "Shield" a lot since I can't carry a shield, so would this bonus stack with it? Shield Ally is not based on magic...so technically it WOULD??? Since the buff is from a different source?
3. I plan on getting a Cloak of Resistance +3 in the near future. Would the +2 Circumstance bonus also stack with the Cloak's +3 Resistance bonus? The bonuses are listed differently (Circumstance/Resistance) but affect all the same Saving Throws. Which just made me wonder...do these bonuses also stack with the Cantrip "Resistance"?
(Also, I'm assuming the ruling is the same for Greater Shield Ally (Su) at 12th level?)
Thanks SO MUCH!
~Stephanie
Oh, and one more thing...does Protection from Evil stack with Resistance and the like?
1. Yes.
2. Shield Ally specifically states the type of bonus the effects provide. A +2 shield bonus to AC, and a +2 circumstance bonus to saves. That means the AC-bonus doesn't stack with other shield bonuses, while the save-bonus doesn't stack with other circumstance bonuses. Since the shield spell also grants a shield bonus, the two effects don't stack, and only the highest bonus is used.
(The rules regarding different sources only matter for bonuses that don't specify the type of bonus.)
3. The cloak stacks with Shield Ally, since the bonus granted is of a different type. The resistance spell stacks with Shield Ally, but not with the cloak.
4. The protection from evil spell grants a deflection bonus to AC, so it stacks with either of the two other effects. It grants a resistance bonus to saves, so it doesn't stack with the cloak, but does stack with Shield Ally.
Dodge bonuses stack with other dodge bonuses, but they're the only type of bonus that does this, IIRC.
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I don't have any material in front of me at the moment, so I'm not quite sure of the exact details, but generally speaking, bonuses of the same type do not stack. There are very limited exceptions to this.
I do know that shield bonuses do not stack, but I'm not sure if circumstance bonuses do or not (I'm leaning towards not). It doesn't matter what the source of the bonus is, it only matters what type the bonus is. So both bonuses occur simultaneously, though the character only receives the higher bonus for the duration of that bonus, and once that one expires, the character can then use the other bonus (assuming its duration hasn't already run out).
I'm not sure about the eidolon's reach and how it applies to the bonus.
EDIT: Curses! Ninja'd by Are.
EDIT2: Grammar.
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And for completeness, here are the rules from the PRD:
Usually, a bonus has a type that indicates how the spell grants the bonus. The important aspect of bonus types is that two bonuses of the same type don't generally stack. With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the better bonus of a given type works (see Combining Magical Effects). The same principle applies to penalties—a character taking two or more penalties of the same type applies only the worst one, although most penalties have no type and thus always stack. Bonuses without a type always stack, unless they are from the same source.
To slightly correct what Are mentioned above: dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses (it would be specifically called out if it didn't apply), and racial bonuses stack with themselves.
Spells that provide bonuses or penalties on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and other attributes usually do not stack with themselves. More generally, two bonuses of the same type don't stack even if they come from different spells (or from effects other than spells; see Bonus Types, above).
Different Bonus Types: The bonuses or penalties from two different spells stack if the modifiers are of different types. A bonus that doesn't have a type stacks with any bonus.
Same Effect More than Once in Different Strengths: In cases when two or more identical spells are operating in the same area or on the same target, but at different strengths, only the one with the highest strength applies.
Hope this helps you out!
Awesome, thanks that all makes sense.
Rock on.