Sorry to necro this thread, but where is the official source saying that temp hit points don't stack? I've been searching for a while now and am coming up dry.
Ya know...I couldn't find anything. Check Combat, Add'l Rules, Magic, and Glossary. Could not find one instance of anything saying Temp HP do not stack. The only thing is the normal bonus stacking language, which I do not think applies to temporary HP as it's not a typed bonus.
Only thing I can see is this:
"Combining Magic Effects
Spells or magical effects usually work as described, no matter how many other spells or magical effects happen to be operating in the same area or on the same recipient. Except in special cases, a spell does not affect the way another spell operates. Whenever a spell has a specific effect on other spells, the spell description explains that effect. Several other general rules apply when spells or magical effects operate in the same place:
Stacking Effects: 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.
Same Effect with Differing Results: The same spell can sometimes produce varying effects if applied to the same recipient more than once. Usually the last spell in the series trumps the others. None of the previous spells are actually removed or dispelled, but their effects become irrelevant while the final spell in the series lasts."
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Stacking Effects: 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).Same Effect with Differing Results: The same spell can sometimes produce varying effects if applied to the same recipient more than once. Usually the last spell in the series trumps the others. None of the previous spells are actually removed or dispelled, but their effects become irrelevant while the final spell in the series lasts."
These two sort of explain it in a roundabout way.
With False Life, say you roll 8hp and then 3hp. Is it 11hp? No.
The 3hp would be in effect, then you'd get hit for 4hp, and the "final" spell would expire, and the 8hp would come into immediate effect. So you'd have 7 temp hp left, right?
No - because they don't stack. You've taken 4 damage, and the second spell of 3hp is gone, so you have 4 temp hp left.
The easiest way to think of it is that only the highest applies as TriOmegaZero said.
Stacking Effects: 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).
Reading that, I imagine this is one of those "We didn't spell out something specifically in the rules (in this case, HP) because it's under something general already" and "We assumed common sense would tell people that's why we put a catch-all wording in." situations.
I cannot imagine, for example, vampric touch fully stacks with itself over and over. I don't know if I'd say game breaking, but it definitely seems... off of the general way the rules say to apply by default.
(That said, if someone proves how RAW it clearly does stack, you just made my Kensai Magus for an upcoming one-off game, with magical lineage vampric touch, VERY happy.)
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I'm pretty certain I read somewhere that temporary hit points DO stack.
Seems like Paizo hasn't answered this one yet, explicitly. But they have hinted at it in published material
But...they do have an encounter designed and published in Skulls and Shackles involving
SO, it certainly suggests in the tactics that temp hp from different sources stack.
One could even read the additional of the orders of the familier to use Vampiric Touch and the equipment of a Spell Tatoo of Vampiric Touch suggests that temporary HP even stack from the same source.
They don't stack. Not referencing rules, but just this possibility:
10th level summoner before entering the final boss' chambers, says "I'm using SM5 to summon 1d3+1 Lantern Archons. The 3 of them spend 10 rounds casting Aid on me over and over - 30d8+90 temporary hit points for the next 2-3 minutes. So instead of 74 hp, I've got... (Dice rolls)... 329. Ok! Let's go!"
"When the spell that summoned a creature ends and the creature disappears, all the spells it has cast expire."
"When the spell that summoned a creature ends and the creature disappears, all the spells it has cast expire."
Yeah, and the summoner's Archons would stick around 10 minutes, longer than the 3 minutes Aid would last
Different sources would stack imo. So virtue would add 1 temp hp to a Synthesists huge to hp and so on, but you wouldn't be able to stack multiple false life's.
My opinion anyways.
That only specifies that 1d8+10 is the maximum you can get from a single casting, in the same way that 1d8+5 is the maximum healing you can get from a single Cure Light Wounds. You can still cast CLW multiple times to get back more than 13HP.
(Not that I think it's a good idea to make temporary hit points from a single source stack.)
"When the spell that summoned a creature ends and the creature disappears, all the spells it has cast expire."Yeah, and the summoner's Archons would stick around 10 minutes, longer than the 3 minutes Aid would last
Oh, you were talking about the actual summoner class. Carry on then.
FAQing this thread. We always played that VT stacked, but I'd never considered doubling up on Aid.
Different sources stack, same sources only stack if they say so (e.g. silly Paladin spell that gives you temps when you hit something).
I swear that is recorded somewhere, other than the rules quoted above regarding stacking. Though that is all that is needed really.
Well Righteous Vigor is a super spell for martials that allows Temp hitpoints to a maximum of 20, ( Full attacking martials should be able to top this up every round). A Cruel weapon also gives Temp hitpoints every time a foe is knocked unconscious or killed. There is no limit on listed on the weapon special ability for Temp hitpoint stacking. The Lifesurge weapon special ability grants a bonus on temp hit points received from any source equal to the weapons enhancement bonus(which DOESNT stack for multiple sources, and no mention is made of multiple weapons...eg TWF).
For Martials in combat these spells/abilities in combat would, on stacking, act as very potent source of damage mitigation.
Hmm, on reflection, the Lifesurge weapon ability may answer the question as it gives a boost to temp hitpoints "from any source". This possibly being an implication that you can indeed have stacking.
It sounds like the Cruel ability would not stack with itself.
In 3.5 they definitely did [b]not[/i] stack, regardless of whether they were from different sources or not.
With that in mind Riggler's cite proves nothing. Having multiple sources of gaining temp hp is still very useful. Each time the temp hp are burned off the caster can simply gain more.
From what others have said it definitely could use clarification in Pathfinder, though.
One thing I'm thinking - If temp HP does stack regardless of source could one imagine how much HP a high level wizard/sorcerer could have by casting false life over and over again.
Personally I'd go with different sources stack.
Has there been any clarification on this issue?
Marking the OP as FAQ. I still think it's already in RAW (per Caiths 5th post and my 8th post here) (temp hp stack from multiple sources, as it isn't called out as a Type, but not from the same specific source (I.E. an individual spell), as the general rule is written catch-all. So no to say VT+VT, but yes to FL+VT), will admit though if it was spelled out definitively in 3.5 it would be cleaner if it were spelled out in PF the same way, to prevent this question being asked or people trying for hundreds- of-hitpoint illegal exploits.
Official Rules Response
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FAQ: http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fm#v5748eaic9r43
Temporary Hit Points: Do temporary hit point from the same source stack?
No. Generally, effects do not stack if they are from the same source (Core Rulebook page 208, Combining Magical Effects). Although temporary hit points are not a "bonus," the principle still applies.
This prevents a creature with energy drain (which grants the creature 5 temporary hit points when used) from draining an entire village of 100 people in order to gain 500 temporary hit points before the PCs arrive to fight it.
Temporary hit points from different sources (such as an aid spell, a use of energy drain, and a vampiric touch spell) still stack with each other.
Dotting for my GM!
yes
GMs who allow the kind of exploits you are mentioning via lantern archon aid bombs can just as easily use these to ruin your day. Anyone who tried to pull something like this at my table would die so fast you would be shamed from my game forever. Every source of THP has a fairly short duration, max being an hour for VT. And as a DM with many years under my belt in both society and home games this falls under that "don't try and break the game" rule. If you walk into an encounter with 329 THP I guarantee you're not getting any xp since the encounter wasn't a challenge. aside from that rock it.
The Cruel weapon ability grants 5 THP for 5 minutes if you kill an enemy with at least 1/2 your HD, so if you kill a 2nd enemy that fits and still have some of the originals why is it bad if you have more than 5thp?
Having a problem with 329thp? Just paralyze that character, drag them to the water barrel at the corner of any building in town and drown them in 3 rounds... who cares?
Temporary HP stacking should not even be an issue, because they come and go.
Temporary hit points from the same source do not stack, e.g. no benefiting from multiple False Life spells.
Temporary hit point from multiple sources do stack, e.g. the unchained barbarian can benefit from False Life while raging.
I've always had different sources stack. That false life + vamp touch is a pretty typical combo I've seen used at various stages.
Feel free to try to use stacking multiple temporary hitpoints to break the game, I can't imagine it not being sub-optimal compared to other options in most situations.
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Unfortunately the FAQ doesn't go far enough with stacking rules. I wish they would be a bit more specific. Like, do different arcane spells count as different sources? Does it basically come down to 1 divine source, 1 special ability, and 1 arcane source as being able to stack? Or are we saying that each class is a different source?
But this is what I've been able to dredge up, because the Life School Necromancer relies heavily on Temp HP spells.
The Paizo FAQ does say that temporary hit points stack if they come from different spells or effects.
It is specifically clarifying this line in Combining Magical Effects:
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).
The FAQ says that the first sentence applies to temporary hit points, but the second does not.