Stacking Racial Perception Bonuses

[Puck Norris]

Yes, this is a thread about multi-racing. GTFO if you don't like half-dragon half-pit-fiends. They're adorable and they need love too ok? OK.

If I have a creature that has a +4 perception bonus (racial) and add a template that gives another +2 (also racial, but this time from the template) I would argue that they stack, because even though both are typed the same "racial" type, the indirect reference that's being made is that they are two completely different races, so even though semantically the bonuses won't stack, mechanically and logically they should.

What are your thoughts?

PS: Don't ask me where these babies come from. You won't like the answer. We shall never speak of this again.

[Ughbash]

If the Template and the Race both specify RACIAL bonus then they would not stack.

If the template said it gives you a +2 to perception but does not specify it as a racial bonus it is an untyped bonus and stacks.

For example Half Dragon from Bestiary gives a +8 str, a +6 con, a +2 Int and a +2 Cha. These are not listed as RACIAL bonuses so they stack with for example a Gnome.

FOr skills however a Gnome gets a +2 Racial bonus to perception so if the Half Dragon got a +4 Racial perception bonus (it doesn't) then it would take the greater of the two.

[Cheapy]

Bonus Types wrote:

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).

Racial bonuses stack.

[Ughbash]

Cheapy wrote:

Bonus Types wrote:

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).

Racial bonuses stack.

Damn, Cheapy is correct I was wrong :(

They Stack.