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A player of mine was wondering if multiple sources of Acid Arrow stack with the Acid Arrow cast by another player to where it would do 4d4 damage on each players turn. I don't think it would but I thought I would get some feedback.
might not actually. It might fall under "Same effect at multiple strengths"
I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't each continue to do the damage that the spell description lays out. It isn't like trying to stack a Corrosive weapon with Deliquescent Gloves on a single attack. These spells required independent attack rolls.
But would their Acid Arrows stack with each other? Keep in mind they are not casting it each round in this scenario. They think their damage should stack with each other so that they can roll 4d4 on each of their turn and then continue stacking it like that.
But would their Acid Arrows stack with each other? Keep in mind they are not casting it each round in this scenario. They think their damage should stack with each other so that they can roll 4d4 on each of their turn and then continue stacking it like that.
So this is what you're asking:
Player 1 casts Acid Arrow.
Player 2 casts Acid Arrow.
On Player 1's turn, the enemy takes 4d4 points of damage.
On Player 2's turn, the enemy takes another 4d4 points of damage.
Should a theoretical Player 3 cast Acid Arrow, then the enemy would take 6d4 points of damage on each of Player 1's, Player 2's and Player 3's following turns.
Is that correct? If so, the answer is no. The enemy would only take 2d4 damage on each person's turn, no matter how many Acid Arrows were cast as the damage doesn't add together to increase each interval of damage taken.
Each acid arrow does 2d4 damage per round. Each acid arrow has its own duration. They are entirely independent of one another.
Example:
A level 6 wizard casts Acid Arrow on a target. It does 2d4 damage.
Second level 6 wizard casts Acid Arrow on the same target. It does 2d4 damage.
The first wizard casts Acid Arrow again. It does 2d4 damage. His previous arrow also does 2d4 damage.
The second wizard casts Acid Arrow again. It does 2d4 damage. His previous arrow also does 2d4 damage.
The first wizard casts Acid Arrow again. It does 2d4 damage. His previous arrow also does 2d4 damage. His original arrow does a further 2d4 damage, but then its duration expires - that means even if he keeps on casting the same spell, he can never do more than 6d4 damage on his round.
But would their Acid Arrows stack with each other? Keep in mind they are not casting it each round in this scenario. They think their damage should stack with each other so that they can roll 4d4 on each of their turn and then continue stacking it like that.
I think I see the confusion. They do stack, but what your players are proposing isn't stacking. Each spell only deals damage once a round on the turn of the person who cast it. Your players want the damage for all of the spells to be applied on every person's turn. That isn't stacking; its multiplying by the number of players and then stacking!
Here is an example of how it should work:
Abby, Bill, and Carmen are all 3rd level wizards. They see a troll walk out of a cave and head toward them, so all three decide to attack with Acid Arrow spells.
Round 1
- Abby goes first, she hits and rolls 2d4. The troll takes 7 hp in nasty, non-regenerating damage.
- Bill also hits so he rolls 2d4, and the troll takes another 5 hp in damage.
- Lastly Carmen's spell hits. She rolls 2d4, and the troll suffers yet another 6 hp in damage.
- The troll, having poor initiative, attacks last and slightly wounds Bill.
So by the end of the first round, the troll has suffered a total of 18 hp worth of damage. That is what stacking means: the individual damages add together. Not stacking would mean that once the first Arrow struck, the others would have no effect.
Round 2
- Abby is a 3rd level Wizard so her Acid Arrow from the last round still causes damage this round. Since it is Abby's turn, she only rolls for the damage from her own spell, not Bill's or Carmen's. They have to wait for their turns. She rolls 2d4 and the troll takes another 5 hp in damage. She attacks with her dagger but misses.
- Now Bill rolls 2d4 and his Acid Arrow spell kicks out another 3 hp of damage. He casts Magic Missile at the troll, wounding him even further.
- Carmen's Acid Arrow is also still active. Since it is her turn, she rolls 2d4. The Arrow deals 2 hp of damage.
- The troll (who, tragically, just wanted to offer these visitors some lemonade) is dead.
So this round, just like the last one, each Acid Arrow caused 2d4 in damage. The individual damages stack - in this case to 10 hp. Each person rolled for their own spell on their own turn. They didn't get to also roll for the other two spells, because that's not what stacking means.
I hope this helps.
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Also, each incidence faces resistance separately.
I think that's a reasonable use of 'stack' in terms of an ongoing damage effect. As in, "Bleed effects do not stack with each other unless they deal different kinds of damage."
When a caster has been hit by multiple Acid Arrows and subsequently attempts to cast a spell I wonder if folks generally call for a separate Concentration check for the continuous damage from each Acid Arrow or add all of the continuous damage for the round into one total and use a single Concentration check with a DC based on that total.
They don't roll the damage from the other casters acid arrow, only their own.
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When a caster has been hit by multiple Acid Arrows and subsequently attempts to cast a spell I wonder if folks generally call for a separate Concentration check for the continuous damage from each Acid Arrow or add all of the continuous damage for the round into one total and use a single Concentration check with a DC based on that total.
Depends. How would you handle that caster trying to cast a spell, but gets hit by a CL9 Magic Missile, which is 5x(1d4+1) damage each. Do they roll 5 concentration checks, one for each missile, or just one against the combined total damage from the 5 missiles?
Injury
If you take damage while trying to cast a spell, you must make a concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + the damage taken + the level of the spell you're casting. If you fail the check, you lose the spell without effect. The interrupting event strikes during spellcasting if it comes between the time you started and the time you complete a spell (for a spell with a casting time of 1 full round or more) or if it comes in response to your casting the spell (such as an attack of opportunity provoked by the spell or a contingent attack, such as a readied action).
If you are taking continuous damage, such as from an acid arrow or by standing in a lake of lava, half the damage is considered to take place while you are casting a spell. You must make a concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the damage that the continuous source last dealt + the level of the spell you're casting. If the last damage dealt was the last damage that the effect could deal, then the damage is over and does not distract you.
Well... it doesn't say 'attack' it just says 'damage'. So you would add all of the damage together before determining the DC of the check. So add up all the damage from the different acid arrows to total up the check; same as with magic missile.