See below for the rule in question. I'm wondering what happens if you activate Mind Barrier as a swift action on your turn and then activate it again as an immediate action on the enemy's intitiative. It's not exactly temporary hit points, so does it stack with itself?
Mind Barrier (Sp)
As a swift action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to create a shield of mental energy around you that protects you from harm. The shield prevents a total of 2 points of damage per occultist level you possess.
It lasts until the start of your next turn or until exhausted.
For example, if you are 5th level, the mind barrier protects you from 10 points of damage; if you are hit by an attack that would deal 12 points of damage, the mind barrier is exhausted and you take 2 points of damage. You can activate this ability as an immediate action, but doing so costs 2 points of mental focus instead of 1.
Temp HP from same source don't stack.
Temp HP from same source don't stack.
Very true. However, these are not Temp HP that we're talking about. It's "a shield of mental energy" that prevents damage.
If the previous Mind Barrier is not depleted at the time you take the immediate action to activate it again, I am pretty sure that you would just renew it to full strength. The general rule cited by Chess Pwn applies to a variety of bonuses and depletable resources, not just to temporary hit points.
If the previous Mind Barrier is not depleted at the time you take the immediate action to activate it again, I am pretty sure that you would just renew it to full strength. The general rule cited by Chess Pwn applies to a variety of bonuses and depletable resources, not just to temporary hit points.
You're referring to the "Stacking Effects" rules from the magic chapter? It is a spell-like ability, so that seems like a fair cop.
Follow-up question then. Suppose you're a 5th level occultist. You've got 10 points in your current Mind Barrier, and have just taken 20 damage. Can you allow your current Mind Barrier to absorb 10 points then reactivate the ability halfway through damage allocation in order to absorb the other 10?