Racial bonuses stacking

[Asmodee18]

Hi there !
I've been building a gnome sorcerer (typical i know, but my last character was a gnome barbarian...) and I was changing my racial traits to get something that would fit the idea i had with the character, when I realized i had these racials bonuses: +2 saves vs illusion, +2 bonus vs fears, +2 bonus vs death effect.

How do I use these exactly, my DM wanted me to be 100% sure about it, even tough I was pretty sure they would stack together, according to the rule in the common terms: "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. Bonuses without a type always stack, unless they are from the same source."

Ex: If someone cast a phantasmal killer on me: It got the illusion part, the fear part and the death part, so it should give me +6.

Or as my DM think it might be used.

Ex: If someone cast the same spell I only benefit from my racial bonus once per roll since I take the highest bonus, so I'd only get +2.

[SorrySleeping]

You have to look at what the text says exactly.

Fey Fortitude gives a +2 RACIAL bonus against Death effects.
Illusion Resistance gives a +2 RACIAL bonus against Illusions.
Eternal Hope gives a +2 RACIAL bonus against feat and despair effects.

They are all the same bonus, so they don't stack. If you were to get a Luck Bonus to saves (Luck Stone), Resistance Bonus to saves (Cloak of Resistance), Morale/Competence/Circumstance Bonus to Saves (Spells), those will all stack.

[Lelomenia]

SorrySleeping wrote:

You have to look at what the text says exactly.

Fey Fortitude gives a +2 RACIAL bonus against Death effects.
Illusion Resistance gives a +2 RACIAL bonus against Illusions.
Eternal Hope gives a +2 RACIAL bonus against feat and despair effects.

They are all the same bonus, so they don't stack. If you were to get a Luck Bonus to saves (Luck Stone), Resistance Bonus to saves (Cloak of Resistance), Morale/Competence/Circumstance Bonus to Saves (Spells), those will all stack.

racial bonuses stack tho. The rules are weird (CRB page 201).

[Mysterious Stranger]

Actually phantasmal killer is not a death affect even though it kills you. A death affect is a specific game term that usually involves necromancy. It has the illusion and fear descriptors. That means you get a +4 bonus not a +6.

And Racial bonuses do stack.

[Valandil Ancalime]

They stack but Phantasmal killer doesn't seem to have a Death tag even if it can kill you. So would you get the bonus vs death effects?

Sneaky ninjas...

[Asmodee18]

Valandil Ancalime wrote:

They stack but Phantasmal killer doesn't seem to have a Death tag even if it can kill you. So would you get the bonus vs death effects?

Sneaky ninjas...

Ah yeah, I wrote that out of memory, I tought the spell had it, but yeah, no it does not. And i would still keep the racial trait, since it's what i wanted. My DM and i were arguing on the subject of stacking.

It confirm what I tought then, except for the exemple having a mistake.