Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gagloo 11-13-07, 12:46 PM	I have a player who posed this question to me: If I have a character with Divine Spell Power (Complete Divine) and I have a Phylactery of Undead Turning (DMG) will these items stack when determining my caster level for the purposes of overcoming spell resistance? Personally I'm on the fence on this one. What do you all think?
Dheran 11-13-07, 01:00 PM	Yes, these stack together. The basic rules for stacking are here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#stacking). Here's the complete list of Modifier Types to which the basic stacking rules apply: Ability Modifier Alchemical Bonus Armor Bonus Circumstance Modifier Competence Modifier Deflection Bonus Dodge Bonus Enhancement Bonus Insight Bonus Luck Modifier Morale Modifier Natural Armor Bonus Profane Modifier Racial bonus Resistance Bonus Sacred Modifier Shield Bonus Size Modifier Note that Caster Level Bonus is not on this list, and thus the only restriction is that the bonuses to caster level must come from different sources to stack -- which they do.
risner 11-13-07, 01:32 PM	I have a player who posed this question to me: If I have a character with Divine Spell Power (Complete Divine) and I have a Phylactery of Undead Turning (DMG) will these items stack when determining my caster level for the purposes of overcoming spell resistance? Personally I'm on the fence on this one. What do you all think? They stack, since you make a standard Turning check. All bonuses (and the special +3) combine to give you the total.
gagloo 11-13-07, 02:42 PM	I kind of thought it would stack, but doesn't that go a long way to foiling spell resistance? Given the all the bonuses plus the potential for Greater Spell Penetration, the character would essentially have a +12 to their roll for overcoming spell resistance. Am I just reluctant because I'm being to tough on the players?
Dheran 11-13-07, 03:13 PM	I kind of thought it would stack, but doesn't that go a long way to foiling spell resistance? Given the all the bonuses plus the potential for Greater Spell Penetration, the character would essentially have a +12 to their roll for overcoming spell resistance. Am I just reluctant because I'm being to tough on the players? Please note how very limited this boost to overcome spell resistance is: it only applies to spells that turn undead, because that's all the Phylactery and the feat help with. Greater Spell Penetration is the only part of this that applies generally.
gagloo 11-13-07, 04:02 PM	Unfortunately, I don't think it is that limited. Divine Spell Power doesn't state that it only applies to undead: Divine Spell Power You can channel positive or negative energy to enhance your divine spellcasting ability. Prerequisite: Ability to turn or rebuke undead, able to cast 1st-level divine spells. Benefit: You can spend a turn or rebuke attempt as a free action and roll a turning check (with a special +3 bonus, plus any other modifiers you'd normally apply to your turning check). Treat the result of the turning check as a modifier to your caster level on the next divine spell you cast in that round. For example, if a cleric used this feat and rolled a 16 on his turning check, he would add a +2 bonus to his caster level for the next divine spell he casts in the round. Had he rolled an 8, he would instead apply a -1 penalty to his caster level for the next divine spell he cast in the round. If you don't cast a divine spell before your next turn, you lose the effect of the check result. This feat has no effect on your arcane spellcasting ability.
risner 11-13-07, 04:41 PM	Please note how very limited this boost to overcome spell resistance is: it only applies to spells that turn undead, because that's all the Phylactery and the feat help with. Greater Spell Penetration is the only part of this that applies generally. It isn't limited in any way, and most clerics can max out the turning check roll to be 19+ all the time, so the +3 you gain from the feat guarantees every spell you cast with this feat is at +4 effective caster level. This feat (for a cleric) is as good as Practice Spellcaster and will stack with Practiced Spellcaster.
gagloo 11-13-07, 04:49 PM	I looked over the player's character and, given the current scenario, I'm opting not to allow it. He has an 8th level cleric and when he hits 9th level he'll be able to cast two 15d6 Flamestrikes per day using this combination if I allow it. It's too much power for my campaign. Maybe it's legit and maybe not, but I'm not going to allow it. Thanks for the input everyone.
Beckettvampire 11-14-07, 01:21 AM	I personally would not worry about the Flamestriking to much. There are better spells they could have prepaired at that level, it only covers a 20ft diameter, which usually means hits one or two foes, and even though it does half divine damage and half fire, fire resistence and immunity are so common in monsters that your actually looking at more like 7 1/2 d6 and refl for half of that. Now a higher caster level on Heal means more HP, on buffs means they last longer and maybe do more, and dispels means they have a much better chance of doing something. Consider that your 9th cleric would have a 90% chance of greater dispelling a 9th casters spell. Take a good look at S.R.s for monsters twice his C.R. and basically don't roll a 1 (not literally but close). All in all, it's a good choice, and I don't think it's overpowered in general. If they make it game breaking, then up the odds a little and find the right groove for the party, or incorporate other things that nullify the ability. Golems and undead come to mind.
PhaedrusXY 11-14-07, 01:30 AM	Flamestrike is small cheese for this. Look at what happens if you use it with Holy Word. It doesn't just work for beating Spell Resistance, does it? If it did, it would be fine.
Beckettvampire 11-14-07, 11:29 PM	Actually with Holy Word, I see this as more a fix that a bad thing, as most of the time Holy Word is a high Level waste of a spell when you are fighting mostly monsters that have higher HD than you do.
PhaedrusXY 11-14-07, 11:53 PM	Holy Word is one of the most broken spells in the entire freakin' game precisely because it is either useless or an area affect insta-kill with no saving throw, depending on how much you cheese your caster level out. If you consider letting a spell kill everything with no save a "fix", you have some very strange ideas about balance...