Rules clarification: Effect stacking

[Shallowmoore]

I cannot find this anywhere in the rulebook, so I wanted to ask:

Is it possible to expend two or more skills on the same attack to deliver multiple effects with one hit?

For example is it possible to deliver a damage multiplier to a pierce, thereby delivering multiple damage past armor?
If it is possible, is there a limit to the number of skills that can be consumed on a single attack?

Thank you

[Scott J (Staff)]

Good question, it is not tackled in the rulebook. The Crushing, Lethal and Piercing effects seem like modifiers crying out for another effect to pair it with. I know Ben originally intended those effects to be paired with others. Some effects are really just types of Damage, such as Chaos and Acid. As for stacking other effects, I think the spirit of effect rules right now say no.

[tarathielle]

I know there is a spell that stacks lethal and fire. But, I don't know if that's just a special case...

[Shallowmoore]

The precedent in my mind was the spell Tree Punch which combines Knockdown and 5 damage, or the addition of the "greater" call for spells. In my mind I think that there might be three reasonable solutions to this:

1) Do as you say, allow only one skill to be applied to one weapon strike at a time. Simple, effective, not confusing.
2) Allow only two skills or spells to be applied to one weapon strike. I foresee the easy way being that the skills themselves (pierce, crush, lethal, etc.) would be few in number and would call out the legal combinations in their description.
3) Allow two or more skills of spells to be combined in a single weapon strike with the use of a magic item, spell, or skill. I think that this would be my last choice as it could really get confusing.

This all being said the advantage of this would be a single strike could become quite deadly. At the same time it could be resisted quite easily, so the gamble would be on the player using the attacks.

Anyway, I think it's worth contemplating. As for me I will follow your clarifications and stick to one skill, one attack. Thank you!

[Scott J (Staff)]

We have a bunch of clarifications to make for Rules 2.1, so we'll be revisiting this topic.