Damage stacking from same source?

[jseah]

A rules question came up from the Magic as Technology thread.

If we multiple uses of the same source, does damage stack?

I know bonuses don't stack, but does damage over time stack?

Like tossing multiple flasks of oil (1d3 per round for 2 rounds)
Multiple walls of fire with overlapping "heat" areas
multiple creeping cold spells

Or multiple casting of some duration spell that has some kind of damage over time? Like a buff with cold casting and that metamagic feat that adds cold damage to [Cold] spells.

[Curmudgeon]

Damage stacks unless there's something that explicitly says otherwise.

[Bagelz]

does fire get hotter if you put more wood on it?
first i'll assume dnd 3.x since you didn't specify

Damage stacks, effects don't (read zones and debuffs).
For example: spellA says you summon a cloud of cold, each round on your turn it deals X cold damage.

if two spellA's are active in the same area it deals 2X cold damage each round
Wall of fire is such a spell. it "sends forth waves of heat".


spellB says target creature gains coldfever. until cured target creature takes 1 cold dmg per round.
Two spellB's may mean you need to be cured twice. but you are still affected by cold fever and only take 1dmg per round.

[Tengu_temp]

I was always against the "if you throw a box of 10 Alchemist's Fires at someone, you'll deal 10d6 damage to them" idea. It's not RAW, doesn't make any sense, and leads to other ideas such as the infamous Dagger Broom.

[jseah]

Right, forgot to mention, this is 3.5.

Although I suppose the discussion could extend to 4th.

Well, that answers a few questions.

[jseah]

I was always against the "if you throw a box of 10 Alchemist's Fires at someone, you'll deal 10d6 damage to them" idea. It's not RAW, doesn't make any sense, and leads to other ideas such as the infamous Dagger Broom.

How is it not RAW? Is there a clause somewhere stating that alchemist's fire damage don't stack?

Conversely, is there a clause somewhere that states damage stacks unless otherwise noted?
Or something to that effect?

Although, a box of 10 alchemist fires might have problems breaking all of them.

[Tengu_temp]

How is it not RAW? Is there a clause somewhere stating that alchemist's fire damage don't stack?

By RAW, Alchemist's Fire is a ranged weapon (a splash weapon, to be exact). You can't throw more than one in a single attack, just like you can't throw more than one shuriken.

[jseah]

Ah, then that's a different question.
I'm not asking what counts as a ranged weapon.

What I'm asking is if say, we have a pit with 10 flasks of alchemist fire and someone falls in. The trap triggers and all 10 flasks shatter.

Does the damage stack?

**********************************

That is not quite right as direct damage always stacks, but what about the follow up damage?

On the round following a direct hit, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage. If desired, the target can use a full-round action to attempt to extinguish the flames before taking this additional damage.

Does he take an additional 10d6 damage?

And does it take 10 full rounds to put them out or 1 full round to put all of them out?

[Glyde]

I'd probably rule that every other flask counts towards that damage. Fire is fire, sure, but a lot of fire and being engulfed in it is different than some fire on your sleeve.