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The descriptions for some skills list multiple conditions leading to a +2 synergy bonus, whereas other skills list multiple synergy bonuses, each with their own conditions.

For example, the description of the diplomacy skill implies you can only get a maximum bonus of +2, regardless of how many synergistic skills you have five or more ranks in. However, the Use Magic Device skill has multiple bullets that together seem to imply a maximum possible bonus of +4.

I have seen this issue brought up on forms previously, but never definitively answered. Some arguments involved whether or not synergy was a named bonus, the fact that it was not explicitly mentioned in the rules for stacking, and comments made by the game's designers which never officially made it into the rules. Is there anything definitive on the subject, or is this an issue best left up to DM Fiat?

minnmass
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Benjamin
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1 Answers1

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Yes, one skill check can benefit from multiple synergies.

The synergy system simply says:

It’s possible for a character to have two skills that work well together. In general, having 5 or more ranks in one skill gives the character a +2 bonus on skill checks with each of its synergistic skills, as noted in the skill description. In some cases, this bonus applies only to specific uses of the skill in question, and not to all checks.

Note that it says "bonus" and not "synergy bonus". Thus, the base assumption for synergy is that the bonus is untyped.

Further, both Diplomacy and Use Magic Device omit a type when discussing the bonus:

If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), or Sense Motive, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.

and

  • If you have 5 or more ranks in Spellcraft, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device checks related to scrolls.
  • If you have 5 or more ranks in Decipher Script, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device checks related to scrolls.

Bonus stacking says that:

In most cases, modifiers to a given check or roll stack (combine for a cumulative effect) if they come from different sources and have different types (or no type at all), but do not stack if they have the same type or come from the same source (such as the same spell cast twice in succession).

The synergy bonuses aren't labeled as a "synergy bonus" to the skill anywhere, so the question is whether the two various bonuses "come from different sources".

In the UMD case, this GM thinks it's pretty clear that "5 or more ranks in Spellcraft" and "5 or more ranks in Decipher Script" are different sources of a bonus (in-game: one is "well-trained in the art of magic" and the other is "well-trained in the art of figuring out what that chicken-scratch is trying to say").

In the Diplomacy case, it's a bit more I think it's pretty clear that they don't stack: the +2 comes from "5 or more ranks in Bluff, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), or Sense Motive". It could easily have been written to match UMD and potentially grant a +6 bonus if all of the synergies triggered, but it wasn't. That said, it's worth noting that the 3.5 FAQ disagrees with this interpretation, stating instead that those three sources of +2 bonuses are different sources and the character would get a +6 to diplomacy (the individual skill listings for Bluff, Knowledge, and Senses Motive do seem to support this interpretation, too), though the FAQ should be taken with a grain of salt. I would read the Diplomacy skill as authoritative and the other skills' synergy descriptions as reminders, but the "+6" reading isn't way out in left field or anything.

From a metagame perspective, I think the more restrictive interpretation of diplomacy's synergy is preferred. UMD is a powerful skill, but one that's relatively hard to boost and which requires significant investment. Diplomacy is fantastically powerful (if used ... right?), but it's (IME) easier to boost and its DCs tend to scale much slower than UMD's; getting an extra +2 or +4 from skills that a character who focuses in diplomacy is likely to take anyway feels just a little too potent.

minnmass
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    I don’t think it’s clear that the bonuses to Diplomacy don’t stack. The individual descriptions of the Bluff, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) and the Sense Motive skills all state that you get a bonus to Diplomacy - without mentioning any limitations (like: the bonus does not stack with any bonuses you might get from other skill synergy effects). Also, according to the FAQ, the bonuses do stack... – Peregrin Nov 04 '22 at 08:55
  • I'd completely forgotten the FAQ; good call. – minnmass Nov 04 '22 at 13:48
  • Huh, we had always played it as all 3 diplomacy ones stacking back in the day without a second thought. I'd give it a second thought if I had any intention of playing 3.5 again, which...I mean, why when there's Pathfinder :)? – Alan Nov 05 '22 at 05:06
  • There's so many ways to boost a skill that a mere +4 requiring 10 skill ranks of investment doesn't feel too overpowered to me, to be honest. I'd rather have a uniform treatment for simplicity -- given the marginal gain -- over opening the door to arguments about each and every skill potentially benefiting and whether that's OP or not... each time for a measly +2 or +4. – Matthieu M. Nov 07 '22 at 17:57