I am having trouble with stacking questions. To the point...would a Bugbear Ranger Hunter be able to use it's long reach plus Horde breaker together? 10 foot range?
"Horde Breaker. Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon."
Or how about a Bugbear Rogue with surprise attack damage? 2d6 surprise attack damage is a waste if you can not stack it, if you are a Bugbear Rogue. I hate the explanation that things do not stack. A Tortle Monk? If a Tortle has a natural AC because of its shell. Why can't a Monk Tortle have an even better AC? (I already got the answer to that one in a previous post.) I understand the threat of making a character too powerful but what is the point of some of the abilities. I also know that DM rules can apply. But half the fun in thinking up characters are these possibilities...but I am Lawful when it comes to DnD rules. I prefer clarity of rules over, possible taking advantage over rules. Thanks for any thoughts.
About the situation Bugbear Hunter Ranger, the answer is yes. The 5 feet condition is applied to the second target, not to the Ranger. So, IF the second target is within 5 feet of the first target AND IF this second target is within your weapon range, THEN the ranger can make an attack against this second target. The Bugbear long arm is not in conflict.
So goes for the Bugbear Rogue. There is nothing saying that the surprise attack feature and sneak attack are not allowed to stack, as long as the requirements for both are valid.
In general, damage and other things that rely on dice or measurements other than a d20 are stackable. d20 rolls (attack, ability, and saving throws) feature a limited number of bonuses (proficiency, ability, magic, and either advantage or disadvantage) because this game uses bounded accuracy. If a Tortle monk could stack its AC with Wis and Dex, for example, you could quickly end up with a 27 AC character that breaks the game's expectation for what a high AC is. Other than some limited cases like passive perception, it is by design very difficult to "break" d20 rolls in this game.
As Filcat said, things generally stack, unless they are from the same ability/spell/item. The wording in 5th is quite consistent in letting you know what can be done, as long as you do not make assumptions (i.e., read into what's not there; in 5th, what can or can't be done is always explicitly mentioned - if it's not, you fall back to the main rules). That means that a critical surprise sneak attack can really ruin someone's day.
About AC, the rule is a liiiitle more complicated, but you can still work it out with wording. AC calculations (things like the Monk's and the Barbarian's armor class calculations) do not stack. Their wording is "Your AC is [this and that]". You choose which one applies, and if you want an in-game explanation, it's that you're trained (or talented) in more than one ways of protecting yourself, which don't really overlap, and you choose which one you apply in a given situation; you can lean into the hit so it lands on your draconic, toughened skin, or you use your heightened perceptions to evade it, but you can't really do both. AC bonuses (like from Bracers of Defense), do stack.
I am having trouble with stacking questions. To the point...would a Bugbear Ranger Hunter be able to use it's long reach plus Horde breaker together? 10 foot range?
"Horde Breaker. Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon."
Or how about a Bugbear Rogue with surprise attack damage? 2d6 surprise attack damage is a waste if you can not stack it, if you are a Bugbear Rogue. I hate the explanation that things do not stack. A Tortle Monk? If a Tortle has a natural AC because of its shell. Why can't a Monk Tortle have an even better AC? (I already got the answer to that one in a previous post.) I understand the threat of making a character too powerful but what is the point of some of the abilities. I also know that DM rules can apply. But half the fun in thinking up characters are these possibilities...but I am Lawful when it comes to DnD rules. I prefer clarity of rules over, possible taking advantage over rules. Thanks for any thoughts.
About the situation Bugbear Hunter Ranger, the answer is yes. The 5 feet condition is applied to the second target, not to the Ranger. So, IF the second target is within 5 feet of the first target AND IF this second target is within your weapon range, THEN the ranger can make an attack against this second target. The Bugbear long arm is not in conflict.
So goes for the Bugbear Rogue. There is nothing saying that the surprise attack feature and sneak attack are not allowed to stack, as long as the requirements for both are valid.
In general, damage and other things that rely on dice or measurements other than a d20 are stackable. d20 rolls (attack, ability, and saving throws) feature a limited number of bonuses (proficiency, ability, magic, and either advantage or disadvantage) because this game uses bounded accuracy. If a Tortle monk could stack its AC with Wis and Dex, for example, you could quickly end up with a 27 AC character that breaks the game's expectation for what a high AC is. Other than some limited cases like passive perception, it is by design very difficult to "break" d20 rolls in this game.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
As Filcat said, things generally stack, unless they are from the same ability/spell/item. The wording in 5th is quite consistent in letting you know what can be done, as long as you do not make assumptions (i.e., read into what's not there; in 5th, what can or can't be done is always explicitly mentioned - if it's not, you fall back to the main rules). That means that a critical surprise sneak attack can really ruin someone's day.
About AC, the rule is a liiiitle more complicated, but you can still work it out with wording. AC calculations (things like the Monk's and the Barbarian's armor class calculations) do not stack. Their wording is "Your AC is [this and that]". You choose which one applies, and if you want an in-game explanation, it's that you're trained (or talented) in more than one ways of protecting yourself, which don't really overlap, and you choose which one you apply in a given situation; you can lean into the hit so it lands on your draconic, toughened skin, or you use your heightened perceptions to evade it, but you can't really do both. AC bonuses (like from Bracers of Defense), do stack.
This is why this site is so great. Love that you all reply so fast. Thank you!