Would you allow these items to stack?

I have an unarmed fighter. They now have access to two different items that give a +1 to unarmed strikes Eldritch Claw Tattoo and a homebrew +1 handwraps. Looking for opinions and rule arguments for yeah and nay on whether they stack or not.

Eldritch Claw Tattoo

Produced by a special needle, this magic tattoo depicts clawlike forms and other jagged shapes.

Tattoo Attunement. To attune to this item, you hold the needle to your skin where you want the tattoo to appear, pressing the needle there throughout the attunement process. When the attunement is complete, the needle turns into the ink that becomes the tattoo, which appears on the skin.

If your attunement to the tattoo ends, the tattoo vanishes, and the needle reappears in your space.

Magical Strikes. While the tattoo is on your skin, your unarmed strikes are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks, and you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes.

Eldritch Maul. As a bonus action, you can empower the tattoo for 1 minute. For the duration, each of your melee attacks with a weapon or an unarmed strike can reach a target up to 15 feet away from you, as inky tendrils launch toward the target. In addition, your melee attacks deal an extra 1d6 force damage on a hit. Once used, this bonus action can’t be used again until the next dawn.

+1 Hand wraps

Wondrous Item, Uncommon

While wearing these wraps, you have a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with your Unarmed Strikes. Those strikes deal your choice of Force damage or their normal damage type.

I think the relevant rule is from the PHB Wearing and Wielding Magic Items

Wearing and Wielding Items

Using a magic item’s properties might mean wearing or wielding it. A magic item meant to be worn must be donned in the intended fashion: boots go on feet, gloves on hands, hats and helmets on a head, and rings on a finger. Magic armor must be donned, a Shield strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders. A weapon must be held.

In most cases, a magic item that’s meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer.

Multiple Items of the Same Kind

You can’t wear more than one of certain magic items. You can’t normally wear more than one pair of footwear, one pair of gloves or gauntlets, one pair of bracers, one suit of armor, one item of headwear, or one cloak. The DM might make exceptions.

Paired Items

Items that come in pairs—such as boots, bracers, gauntlets, and gloves—impart their benefits only if both items of the pair are worn. For example, a character wearing a Boot of Striding and Springing on one foot and a Boot of Elvenkind on the other foot gains no benefit from either.

It seems like they should stack to me, as they are different, unpaired items. 

By RAW I can't see any reason why they wouldn't both work. But really the only one that can answer the question is the DM that gave you the homebrew item. I can't see getting a +2 to attack/dmg rolls breaking the game either (unless you are really low level) but I would ask if the wraps require attunement as that could possibly be an issue (but that is more an issue with the item).

This one is a little complicated, the question is, can you have multiple enchantment bonuses to attack and damage and that is not something really covered in the rules.

Both items say you a +1 bonus to attack, well nothing explicitly says these are separate bonuses and nothing says they aren't separate bonuses. So both of these interpretations could be considered correct (assuming a 1d8 martial arts die for a monk and a Dexterity modifier of +4)

a) 1d8 + 4 + 1

b) 1d8 + 4 + 1 + 1

For now, I'd go with what others have said and go with the latter (b) and assume we are talking separate bonuses, until some sage advice comes forth on the matter then it'll be on the DM at the table to rule which way it goes.

They stack because they're not the same item and they don't occupy mutually exclusive "slots" in the sense they're not both two-handed weapons for example. Bonuses of the same type from differently named items can stack. For example, using a +2 arrow with a +3 bow will give you an overall +5 bonus. This is no different.

With both that tattoo and the wraps you'd have +2 to attack and damage rolls by default, and if you activated the tattoo, you'd have +2 to attack rolls, and +2 + d6 force on damage rolls.

I agree they stack, but the wrap is for your typical range.  The tattoo is for up to 15 feet.

So is a target is not within the normal range, then they don't stack as the wrap has no range.

Quote from Character77006 >>

I agree they stack, but the wrap is for your typical range.  The tattoo is for up to 15 feet.

So is a target is not within the normal range, then they don't stack as the wrap has no range.

I don't agree with that, the bonus is to unarmed attacks, the 15 feet range is still usable by unarmed attack. As such they both work with it, further too this a Warrior of the Elements Monk could use Eldritch Maul and Elemental Attunement for a 25 feet range on their unarmed attacks, and you'd still get the attack/damage bonus benefits of the tattoo and wraps.

Quote from Character77006 >>

I agree they stack, but the wrap is for your typical range.  The tattoo is for up to 15 feet.

So is a target is not within the normal range, then they don't stack as the wrap has no range.

That's not how bonuses to attacks work. If effect A says "You get +1 to attack rolls and damage rolls made with unarmed strikes" and effect B says "your unarmed strikes have a reach of 15 feet", those aren't mutually exclusive. They both apply because nothing in either wording says they're mutually exclusive. The tattoo isn't giving you a new, different unarmed strike, it's upgrading your existing, default unarmed strike—the one also being upgraded by the wraps

Yes a would allow them to stack.

Quote from Davyd >>

They stack because they're not the same item and they don't occupy mutually exclusive "slots" in the sense they're not both two-handed weapons for example. Bonuses of the same type from differently named items can stack. For example, using a +2 arrow with a +3 bow will give you an overall +5 bonus. This is no different.

With both that tattoo and the wraps you'd have +2 to attack and damage rolls by default, and if you activated the tattoo, you'd have +2 to attack rolls, and +2 + d6 force on damage rolls.

 So this was my reluctance to allow them to stack, it seems the ruling on stacking a ranged weapon and ammo have changed. I'm used to the old way where they didn't.

Quote from _Amunsol_ >>

Quote from Davyd >>

They stack because they're not the same item and they don't occupy mutually exclusive "slots" in the sense they're not both two-handed weapons for example. Bonuses of the same type from differently named items can stack. For example, using a +2 arrow with a +3 bow will give you an overall +5 bonus. This is no different.

With both that tattoo and the wraps you'd have +2 to attack and damage rolls by default, and if you activated the tattoo, you'd have +2 to attack rolls, and +2 + d6 force on damage rolls.

 So this was my reluctance to allow them to stack, it seems the ruling on stacking a ranged weapon and ammo have changed. I'm used to the old way where they didn't.

 

 It hasn't changed, it's been that way this whole edition. Bonuses from differently named sources stack even if the bonuses are functionally identical.

RAW is that they would stack. Personally I don't permit stacking item bonuses to the same effect, as it can cause some major issues.

RAW it works. I am not sure I would allow it as it sets a bad precedent.. Like what if there are wraps +3 and a +3 tattoo, then boots of kicking etc. If I set the rule that they stack it can lead to some absurd results. I do not like it working for bows and arrows, but I can somewhat accept it as its a consumable. I suspect if it were to come up in my games I'd set some kind of maximum stack bonus, so you can never get more than a +3/+3 as that is where a single weapon caps out at. It is easier to come by a +1 and +2 than it is a +3 so it is still beneficial, just not as crazy.  If they had not built 5e like they did with such constrained math it would be one thing, old 3e/4e was built around stacking massive numbers. But I don't want the barbarian to start feeling like crap because they can't get stacked bonuses like the monk has. Then I have to design tattoo of the great axe and it just gets irritating. Personally as a DM I'd just make sure the player never bumped into the stacking items so I could avoid having to make a call, but oh well. 

Whether they would be a problem depends on what level they are issued and what is the cost to use them (such as attunement, which we do not know is relevant to the Homebrew item). If you as the DM think they are a problem, then don't give both. But giving both and then not allowing them to work RAW leaves a sour taste in my mouth. 

Quote from Erik_Soong >>

Whether they would be a problem depends on what level they are issued and what is the cost to use them (such as attunement, which we do not know is relevant to the Homebrew item). If you as the DM think they are a problem, then don't give both. But giving both and then not allowing them to work RAW leaves a sour taste in my mouth. 

I'd go with this, just don't give both, you can easily just not allow tattoos from Tasha's and it's job done. Just because it's printed in official material, doesn't mean you have to offer it at the table and those tattoos aren't balanced. A DM can decide which magic items they will and will not hand out, ultimately the magic items a DM let's players have, should be balanced.

Quote from wagnarokkr >>

Quote from Erik_Soong >>

But giving both and then not allowing them to work RAW leaves a sour taste in my mouth. 

This right here. It feels like the act of a DM who is more interested in being in control than in everyone having fun.

 I'm not sure one person being overpowered is in the interests of everyone having fun. It is best not to give people problem items in the first place, but sometimes a DM makes a mistake and they didn't realize how much item X would throw off the game. It is not controlling to try and resolve that with the best interests of everyone at the table instead of just one player. 

I've been persuaded that it stacks RAW. But that it does create a balance problem to allow it, ranged ammo is a consumable and there aren't any other weapon bonuses that stack as far as I'm aware (correct me if I'm wrong).

It came up in my game because its a high magic setting with magic items for sale. I purchased an Eldritch Claw Tattoo, maybe the DM forgot and included the wraps in a loot dump and mentioned that they were in there to me when we were discussing loot distribution. She ruled they wouldn't stack and I'm fine with that, it was my gut feeling that they shouldn't because it felt OP.

Quote from _Amunsol_ >>

I've been persuaded that it stacks RAW. But that it does create a balance problem to allow it, ranged ammo is a consumable and there aren't any other weapon bonuses that stack as far as I'm aware (correct me if I'm wrong).

It came up in my game because its a high magic setting with magic items for sale. I purchased an Eldritch Claw Tattoo, maybe the DM forgot and included the wraps in a loot dump and mentioned that they were in there to me when we were discussing loot distribution. She ruled they wouldn't stack and I'm fine with that, it was my gut feeling that they shouldn't because it felt OP.

 It doesn't really create a balance problem. If you give a player a belt of giant strength its bonus stacks with a weapon bonus. One extra to attack and damage only amounts to a .75 dpr boost for each attack with the Eldritch maul active. It's .58 without Eldritch maul. Even with a level 10 monk making 5 attacks that's only a 3.75 with Eldritch maul/ 2.88 without DPR boost. You can get a better level of DPR boost by being a Goliath and adding fire's burn once a turn if you're only making 1 attack. The dpr increase for the Goliath is higher the more attacks you make. That's hardly balance changing.

Edit: My math is off. I was doing it quick and dirty, but I went more in depth and corrected it in post 31. It still isn't a huge DPR boost.

Even if you consider them stacking to be op what about stacking armor bonuses. Is it a balance problem for +1 plate, a +1 shield, and a cloak of protection to stack for an AC of 23?

The interaction works RAW and is hardly balance shifting. I'd show your DM the math and rules and see if they'll reverse their decision. Often DMs are worried about power creep and reflexively say no but this is hardly that.

The effects of different spells add together while their durations overlap. In contrast, the effects of the same spell cast multiple times don’t combine. Instead, the most potent effect—such as the highest bonus—from those castings applies while their durations overlap. The most recent effect applies if the castings are equally potent and their durations overlap. For example, if two Clerics cast Bless on the same target, that target gains the spell’s benefit only once; the target doesn’t receive two bonus dice. But if the durations of the spells overlap, the effect continues until the duration of the second Bless ends.

I am going to say the same principle applies here even if it is not a spell per se.  In addition, there's Multiple Items of the Same Kind.

You can’t wear more than one of certain magic items. You can’t normally wear more than one pair of footwear, one pair of gloves or gauntlets, one pair of bracers, one suit of armor, one item of headwear, or one cloak. The DM might make exceptions.

These are not items that are both worn on the hands, but there are items that make your unarmed attacks +1 magic attacks.

Remember that there are +3 Wraps of Power which would give you +4 to attack and damage if you allowed this combo to stack. +2 to attacks and damage for any weapon or spell requires a Rare item and an uncommon items, or even two uncommon items, shouldn't invalidate that.

In effect, using both items (one requiring attunement, the other not), you get:

• +1 to attacks and damage (highest modifier from both items)
• You can always choose to deal the normal or force damage. (+1 Wraps of Unarmed Power)
• Eldritch Maul effect once per day. (Eldritch Claw Tattoo)

Since the Wraps do not require attunement, they might prevent the use of gloves, but otherwise don't restrict magic item use.

This is a balance and RAI argument, not a strict RAW argument.

Quote from MyDudeicus >>

Quote from wagnarokkr >>

Quote from Erik_Soong >>

But giving both and then not allowing them to work RAW leaves a sour taste in my mouth. 

This right here. It feels like the act of a DM who is more interested in being in control than in everyone having fun.

 I'm not sure one person being overpowered is in the interests of everyone having fun. It is best not to give people problem items in the first place, but sometimes a DM makes a mistake and they didn't realize how much item X would throw off the game. It is not controlling to try and resolve that with the best interests of everyone at the table instead of just one player. 

 Your solution to messing up as a DM is to sandbag the player? Can you think of no better solution?