Ranged touch as melee touch?

gnfnrf · Jan 22, 2008

A friend I game with, who has very good command of the rules, claims that spells which involve a ranged touch attack to hit (such as rays and energy missile effects) can be cast with a melee touch attack instead. However, he was unable to provide a reference supporting this rule, and I can't find one either.

Is he mistaken, or is this nugget tucked away somewhere?

--
gnfnrf

Pinotage · Jan 22, 2008

Most ranged touch spells are rays, and rays are used as if they were ranged weapons. Since you can't generally use a ranged weapon in melee, you can't use a ray as a melee touch attack. There are other ranged touch spells like the various orb spells that specify that the spell allows you to shoot forth an orb - that's a ranged attack, however you look at it. There are specific spells like Produce Flame that can be used as both melee and ranged touch attacks, but in general I don't think ranged touch spells can be used in melee.

Pinotage

javcs · Jan 22, 2008

No, you can use it against an adjacent target. You just run the risk of having it disrupted on the Attack of Opportunity.

There is nothing in the rules to prevent you from making a ranged attack against an adjacent target. You simply provoke an AoO, which, most ranged people tend to prefer to avoid.

werk · Jan 22, 2008

javcs said:
No, you can use it against an adjacent target. You just run the risk of having it disrupted on the Attack of Opportunity.

There is nothing in the rules to prevent you from making a ranged attack against an adjacent target. You simply provoke an AoO, which, most ranged people tend to prefer to avoid.

Right, but that's not a melee touch attack, that's still a ranged attack.

I'm also not finding this in the rules, your friend may be remembering some of the class abilities and feats that let you change a melee touch to a ranged touch? Warlock's hideous blow also comes to mind.

frankthedm · Jan 22, 2008

gnfnrf said:
Is he mistaken...?

Yes, he is mistaken. You must use dex to hit with a ray. Miss with a ray and it is gone, no chance to Hold The Charge if you miss.

Arkhandus · Jan 22, 2008

No, you cannot change the range a spell from a ranged touch attack to a melee touch attack. There is no such rule.

You can, however, cast a touch spell as a ranged touch attack out to 30 feet or so, if you take the Reach Spell metamagic feat (I think it was reprinted in Complete Divine for 3.5; it originates in 3.0's Defenders of the Faith). IIRC, it increases the spell level of the slot needed by 1, though.

Ranged touch as melee touch?

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