D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Manyjaws needs errata but has none - please advise

[aboyd]

Manyjaws requires concentration to maintain it. The PHB lists concentration as a standard action. So while concentrating on Manyjaws, a character could also move, but could not do other attacky things such as cast another spell. Yes?

With that in mind, "redirecting jaws is a standard action" is a problem. Any caster that ever redirected Manyjaws should have seen the spell immediately disappear.

You can't do two standard actions in one round. You are forced to either concentrate (standard) or redirect (standard). If you don't concentrate, you lose it. If you redirect, you cannot concentrate, and you lose it. If you do not redirect, the unused jaws are useless.

The only option is to keep concentrating, never redirect, and just write off the jaws that become useless.

Would someone please suggest a sensible DM ruling that reconciles the desires of the spell's author? He or she clearly did not intend for the two options of the spell to cancel each other out.

 

[Jack Simth]

Manyjaws requires concentration to maintain it. The PHB lists concentration as a standard action. So while concentrating on Manyjaws, a character could also move, but could not do other attacky things such as cast another spell. Yes?

With that in mind, "redirecting jaws is a standard action" is a problem. Any caster that ever redirected Manyjaws should have seen the spell immediately disappear.

You can't do two standard actions in one round. You are forced to either concentrate (standard) or redirect (standard). If you don't concentrate, you lose it. If you redirect, you cannot concentrate, and you lose it. If you do not redirect, the unused jaws are useless.

The only option is to keep concentrating, never redirect, and just write off the jaws that become useless.

Would someone please suggest a sensible DM ruling that reconciles the desires of the spell's author? He or she clearly did not intend for the two options of the spell to cancel each other out.

Sensible edit to fix the issue? Use the standard method of redirecting a spell - a move action. Yes, you need to concentrate to maintain the spell, but you can do that while walking away. If you redirect to another target, you have to really concentrate (standard and move actions).

Alt: Redirecting is part of the normal standard action concentration.

Alt: Pick up Sonorous Hum (Spell Compendium) to deal with it.

 

[Dandu]

Sensible edit to fix the issue? Use the standard method of redirecting a spell - a move action. Yes, you need to concentrate to maintain the spell, but you can do that while walking away. If you redirect to another target, you have to really concentrate (standard and move actions).

Alt: Redirecting is part of the normal standard action concentration.

The latter is probably RAW, but either fix works well.