Ability Damage, AoO, and Touch Spells

[Laptopdude]

I recently encountered a situation in which a Shadow was next to the party's sorcerer when she cast a spell (not casting defensively) and provoked an attack of opportunity. The Shadow succeeded in hitting her with its only melee attack, incorporeal touch +4 (1d6 Strength damage), and dealt 4 points of strength damage. My questions are as follows:

(1) Can the Shadow actually make an attack of opportunity using incorporeal touch?
(2) When a caster is hit by ability damage, or is under the effects of ability bleed, what kind of concentration check would they have to make to successfully cast a spell?
(3) Could a caster cast a melee touch spell (shocking grasp, for example), hold the charge, then use that to make an attack of opportunity?
(4) Also, does "holding the charge" require an action each round to continue "holding" it?

Thanks!
--Laptopdude--

 

[frankthedm]

1. Yes
2. Calculating like normal damage, or ongoing damage, for concentration checks seems the most logical way .
3. Yes.
4. No. Do note certain actions will ruin a held charge from a spell.

 

[Friend of the Dork]

I recently encountered a situation in which a Shadow was next to the party's sorcerer when she cast a spell (not casting defensively) and provoked an attack of opportunity. The Shadow succeeded in hitting her with its only melee attack, incorporeal touch +4 (1d6 Strength damage), and dealt 4 points of strength damage. My questions are as follows:

(1) Can the Shadow actually make an attack of opportunity using incorporeal touch?
(2) When a caster is hit by ability damage, or is under the effects of ability bleed, what kind of concentration check would they have to make to successfully cast a spell?
(3) Could a caster cast a melee touch spell (shocking grasp, for example), hold the charge, then use that to make an attack of opportunity?
(4) Also, does "holding the charge" require an action each round to continue "holding" it?

Thanks!
--Laptopdude--

1) Yes. it's his primary attack form and not counted as an unarmed attack.
2)No special rules for ability damage, so just use normal DC as use str damage as damage.
3)IMO yes, but I'm not sure the rules support AoO with touch spells. Using it does not provoke an AoO so it doesen't count as a normal unarmed attack though.
4)It requires no action, but any touch could discharge it.

 

[Laptopdude]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Those would have been my guesses as well. Although I'm sure at least one person will post in disagreement

Thanks for the help,
--Laptopdude--

 

[Glade Riven]

I would say holding a charge is a readied action.

 

[frankthedm]

I would say holding a charge is a readied action.

Where do you get that interpretation? HtC occurs by missing the touch attack granted by casting a Touch range spell or forgoing that attack.

Touch Spells in Combat...
Holding the Charge: If you don't discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, you can hold the charge indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates.