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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FatherTome" data-source="post: 3655371" data-attributes="member: 50815">Perhaps I'm not understanding the confusion here.When you cast Shocking Grasp, if the opponent is wearing metal armor you get a +3 on your attack roll to hit them. I'll even quote from the SRD: "When delivering the jolt, you gain a +3 bonus on attack rolls if the opponent is wearing metal armor (or made out of metal, carrying a lot of metal, or the like)."Posting something new? Where is there room for argument? You gain a +3 when you're casting the spell normally, you still get a +3 when delivering it via unarmed strike, and you STILL get the +3 via a Duskblade's Arcane Strike because none of these abilities supersede this section of the spell.If the argument is, "well, the spell says melee touch attack", I don't believe there is anything I can say to address their arguments because they are choosing to ignore the RAW which already provides for touch spells to be delivered via unarmed strikes against the target's normal AC rather than their touch AC - the spells are unchanged. Again: If you accept that a shocking grasp delievered via unarmed strike gets the +3 against an opponent wearing metal armor - which is the position the RAW takes - then the argument against is meritless.In short, This Is The Way It Works In The RAW. You can invoke Rule Zero and run it differently - and you have every right to, but arguing against something clearly stated in the RAW just seems a little... odd.As for weaponlike spells delivered through a melee weapon and criticals, give me a minute here...."...any touch spell you know and deliver the spell through your weapon with a melee attack." (PHB II, 20)Simple way:When you are delivering a touch spell as a melee touch attack, it threatens on a roll of 20 and has a critical multiplier of x2 (note that only damage is multiplied - this includes ability damage, but not ability penalties). If you take the Improved Critical feat, the threat range increases to 19-20. When you are delivering a touch spell as an unarmed strike, the same rule applies - if you have improved critical (unarmed strike), your threat range increases to 19-20 and your unarmed strike damage AND your weaponlike spell damage are both doubled.When you are delivering a touch spell through your weapon, you use your weapon's threat range to determine whether the spell threatens a critical.Complicated way:Weaponlike spells threaten only on a roll of 20 unless you take improved critical: touch spell. For a weaponlike spell channeled through an arcane strike to threaten a critical hit, the original roll must be a natural 20 (or 19-20 with Imp. Critical) regardless of what the original weapon's threat range is. If wielding a longsword, a duskblade can threaten and confirm a critical with a longsword on a 19 and not crit with his weaponlike spell - or vice versa, if using a greataxe while only having improved critical: touch.Really Simple Way: Weaponlike spells channeled through an Arcane Strike cannot critical themselves, although the weapon strike may threaten as normal.Only the Simple Way, above, is supported through the RAW.</blockquote>

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