Can you trigger a touch spell by slapping a guy (or poking him?)

[Sound of Azure]

Sure they can. They just have to do so with a Dispel Magic.

I'd be willing to take that chance

 

[Vorput]

I always thought a monk with quivering palm would make the coolest assassin... shake the targets hand (rather hard perhaps), leave town, then 4 days later- target suddenly drops over dead. That == Awesome.

 

[Artoomis]

A few rules quotes will help:

Spell Descriptions:
Range:
Touch:
You must touch a creature or object to affect it. A touch spell that deals damage can score a critical hit just as a weapon can. A touch spell threatens a critical hit on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a successful critical hit. Some touch spells allow you to touch multiple targets. You can touch as many willing targets as you can reach as part of the casting, but all targets of the spell must be touched in the same round that you finish casting the spell.

Spell Descriptions:
Duration:
Touch Spells and Holding the Charge:
In most cases, if you don’t discharge a touch spell on the round you cast it, you can hold the charge (postpone the discharge of the spell) indefinitely. You can make touch attacks round after round. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates.

Some touch spells allow you to touch multiple targets as part of the spell. You can’t hold the charge of such a spell; you must touch all targets of the spell in the same round that you finish casting the spell.

Actions in Combat:
Standard Actions
Attack
Unarmed Attacks
"Armed" Unarmed Attacks
Sometimes a character’s or creature’s unarmed attack counts as an armed attack. A monk, a character with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, a spellcaster delivering a touch attack spell, and a creature with natural physical weapons all count as being armed.

Note that being armed counts for both offense and defense (the character can make attacks of opportunity)

Actions in Combat:
Standard Actions:
Cast a Spell:
Holding the Charge:
If you don’t discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, you can hold the discharge of the spell (hold the charge) indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round. You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates. Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. In this case, you aren’t considered armed and you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal for the attack. (If your unarmed attack or natural weapon attack doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, neither does this attack.) If the attack hits, you deal normal damage for your unarmed attack or natural weapon and the spell discharges. If the attack misses, you are still holding the charge.

My Conclusion:

Taken together, we see you can cast the spell whenever you want and "hold the charge" indefinitely, but, since you are threatening your opponent while "holding the charge," there is implied some sort of physical manifestation of the charge being held, else how could you be "armed" as described above?

Besides that, since "If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges," one can assume that if you attempt to "hold the charge" for any significant length of time at all, either you touch something accidentally or it rapidly becomes obvious you are going out of your ay not to touch anything.

It's a DM's call, of course, but all the above should be kept in mind.

 

[TheCrazyMuffinMan]

A few rules quotes will help:




My Conclusion:

Taken together, we see you can cast the spell whenever you want and "hold the charge" indefinitely, but, since you are threatening your opponent while "holding the charge," there is implied some sort of physical manifestation of the charge being held, else how could you be "armed" as described above?

Besides that, since "If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges," one can assume that if you attempt to "hold the charge" for any significant length of time at all, either you touch something accidentally or it rapidly becomes obvious you are going out of your way not to touch anything.

It's a DM's call, of course, but all the above should be kept in mind.

Sounds like either a good idea for a feat, a class goodie (like my Tactician class's Arcane Attack, which allows you to imbue a spell onto a single attack, at normal AC), or a Transmutation spell that allows you to imbue a spell onto your weapon for a certain duration, so that whenever you hit with it, you trigger the spell.

Arcane Weapon
V, S, *
Time: The time of the imbued spell
Transmutation
Sor/Wiz 3
Range: Personal
Target: A weapon you are wielding
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving throw: Will negates (harmless)
SR: No

When you apply this spell, a single weapon that you wield (or its ammunition, if the weapon is ranged) becomes capable of triggering a touch (not ranged touch) spell of your choosing. If your attack roll hits the defender's touch AC (but not its normal AC), you deal no attack damage, but the spell triggers. If you hit the defender's normal AC, the spell AND the attack take full effect. Accidental touches discharge neither arcane weapon nor the chosen spell.

Special Component- The spell slot devoted to the spell to imbue your weapon with (or 1 spell of the appropriate spell level, for sorcerers). The spell in question still needs any Material, Focus or XP components if it would use them anyway.

Unarmed strikes can imbued with this spell.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I always thought a monk with quivering palm would make the coolest assassin... shake the targets hand (rather hard perhaps), leave town, then 4 days later- target suddenly drops over dead. That == Awesome.

Except that a Quivering Palm must be dealt with an actual attack. And if must deal damage. So unless you're shaking that person's hand while punching them in the stomach, it's going to be obvious that you just tried to hurt him.