Casting while moving??

[JimAde]

And to further clarify, moving into a threatened square doesn't provoke AoO anyway. Moving out of one does.

 

[mikebr99]

<snip>
Thank you
Jeff Cosby

And whenever you need online rules...

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/home.html

This is always good!


Mike

 

[Jcosby]

Thanks

Jeff,

First of all, on behalf of our community, welcome to the Forums! I hope you keep coming back.

Second, I believe mikebr99 is correct, as near as I can tell. However, I feel compelled to re-iterate it's not because of the suggestion in your question. A caster can't cast, move and THEN pick a target - a wizard couldn't cast fireball, move 30 feet, then then detonate. Instead, The cleric can do this because it's a touch spell, and a little known feature of touch spells (as mike quoted) is "holding the charge." Same thing with shocking grasp, harm, etc.

Good luck, and good gaming!

Thanks, that was the last thing I was assuming that the "Holding" was refering to "touch" spells.

Again thanks for all the timely responses.

Jeff

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It's the moving out of threatened squares that provokes the AoOs...

No kiddin'; really? The cleric in the example didn't start in a threatened area, therefore moving out of his initial spot could never provoke an AoO.

If you are in an area where movement costs more then normal... then moving 5 feet does provoke an AoO.

In which case, it's no longer a 5' step; it's normal movement.

 

[irdeggman]

Quote:
Originally Posted by irdeggman
But the cleric won't be able to get off the maneuver the player wants without givingup an AoO (Attack of Opportunity).

A character can cast and then move or move and then cast. He can only take a 5 ft step if he does no other movement - touching a fallen character to use the spell is a move equiv action and can't be combined with a 5ft step. Also since the character is ignoring the foe when performing this move he gives up an AoO.


Where is THAT written...

the correct way is...


Quote:
Originally Posted by SRD
Touch Spells in Combat: Many spells have a range of touch. To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject, either in the same round or any time later. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) the target. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. You can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on yourself, but to touch an opponent, you must succeed on an attack roll.

Mike

Incorrect.

Here is the specific rule from the PHB (pg 141)


(from YTable 8-2 pg 141) Use touch spell on up to six friends – AoO yes

Holding the charge (pg 141 PHB) “You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to 6 friends as a full round action.”

So the cleric cannot cast the spell (standard action) take a 5 ft step and then discharge teh spell by touching his friend (standard action). A character only gets 1 standard action per round.

Also per the table using a touch spell on a friend generates an AoO.

If you look on pg 137 of the PHB “Performing a distracting act: Some actions when performed in a threatened square, provoke attacks of opportunity as you divert your attention from the battle.” This is the general guide that applies here, since the cleric has diverted his attention from the opponent to touch his friend.

 

[Legildur]

Except that p140 of the PHB (Touch Spells in Combat) says:

...you cast the spell and then touch the subject, either in the same round or any time later. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) the target.

It then goes on to discuss moving before or after the casting etc and holding the charge.

So yes, it is a Standard Action to touch someone with a held charge, but that is in the rounds after the round in which the spell was cast. In the first round you can cast and touch.

 

[mikebr99]

So the cleric cannot cast the spell (standard action) take a 5 ft step and then discharge teh spell by touching his friend (standard action). A character only gets 1 standard action per round.

No... touching the target of a touch spell is part of the casting... ie. part of the std. action that it takes to cast a cure spell. This still leaves a move (or equiv.) left in which to actually get to your target.


Mike

 

[irdeggman]

Good catches on the touch being the continuation of the casting of the spell in the same round.

But the following still applies:

If you look on pg 137 of the PHB “Performing a distracting act: Some actions when performed in a threatened square, provoke attacks of opportunity as you divert your attention from the battle.” This is the general guide that applies here, since the cleric has diverted his attention from the opponent to touch his friend.


The cleric is diverting his attention from the foe (he must in order to touch his friend). The automatic touch of the friend has nothing to do with this action it is simply refering to no attack roll (like is required to to touch a foe) and teh charged hand is consdered an armed attack so no AoO if the caster is attempting to touch a foe, in this case he is not diverting his attention from the foe either so the above does not apply.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The cleric is diverting his attention from the foe (he must in order to touch his friend).

Care to cite a source for that?

By the same logic, attacking one of the two enemies he threatens requires him to "divert his attention from [one] foe," and that certainly doesn't provoke an AoO.

Why should making an unarmed touch attack against my ally - which is much, much easier to do than an enemy, because it is always successful - distract me more than an unarmed touch against against an enemy or against one of two or more enemies?

 

[mikebr99]

But the following still applies:

If you look on pg 137 of the PHB “Performing a distracting act: Some actions when performed in a threatened square, provoke attacks of opportunity as you divert your attention from the battle.” This is the general guide that applies here, since the cleric has diverted his attention from the opponent to touch his friend.


The cleric is diverting his attention from the foe (he must in order to touch his friend). The automatic touch of the friend has nothing to do with this action it is simply refering to no attack roll (like is required to to touch a foe) and teh charged hand is consdered an armed attack so no AoO if the caster is attempting to touch a foe, in this case he is not diverting his attention from the foe either so the above does not apply.

If you are facing 2 foes, and focus on one of them to deliver some kind of attack... this does not provoke an AoO WRT the other guy who is threatening you. Why would smaking your friend on the head to deliver a timely cure spell (already cast) require more concentration then trying to deliver a SA for instance?

Quoting wide-sweeping generalities for specific questions just doesn't cover it...

Casting a spell, not defensively, provokes an AoO... delivering a touch spell after the spell has been cast does not.


Mike