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Clarification on disrupting a spellcaster's spell

Kai Lord

Hero
Okay, bear with me guys, I'm at work and don't have the books handy but after reading another thread I just wanted to ask a question.

The only way to disrupt an enemy spellcaster's spell is if you Ready an attack and then damage the caster, correct? You don't disrupt the spell just for hitting them with the invoked attack of oppurtunity, right? Just want to make sure I've been doing it right.
 

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For people at work, the SRD is a great source of reference:

http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html

From the SRD:

Concentration

To cast a spell, the character must concentrate. If something interrupts the character's concentration while the character is casting, the character must make a Concentration check or lose the spell. The more distracting the interruption and the higher the level of the spell the character is trying to cast, the higher the DC is. (The DC depends partly on the spell level because more powerful spells require more mental effort.) If the character fails the check, the character loses the spell just as if the character had cast it to no effect.

Injury: Getting hurt or being affected by hostile magic while trying to cast a spell can break the character's concentration and ruin a spell. If while trying to cast a spell the character takes damage, fail a saving throw, or are otherwise successfully assaulted, the character must make a Concentration check. The DC is 10 + points of damage taken + the level of the spell the character is casting. If the character fails the check, the character loses the spell without effect. The interrupting event strikes during spellcasting if it comes between when the character starts and completes a spell (for a spell with a casting time of 1 full round or more) or if it comes in response to the character casting the spell (such as an attack of opportunity provoked by the spell or a contingent attack, such as a readied action).

If the character is taking continuous damage, half the damage is considered to take place while the character is casting a spell. the character must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + one-half the damage that the continuous source last dealt + the level of the spell the character is casting). If the last damage dealt was the last damage that the effect could deal, then the damage is over, and it does not distract the character. Repeated damage, does not count as continuous damage.

Spell: If the character is affected by a spell while attempting to cast a spell, the character must make a Concentration check or lose the spell being cast. If the spell affecting the character deals damage, the DC of the Concentration check is 10 + points of damage + the level of the spell the character is casting. If the spell interferes with the character or distracts the character in some other way, the DC is the spell's saving throw DC + the level of the spell the character is casting. For spells with no saving throw, it's the DC that the spell's saving throw would have if it did allow a saving throw.

Grappling or Pinned: The only spells the character can cast while grappling or pinned are those without somatic components and whose material components (if any) the character has in hand. Even so, the character must make a Concentration check (DC 20 + the level of the spell the character is casting) or lose the spell.

Vigorous Motion: If the character is riding on a moving mount, taking a bouncy ride in a wagon, on a small boat in rough water, belowdecks in a storm-tossed ship, or simply being jostled in a similar fashion, the character must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + the level of the spell the character is casting) or lose the spell.

Violent Motion: If the character is on a galloping horse, taking a very rough ride in a wagon, on a small boat in rapids or in a storm, on deck in a storm-tossed ship, or being tossed roughly about in a similar fashion, the character must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the level of the spell the character is casting) or lose the spell.

Violent Weather: If the character is in a high wind carrying blinding rain or sleet, the DC is 5 + the level of the spell the character is casting. If the character is in wind-driven hail, dust, or debris, the DC is 10 + the level of the spell the character is casting. The character loses the spell if the character fails the Concentration check. If the weather is caused by a spell, use the rules in the Spell subsection above.

Casting Defensively: If the character wants to cast a spell without provoking any attacks of opportunity, the character needs to dodge and weave. The character must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the level of the spell the character is casting) to succeed. The character loses the spell if the character fails.

Entangled: If the character wants to cast a spell while entangled, the character must make a Concentration check (DC 15) to cast the spell. the character loses the spell if the character fails.
 

Kai Lord said:
Okay, bear with me guys, I'm at work and don't have the books handy but after reading another thread I just wanted to ask a question.

The only way to disrupt an enemy spellcaster's spell is if you Ready an attack and then damage the caster, correct? You don't disrupt the spell just for hitting them with the invoked attack of oppurtunity, right? Just want to make sure I've been doing it right.

The best to interrupt the wizard is to ready a grapple attempt.
 


Kai Lord said:


Hey thanks. Wow. Spellcasters have been getting off easy in my adventures. They've been getting punished with AoO, but I thought they still get to release their spells. Thanks for the link.

Just remember that an AoO only disrupts a spell if it was provoked by the spellcasting itself. If I, for example, move back 10' and cast a spell, you get an AoO on me for moving, but it doesn't force a concentration check.

Daniel
 

Previous damage

I realize that the rules do not look at it like this, but it seems to me that receiving damage immediately prior to casting a spell would require the caster to have to concentrate a little harder.

I'd like to present a situation that was rules-lawyered away from preventing a spell. The party is in a side corridor fighting with a group of hill giants in a large, high ceilinged chamber. The portion of the giants that can't see the group readies an attack for the first person to come through the doorway. The hasted, flying party sorceror takes off and flies to a spot where he can line up the giants for a lightning bolt. The giants see him and throw their boulders at him. He gets damaged. Then he casts his spell, not having to concentrate because the giants didn't hit him until after he started casting his spell. The giants are charred, and the spellcaster flies back behind the party tanks.

It seemed a little hinky that the damage did not require a Concentration check in this case. Thoughts?

mypetrock
 

Re: Previous damage

mypetrock said:
I realize that the rules do not look at it like this, but it seems to me that receiving damage immediately prior to casting a spell would require the caster to have to concentrate a little harder.

It may seem that way, but that's not the way it is.

mypetrock said:
It seemed a little hinky that the damage did not require a Concentration check in this case.

Ever been kicked in your jewelbox? Remember how pissed you got and how focused your mind became? No? Oh. Maybe that was just me.... ;)

mypetrock said:
Thoughts?

Personally, I wouldn't be crazy about a house rule like that, but that's just me.
 

mypetrock,

While your idea makes some intuitive sense, it would be difficult to implement. Which damage forces a concentration check? Recent damage? Damage since the last round? Such changes can make casting in combat impossible with the present rules for the Concentration skill.

From the POV of a wizard, if I am prevented from casting spells this round because I 'recently' took damage, I am practically forced to immediately flee if I ever get beaten down. A 'death spiral' is too easy: I got hit the 1st round, so I can't cast the 1st round; so I got hit again in the 2nd round because I couldn't cast a spell to defend myself last round, so I can't cast in the 2nd round; having still not cast any spells for 2 rounds, I am beaten on a 3rd time...

That is no fun for the wizard, and no fun for his allies either.
 

And besides ther isn't very much of a std. spell to accomplish during a round anyway... we are talking about a few seconds of casting... crumble the dung, point at a spot, and say BOOM!!!... Most of the spells are being cast during prep time, so not much concentration is needed to finish things off. Recent damage doesn't have any bearing on 3e spellcasting.
 

Recent damage did have a major impact in 2e. Maybe it was removed because the wizard has enough other problems in combat (low hp)
 

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