Concentration and casting defensively

[R_kajdi]

Quick, simple question here, which came up from one of my players w/r/t the new campaign that I am setting up: If you are casting defensively, and you botch your check, I know you lose your spell. Do you also provoke an AoO? I thought no, but my player is sure you do. Which of us is right? Thanks

Ray

 

[Menexenus]

No, you do not provoke an AoO when you botch your Concentration check when Casting Defensively.

 

[Li Shenron]

What he said: casting of the defensive always guarantees no AoO, if you fail the check your spell fizzles but nothing else.

 

[R_kajdi]

Thanks. Is the PHB a good bit more readable than the SRD in this regard? All I have at work is the SRD, which states

If the Concentration check fails, the related action also automatically fails (with any appropriate ramifications), and the action is wasted, just as if your concentration had been disrupted by a distraction.

He took it to mean that the act of avoiding the AoO fails, and you also lose the spell (very harsh!) I took it as just losing the spell. Not to sound indignant, but how do you get your answer out of that sentance? I'm playing by ear with it.

Ray

 

[werk]

If you botch casting defensively, you don't cast. What draws the AoO?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Not to sound indignant, but how do you get your answer out of that sentance?

By largely ignoring it, and reading the rules in the Combat section.

Casting Defensively: If you want to cast a spell without provoking any attacks of opportunity, you must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the level of the spell you’re casting) to succeed. You lose the spell if you fail.

So, to go back to your earlier comment ...

the related action also automatically fails (with any appropriate ramifications)

What's the "related action"? Casting a spell.

Similarly, if you wanted to make a Concentration check to use a skill defensively,

Use skill that takes 1 action Usually

and you fail the concentration check, you automatically fail the skill attempt - and suffer from the results of that failed skill attempt:

Action: The amount of time needed to make a Disable Device check depends on the task, as noted above. Disabling a simple device takes 1 round and is a full-round action. An intricate or complex device requires 1d4 or 2d4 rounds.

 

[The Souljourner]

Casting on the Defensive: Casting a spell while on the defensive does not provoke an attack of opportunity. It does, however, require a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to pull off. Failure means that you lose the spell.

I think that's pretty clear. No AoO regardless. Result of failure = lost spell only.

-The Souljourner

 

[LordBOB]

there isnt an AoO b/c your not doing anything to provoke one. You get AoO's by moving in or out of a threatned square, casting spells in threatned squares, or trying to shoot in a threatned( unless you have feats to stop this)


Now if your in a threatned square and you cast a spell than YES an AoO is granted againsts you( i think)

 

[Jhulae]

there isnt an AoO b/c your not doing anything to provoke one. You get AoO's by moving in or out of a threatned square, casting spells in threatned squares, or trying to shoot in a threatned( unless you have feats to stop this)


Now if your in a threatned square and you cast a spell than YES an AoO is granted againsts you( i think)

Except that an AoO is not 'granted' aganist a spell caster who casts 'on the defensive'.

 

[werk]

Can you beat a dead horse WITH a dead horse? (not a dig, just something I say a lot)

Maybe consider what you are doing when you are casting defensively.
You are casting in such a manner that you do not draw AoO.
You roll a concentration check to see if you are able to pull-off the spell using restricted movement.
If you fail the check, you fizzle the spell.

The reason you botched the spell is because you were avoiding AoO.

Now, you could house rule it <shudder> so that if a caster fails their concentration check that they have the option of drawing an AoO and trying to get the spell off that way.