Do spell-like abilities require concentration?

[Arnwyn]

Lesser Planar Ally as a spell-like ability takes 1 standard action (as do all SPAs), unless the description of the spell-like ability (and not the spell it indirectly references) says otherwise.

I think this, from the SRD:

A spell-like ability has a casting time of 1 standard action unless noted otherwise in the ability or spell description.

would mean that it would take 10 minutes, not 1 standard action.

 

[Bad Paper]

And presumably requires a Concentration check to use while being grappled? This is suprisingly relevant for me as I forsee one of the PCs in my game tomorrow getting into this exact situation.

I have lost two BBEGs because of this exact problem. Those Concentration checks are important!

 

[pbd]

If a Spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, why does it provoke and AoO or be difficult to cast in a grapple?

The obvious answer is "becasue of the RAW"...

 

[Nail]

I have lost two BBEGs because of this exact problem. Those Concentration checks are important!

...and often the adventure writer will forget that. We've come across more than one BBEG with (Sp) abilities and no ranks in Concentration.

That made them very easy to kill.

 

[shilsen]

If a Spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, why does it provoke and AoO or be difficult to cast in a grapple?

The obvious answer is "becasue of the RAW"...

No, the obvious answer is because it needs concentration. Calculating pi to the 20th decimal space doesn't require V, S or M components either, but you'll have trouble doing it in the middle of a fight or when a brown bear is wrestling you.

 

[Bad Paper]

...and often the adventure writer will forget that. We've come across more than one BBEG with (Sp) abilities and no ranks in Concentration.

That made them very easy to kill.

Actually, a vrock has tons of ranks in Concentration, but when he has nine negative levels and rolls an abysmal (pun intended) Concentration check to teleport out of there, well, yeah, those puny wights are going to win.

[the above situation brought to you by a very strange turn of events in one of Bruce Cordell's adventures]