Graz’zt’s Long Grasp

[Tharkon]

Graz’zt’s Long Grasp

I am wondering about a few things when using Graz'zt's Long Grasp (BoVD 96).
This is a variant of Spectral Hand (PHB 282), where you actually lose your hand and double the hitpoints, and the hand becomes a creature (flanking, grappling and punching) as well as part of yourself.

Would the hand be able to use natural weapons based on it's owner's hands, like the Lich's paralyzing touch, seeing as for a Lich this would be considered a normal unarmed attack?

Would you be able to use the hand for somatic spell components, and if so, do you provoke an attack of opportunity if the hand is threatened?

It says the hand can be controlled by thought alone as a free action, does this mean that the hand can attack without the owner having to spend a standard action, or only move?

And last, what happens if the hand gets destroyed before it can return and it's owner is undead, since undead are not affected by Regenerate?
Perhaps intelligent undead are able to replace lost limbs using the mere magical energy that makes them undead?
The loss of a hand can cripple a spellcaster so this would make this spell very risky for an undead spellcaster.

This is not concerning a specific campaign or setting, but just a general query seeing how the majority would go about this.

--
Tharkon

 

[Greenfield]

As far as attacks go, I'd be tempted to treat it like an Animal Companion or trained attack dog. Commanding it is easy, and doing so doesn't take a Standard Action.

Similarly, since it is specifically a "creature", it can provoke AoO if it attempts to cast spells. Not sure where its spell component pouch is, but presuming it has or can reach material components, I can see no reason why it couldn't be used to cast spells. That would be done in the role of it still being part of you though, since there's no mention of it actually having a casting stat or spell slots.

Now, since it's essentially a Spectral Hand effect, the character could cast the spell themselves and use the Grasp to deliver it, exactly as the spell is intended, without provoking AoO at all.

 

[Pergentile]

Why cannot i give experience to you gf?!

 

[Tharkon]

As far as attacks go, I'd be tempted to treat it like an Animal Companion or trained attack dog. Commanding it is easy, and doing so doesn't take a Standard Action.

Similarly, since it is specifically a "creature", it can provoke AoO if it attempts to cast spells. Not sure where its spell component pouch is, but presuming it has or can reach material components, I can see no reason why it couldn't be used to cast spells. That would be done in the role of it still being part of you though, since there's no mention of it actually having a casting stat or spell slots.

Now, since it's essentially a Spectral Hand effect, the character could cast the spell themselves and use the Grasp to deliver it, exactly as the spell is intended, without provoking AoO at all.

Handling an animal that is not an Animal Companion is a move-equivalent action, actually, but the animal can act on it's own after being commanded to do something. But I think this equals an Animal Companion (free action) indeed.

It's not specifically listed as being a creature, but it has hit points, armor class and a size, it can attack and be attacked, it can grapple and flank and has a specified speed, so I think that we can treat as a creature as well as being part of it's owner.

But what if the caster's other hand is holding a weapon or gauntlet and thus unusable for somatic components. Normally every creature has two or more hands so holding a weapon still leaves one hand for the somatic component. Vecna's stats list a dagger as well as spells in the attack block, but it does not list if he needs to sheath the dagger to cast any spells, or if he uses Still Spell on all his spells.

A lot of spells become confusing when used by monsters I noticed, specifically undead. Assuming Vecna lost his hand and never regrew it and Vecna is a deity I think I'll assume undead can't regain lost limbs, so I am not sure if the spell is that great after all, there must have been a drawback considering that it's the same spell level as Spectral Hand, yet is able to flank etc. The character I am working on is a Lich as well and although he has a lot in common with Vecna, he isn't intending to permanently lose one of his hands.

 

[Tharkon]

Assuming Vecna lost his hand and never regrew it and Vecna is a deity I think I'll assume undead can't regain lost limbs...

I figured it out.
Vecna is perfectly able to restore his hand and eye, which seems to be within the power of a Wish, maybe even less (a negative energy version of Regenerate). But doing so would render his current hand and eye (the artifacts) powerless. And Vecna enjoys the influence he has trough those artifacts to much to do so.

 

[BariliusTheStrange]

Would the hand be able to use natural weapons based on it's owner's hands, like the Lich's paralyzing touch, seeing as for a Lich this would be considered a normal unarmed attack?

And last, what happens if the hand gets destroyed before it can return and it's owner is undead, since undead are not affected by Regenerate?
Perhaps intelligent undead are able to replace lost limbs using the mere magical energy that makes them undead?
The loss of a hand can cripple a spellcaster so this would make this spell very risky for an undead spellcaster.

well Tharkon if you're a lich already it seems to me that destroyed body parts should re-materialize in 1d10 days
Unless its phylactery is located and destroyed, a lich reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death.