Healing Spells = Attack of Opportunity?

krbrunn · May 21, 2002

A player in my campaign swears up and down that he read in either the PH or DMG that a cleric does not invoke an attack of opportunity when casting a healing spell. Is there any mention of this in the books, or is he just imaging things?

Thanks in advance.

Gromm · May 21, 2002

He's imagining things.
All spells provoke AoO, even healing spells.
The only way around it would be if he had a healing spell that was previously cast "on hold" and touched someone. Casting the spell draws an AoO.

osmanb · May 24, 2002

There is a rule in the PHB that says that if you use your standard action to cast a range:touch spell, you can take your movement between the casting and touching. So, if you start outside of a threatened region, you can cast a Cure spell, move up to an ally, and then deliver the touch (even if you are now in a threatened space). That doesn't help on subseuqent rounds, because you're now in melee, but it does come in handy.

AGGEMAM · May 25, 2002

Gromm said:
He's imagining things.
All spells provoke AoO, even healing spells.

Not entirely true, is it?

He could cast on the defensive with a Conc DC 15 + spell level

Or

He could cast the spell, move and touch the person needing it.

In the latter case, though, if the area he did cast the spell in was threatened there would be an AoO, unless he did cast it on the defensive.

Gromm · May 25, 2002

Well in those situations yes, but I was taking it as the character was standing in an enemies threat and trying to cast a spell (not defensively) and was saying healing spells don't provoke an AoO.

There are a number of ways to avoid the AoO (casting defensively works in almost any situation), but no spells are "free" from AoO without taking some sort of precaution, such as those you mentioned.