Speak while concentrating?

[DarkJester]

Can you speak while maintaining concentration on a spell? I know it takes a standard action to maintain concentration, and it prohibits you from casting other spells while concentrating but what do you guys think about speech?

 

[clarkvalentine]

Without looking at the RAW, I'd allow simple conversation but nothing requiring a great deal of thought. Anything you could say while counting a pile of pennies without losing count seems reasonable OK.

The RAW might say otherwise, though.

 

[shilsen]

Sure. Remember, in the same round as concentrating on a spell, you can do any one of the following: control a frightened mount, load a hand/light crossbow, mount or dismount from a horse, move your speed, stand up from prone. Considering you're capable of carrying out such activities, I'd say speech is eminently doable.

 

[Swanky_Yankie]

Well, it could be argued that all those actions are distinctly physical, and could be performed by a practiced hand with little or no active thought required. Actually stringing together a sentence would work a different part of the brain, and could require more thought depending on what's being said.

Now that I'm done playing devil's advocate, as a DM I don't have trouble with a player speaking while concentrating so long as his blurb is kept reasonably short.