Spellcasters and AoO

[schporto]

By my understanding of the RAW this is not possible. But I'm more curious if folks would allow it as within the spirit of the rules. Because I'm not entirely sure its not within the rules.

AoO:
An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and you can only make one per round. You don’t have to make an attack of opportunity if you don’t want to.

Spells with an Immediate Casting Time:
An immediate spell consumes more time then a free action, but less then a standard. An immediate spell can be cast at any time, even if its not your turn.

The cast at any time is what gives me pause...
Can a spellcaster use an Immediate spell with a touch attach as an AoO?
(Ignore for the moment there seems to be no Immediate spells except for feather fall.)

 

[Hypersmurf]

Can a spellcaster use an Immediate spell with a touch attach as an AoO?

The AoO is not provoked unless the caster threatens the opponent.

The caster doesn't threaten the opponent until after he casts the spell.

So he needs to cast his spell (as an immediate action) before the opponent takes the action that would provoke the AoO. If he does, then he threatens when the action is taken, so the AoO is provoked, so he can make the AoO with the touch attack.

If the opponent takes the action, and then the caster says "Ooh! I cast Immediate Shocking Grasp and make an AoO!", it's too late.

-Hyp.

 

[Delemental]

Okay, an extended question based on Hyp's answer:

Does a character have to define which weapon he is threatening with, and only use that weapon?

What if the caster in question is armed with a club, and thus threatens the opponent with that. Is he forced to use the club to make an AoO, or can he utilize another weapon that he could bring to bear? Such as the theoretical "Immediate Shocking Grasp", or if the caster had the Quick Draw feat, a dagger in his belt?

 

[Hypersmurf]

What if the caster in question is armed with a club, and thus threatens the opponent with that. Is he forced to use the club to make an AoO, or can he utilize another weapon that he could bring to bear? Such as the theoretical "Immediate Shocking Grasp", or if the caster had the Quick Draw feat, a dagger in his belt?

With Quick Draw - definitely not. Quick Draw requires a free action, which can only be taken during your turn.

With Immediate Shocking Grasp - debatably, yes.

The more traditional question is "If I'm wielding a longsword, and thus threatening an area, can I make an unarmed trip as an AoO?"

If the answer's yes, then ISG would work. If the answer's no, it... well, it's still debatable as to whether ISG would work

-Hyp.

 

[Azul]

If it's not drawn when the AoO is provoked, you don't threaten - even if you have Quick Draw.

I suppose you could ready your spell to react to possible actions that threaten an AoO, since a readied action interrupts the other action. Free actions (like Quick Draw) do not give you the benefit of interrupt another's actions. Readying does (presumably because you are anticipating and reacting to said actions).

I would consider an "immediate spell" metamagic feat to be more powerful than Quickened Spell. Any decent "immediate" attack spell would make one hell of an interruption especially against enemy spellcasters.

An immediate spell feat specific to a single melee spell is far more balanced but I think that's so specific you'd need a house rule for it.

 

[Delemental]

If it's not drawn when the AoO is provoked, you don't threaten - even if you have Quick Draw.

I suppose you could ready your spell to react to possible actions that threaten an AoO, since a readied action interrupts the other action. Free actions (like Quick Draw) do not give you the benefit of interrupt another's actions. Readying does (presumably because you are anticipating and reacting to said actions).

I would consider an "immediate spell" metamagic feat to be more powerful than Quickened Spell. Any decent "immediate" attack spell would make one hell of an interruption especially against enemy spellcasters.

An immediate spell feat specific to a single melee spell is far more balanced but I think that's so specific you'd need a house rule for it.

Oops, I overlooked that a free action can't be taken outside your turn.

Well, this is all an intellectual exercise anyway. A feat to make Shocking Grasp an immediate action would have a ridiculous level adjustment, and a uniquely researched spell would be pretty high level too. By the time the caster would be able to cast ISG, he should have much more effective ways of dealing with someone in his threatened area.

 

[schporto]

By the time the caster would be able to cast ISG, he should have much more effective ways of dealing with someone in his threatened area.

Well that would've been the follow up. Swift actions seem to make the duration a lot less (aka 1 round), but keep level about the same. So would a ISG cast about the same level but doing 1 point of damage? Enough to interrupt those interruptable things that provoke AoOs, but not enough to be bad.

This is comming from our spellcaster getting caught in melee. Her opinion is she's stuck and can't think of a thing to do, so it led us to this as an idea.
-cpd

 

[Jack Simth]

This is comming from our spellcaster getting caught in melee. Her opinion is she's stuck and can't think of a thing to do, so it led us to this as an idea.
-cpd

Every sparkcaster needs Dimension Door... Wands are good for it. Mind you, this can pretty much only be gotten after about 7th level or so....

 

[Bihor]

The only thing you need to know is that a AoO is an attack, and a spell is a spell that can incorporate an attack, but is always a spell not an attack.

If you had cast your Shocking grasp prior to the AoO, and your hand still had the spell you could make your AoO.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Every sparkcaster needs Dimension Door... Wands are good for it. Mind you, this can pretty much only be gotten after about 7th level or so....

I'm thinking a lot higher than 7th level for the wand, if that's what you mean. A 4th-level spell wand costs more than the entire (recommended) wealth of a 7th level PC.