The Holding of Charges

[Shadowdweller]

A personally embarassing problem:
My current play group has always ruled that when a caster uses a touch spell (such as inflict blah wounds) and attempts to touch in the same round, but misses, they lose the spell. That is to say, one cannot 'hold the charge' unless one does not attempt to use the spell immediately. Upon reflection, it occurs to me that I can find no support for this particular information in the text.

So then what do you guys think, is this correct? Or can one automatically hold the charge if the first touch attempt fails (and one has cast the spell in the same round)?

Some supporting text/ruling would be very much appreciated.

 

[Keith]

You can hold the charge.

SRD:

Holding the Charge: If you don't discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, you can hold the discharge of the spell (hold the charge) indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round.

Covered in 3.5 PHB pp 140-142.

Cheers

 

[James McMurray]

What Keith said.

 

[Ottergame]

As long as you continue to miss with the touch attack, the spell will not go off and you keep the charge. Just remember to dispel it before touching someone else if combat ends and you're still holding the charge.

 

[Shadowdweller]

Holding the Charge: If you don't discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, you can hold the discharge of the spell (hold the charge) indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round.

The problem being that my fellow players seem to think that attempting to touch someone (and missing) in the same round as the spell is cast discharges it.

*sigh*
I don't think I'm going to have an easy time convincing them otherwise, either.

 

[the Jester]

Being as I'm at work, I don't have my PH with me- but if I'm not mistaken, in the section under touch spells in the Magic chapter, it describes exactly what discharges a touch spell- basically, casting a spell or touching anything (draw a weapon, touch your target, pick up a book).

 

[Arksorn]

PHB page 142 top of left column

...If the attack misses, you are still holding the charge.