How long can you store a spell?

[silverwolfer]

How long can you store up a touch attack spell? Is it something you can just hold onto for like half an hour after you cast it and the next thing you touch gets the affect, or is their a set amount of time before it just goes poof and nothing happens?

[rockdeworld]

Are you referring to the effect of touch spells like Inflict Light Wounds? (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/inflictLightWounds.htm)

It has a duration of instantaneous, so it is discharged on casting.

Edit: actually, all touch spells are, not just those with duration: instantaneous.

all targets of the spell must be touched in the same round that you finish casting the spell.Source. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#range)

[Ravenica]

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. You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates. Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. In this case, you aren’t considered armed and you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal for the attack. (If your unarmed attack or natural weapon attack doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, neither does this attack.) If the attack hits, you deal normal damage for your unarmed attack or natural weapon and the spell discharges. If the attack misses, you are still holding the charge.

answer bolded

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm

edit: interesting, also found this, rules are incredibly counterdictive of each other lol


Touch Spells and Holding the Charge
In most cases, if you don’t discharge a touch spell on the round you cast it, you can hold the charge (postpone the discharge of the spell) indefinitely. You can make touch attacks round after round. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates.

Some touch spells allow you to touch multiple targets as part of the spell. You can’t hold the charge of such a spell; you must touch all targets of the spell in the same round that you finish casting the spell.

[LanSlyde]

The rest of the "source." |-_-|

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm

Scroll down to Holding the Charge.

EDIT: Swordsaged :smallyuk:

EDIT2: I think what is being said here is your casting of the spell is instantaneous, but you can hold the effect for indefinitely so long as nothing occurs that would cause you to lose the charge. Such as actually dispensing of the spell, casting another touch spell, etc.

[rockdeworld]

o_O Learn something new every day.

[Ravenica]

The rest of the "source." |-_-|
EDIT2: I think what is being said here is your casting of the spell is instantaneous, but you can hold the effect for indefinitely so long as nothing occurs that would cause you to lose the charge. Such as actually dispensing of the spell, casting another touch spell, etc.

Nah I meant the counter-intuitive part where it says multi-target touches can't be held but then gives you rules for how to apply them when they are lol

I suspect it isn't reffering specifically to touch attacks more along the lines of spells like planeshift and teleport (having to touch to touch people to affect them as well)

[TuggyNE]

Nah I meant the counter-intuitive part where it says multi-target touches can't be held but then gives you rules for how to apply them when they are lol

I suspect it isn't reffering specifically to touch attacks more along the lines of spells like planeshift and teleport (having to touch to touch people to affect them as well)

Yes, that's correct. Look at the subtle differences in targeting between e.g. plane shift (must be completed in one round) and chill touch (can continue to use for multiple rounds).

[supermonkeyjoe]

Also bear in mind that if you touch anyone or anything while holding a charge the spell discharges, so don't hold a charge and then run through a crowd chasing your intended target.

[NichG]

Does a touch spell specifically go on your hand (in which case you could avoid discharging it with a special gauntlet with an air gap or something), or would someone grappling you while you hold a charge discharge it into them automatically? Either way I could imagine some interesting hijinks.

[Slipperychicken]

Does a touch spell specifically go on your hand (in which case you could avoid discharging it with a special gauntlet with an air gap or something), or would someone grappling you while you hold a charge discharge it into them automatically? Either way I could imagine some interesting hijinks.

I just imagine someone holding a charge for Inflict Moderate for a few days, forgetting about it, and taking his gloves off to shake the King's hand...


Equipment doesn't stop Touch spells, and it does not specify your hand. So I suppose you could go dry-hump someone with Cure Light Wounds.. but make sure you have a Contingent Revivify for when you're beaten to death with a DMG.

[Zherog]

Also bear in mind that if you touch anyone or anything while holding a charge the spell discharges, so don't hold a charge and then run through a crowd chasing your intended target.

Also remember not to scratch that annoying itch...

[Curmudgeon]

Does a touch spell specifically go on your hand (in which case you could avoid discharging it with a special gauntlet with an air gap or something), or would someone grappling you while you hold a charge discharge it into them automatically? Either way I could imagine some interesting hijinks.
No, a touch spell charges your whole body, so any successful unarmed strike (with a kick, elbow, or head butt) will discharge a touch attack spell. A touch attack spell only discharges when you successfully attack an appropriate target. Of course, you auto-hit unattended objects you touch (no attack roll necessary), so a spell which will affect both objects and people is easy to discharge accidentally. Being grappled (an opposed grapple check where your opponent touches you) isn't the same as initiating a grapple check to attack your opponent; touching isn't symmetric in the D&D rules. Most of grappling doesn't count as a touch attack; only making the "Attack Your Opponent" grapple check will let you discharge a spell held in your body, despite all that grappling.

[NichG]

No, a touch spell charges your whole body, so any successful unarmed strike (with a kick, elbow, or head butt) will discharge a touch attack spell. A touch attack spell only discharges when you successfully attack an appropriate target. Of course, you auto-hit unattended objects you touch (no attack roll necessary), so a spell which will affect both objects and people is easy to discharge accidentally. Being grappled (an opposed grapple check where your opponent touches you) isn't the same as initiating a grapple check to attack your opponent; touching isn't symmetric in the D&D rules. Most of grappling doesn't count as a touch attack; only making the "Attack Your Opponent" grapple check will let you discharge a spell held in your body, despite all that grappling.


If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges.

By strict RAW, is it even possible to do something unintentionally? Touching an unattended object would still seem to take an action by your reading (in the sense that this interpretation of 'touch' means 'touch attack', which is at minimum a standard).

I like the idea of a character, nicknamed 'I don't like to be touched', using Persisted Spellflower, a bunch of touch spells, Retributive spell, Contingency, etc to have a bunch of stuff happen when anyone tries to do anything to him.