Interposing Hand Query

[AlanBruce]

Greetings! A player in my game will have his conjurer duel a lich.

Both sides were allowed 10 minutes to buff and prepare accordingly. The conjurer stepped (or flew, to be more precise) into the arena with a large Interposing Hand between him and the lich.

Now, I was reading the spell and, unless I have skipped on some crucial infor, all I can gather is that it provides cover (+4 AC) and that it's large sized.

Both duelists are medium size, so I can see the effectiveness of the hand...to an extent.

My questions are the following:

1. Would the lich benefit from the cover as well if the hand is between both?

2. Would either caster be able to target each other with spells, like a targeted dispel magic or orb of X? Or would the lich have to deal with the hand first?

3. Would spells like Force Cage, which do not target someone, but an area, override the hand's utility?

4. They never state how far away the hand is from each other, just that a



Large magic hand that appears between you and one opponent

Any idea if the hand gets up in the lich's face? I was imagining that to be a most useful scenario, but again, it would grant both the aforementiuoned cover.

Thank you very much in advance.

[Segev]

Given its range of Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level), I would imagine it is either at maximum range or adjacent to the chosen subject between whom and its master it interposes itself. It can't push, but it resists being pushed, so its purpose would seem to be to, in part, keep the target at Medium range as much as possible.

It indicates specifically that it "provides cover for you against that opponent," but has no specification for providing cover for the opponent against you. Presumably, it doesn't do anything it doesn't say it does.

You'll have to look up the rules on cover vs. line of effect to determine if it blocks line of effect.

[Diarmuid]

Only total cover blocks line of effect. A simple +4 Cover bonus to AC does nothing against spells that do not require attack rolls.

[AlanBruce]

Thank you for the quick responses.

As a 5th level spell, I thought it would do a lot more than what is implied since, as a lich with a low strength score, why even attempt to push the hand, when you can just cast ranged touch attack spells or spells without attack rolls (like dispel magic)?

Unless someone has further information, we can gather that:

1. The hand provides cover to the caster (+4 AC bonus)

2. The hand can slow the intended opponent if this one decides to push it.

3. The hand will not block targeted or AoE spells, but if any such spell require an attack roll, the +4 applies.

If there is any further information I'm missing, please confirm, since that would mean the lich can blatantly ignore the hand and not have to waste spells on it.

[Diarmuid]

I dont really see the spell being terrible useful against another caster. I think it's more intended to be used against those trying to get close and do physical harm to the caster.