Delivering spells with spectral hand?

[ivanbin]

How does it work? Does it take an action from me? If it misses can it try again w/o requiring actions from me?

[Segev]

While spectral hand is active, you can use it instead of one of your normal hands to deliver touch attacks. It can be positioned anywhere within its spell range in order to make the touch attack. It takes your action just as if you were using one of your own limbs. But, it is done at range.

[ivanbin]

What sort of action? Is it a free action? Like touching people with my normal hands? Except this one is magican and 100+10/lvl feet long?

[Fouredged Sword]

Touching someone with a spell is part of the action needed to cast the spell. When you have a spectral hand active it simply acts like an extension of you, allowing you to use it to complete a touch range spell.

[ivanbin]

So... say I miss the touch attack. Does the spell get discharged?

[Troacctid]

If you miss, the spell does not discharge, and you can hold the charge normally. It will discharge on the next target you touch; you can continue to make touch attacks until you hit.

[ivanbin]

So the 1st time is part of casting the spell.
But what happens if I miss the 1st time. What action does it take to make the touch on round 2? Or 3? Or 10?

[Troacctid]

It's a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, as normal for delivering held-charge touch spells.

Edit: I'm looking for a citation on this, but you may be able to deliver it as an attack of opportunity as well, if an opponent provokes.

[Arbane]

So the 1st time is part of casting the spell.
But what happens if I miss the 1st time. What action does it take to make the touch on round 2? Or 3? Or 10?

I'm going to guess it's an attack action, same as a regular retried touch attack.

[Fouredged Sword]

I'm going to guess it's an attack action, same as a regular retried touch attack.

I am pretty sure it goes off the next valid target you touch. This can be a touch attack, unarmed strike, or even someone grabbing your hand (I did this in a game once, cleric cast a cure spell and held the charge, another character moved over and grabbed it to get healed)

[sleepyphoenixx]

I am pretty sure it goes off the next valid target you touch. This can be a touch attack, unarmed strike, or even someone grabbing your hand (I did this in a game once, cleric cast a cure spell and held the charge, another character moved over and grabbed it to get healed)

You would be correct. The relevant information is here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#attack).

Touch Spells in Combat

Many spells have a range of touch. To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject, either in the same round or any time later. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) the target. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. You can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on yourself, but to touch an opponent, you must succeed on an attack roll.
Touch Attacks

Touching an opponent with a touch spell is considered to be an armed attack and therefore does not provoke attacks of opportunity. However, the act of casting a spell does provoke an attack of opportunity. Touch attacks come in two types: melee touch attacks and ranged touch attacks. You can score critical hits with either type of attack. Your opponent’s AC against a touch attack does not include any armor bonus, shield bonus, or natural armor bonus. His size modifier, Dexterity modifier, and deflection bonus (if any) all apply normally.
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.

[Curmudgeon]

So the 1st time is part of casting the spell.
No, it's a separate action. You get that action as a bonus in the round you cast the spell. You can take a move action between casting to charge up your body and making the attack to deliver the spell charge.


I am pretty sure it goes off the next valid target you touch. This can be a touch attack, unarmed strike, or even someone grabbing your hand (I did this in a game once, cleric cast a cure spell and held the charge, another character moved over and grabbed it to get healed)
That doesn't work on a touch attack spell. A touch attack spell can only deliver the spell charge with a successful attack roll; it doesn't matter how many people touch the spell-charged character. The rules are rather disorganized because they try to cover willing target touch spells and touch attack spells together, even though they have different characteristics.

[Crake]

No, it's a separate action. You get that action as a bonus in the round you cast the spell. You can take a move action between casting to charge up your body and making the attack to deliver the spell charge.


That doesn't work on a touch attack spell. A touch attack spell can only deliver the spell charge with a successful attack roll; it doesn't matter how many people touch the spell-charged character. The rules are rather disorganized because they try to cover willing target touch spells and touch attack spells together, even though they have different characteristics.

Since the rules quoted above specify touch spells, not harmless or, as you put it "attack" spells. Can you cite where it says otherwise for these so called touch "attack" spells?

[Curmudgeon]

Since the rules quoted above specify touch spells, not harmless or, as you put it "attack" spells. Can you cite where it says otherwise for these so called touch "attack" spells?
What, exactly, are you asking? I can't understand you.

[Segev]

I'm afraid you're wrong, Curmuddgeon. There's no rule that says you can cast-move-attack when using touch spells, nor is there a rule that differentiates between "hostile" and "harmless" touch spells for purposes of discharging. An unwilling target (and sometimes even a willing one, if the DM rules it's hard to touch despite not resisting) requires a successful touch attack to touch. The first thing you touch with the charged extremity is hit with the spell. But again, if they're unwilling, you have to successfully roll to attack to touch them. If they're willing, you usually can just touch them for free as they willingly set their touch AC to 0. If the DM thinks it should be harder, perhaps because they're bobbing and weaving to avoid enemy attacks, he might make you roll anyway (but ignore the dex and dodge bonuses to AC, or something, because the target isn't trying to avoid you).

[Curmudgeon]

I'm afraid you're wrong, Curmuddgeon. There's no rule that says you can cast-move-attack when using touch spells
From pages 140-141 of Player's Handbook:
Touch Spells in Combat: Many spells have a range of touch. To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject, either in the same round or any time later. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) the target. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. You can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on yourself, but to touch an opponent, you must succeed on an attack roll. Touch Attacks: Since you need only touch your enemy, you make a touch attack instead of a regular attack. Touching an opponent with a touch spell is considered to be an armed attack and therefore does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The touch spell provides you with a credible threat that the defender is obliged to take into account just as if it were a weapon. However, the act of casting a spell does provoke an attack of opportunity, so you may want to cast the spell and then move to the target instead of vice versa.
The rest of your points are wrong, too, but I'll leave those as an exercise for the reader.

[Troacctid]

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.

Emphasis added.

[Segev]

From pages 140-141 of Player's Handbook:Hm. I stand corrected.

The rest of your points are wrong, too, but I'll leave those as an exercise for the reader.I'll have to look at this myself before agreeing, but there's precedent, so I will investigate further.

[atemu1234]

Emphasis added.

That section reminds me of the UA Cleric // Monk description.