Clarification on Concentration, Something seems off

[TheBlueFox]

I'm in need of some clarification of what needs and does not need concentration to maintain. I've always thought that Mage Armor, a basic buffing spell, did not need concentration to continue to persist. That would be silly if a spell with that kind of duration of an hour per level, that you can put on someone else, would need concentration to continue. Not only that, while concentrating you can't participate in combat, you would use your standard action each round to continue it. You can't even cast other spells.

Same thing with Mirror Image, you can't continue to fight while having it active, or blur, or invisibility.

It seems rules as written every spell with a duration longer than Instant requires concentration to maintain, preventing the mage from actively participating in combat while it's active. Buffs like bull's strength would put clerics out of commission to keep it up.

Is this true? All spells with durations need Concentration standard actions to maintain? Or is there a certain type that need them? If so, how do you use these spells and continue to be active in combat?

[ksbsnowowl]

The only spells that need concentration after they have successfully been cast, are spells with a duration of "Concentration," such as Silent Image (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/silentImage.htm).

Anything with a duration not expressed as "concentration..." does not require you to maintain concentration after it is cast (often one standard action).

[TheBlueFox]

Oh so there's actually a "Concentration" Description IN the spell duration!

I've never seen it, no wonder I was so confused

[Geddy2112]

Concentration checks can also come up while casting spells without a "duration:concentration" but those normally have specific variables such as:
Taking damage
Casting Defensively
Casting in bad weather/adverse conditions
Casting while grappled

But correct, if a spell does not have "duration: concentration" it does not need to be concentrated on once cast.

[nedz]

It's all covered in the Spell Descriptions: Duration (PH p176), also here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#duration).

[Crake]

It's all covered in the Spell Descriptions: Duration (PH p176), also here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#duration).

I think the confusion arose when he saw the Concentration duration entry in that section and didn't realise that it only applied to spells with a duration of "Concentration", because as he said, he'd never seen a spell with duration "Concentration" before.