An error in SRD?

[Aetis]

I was looking through rules on touch spells on d20SRD, and came across this line in "Holding the Charge" section:


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


I went to the PHB, and could not find that rule anywhere. This is the entirety of section on Touch spells and Holding the Charge say in PHB:


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, such as teleport and water walk, 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.

[Psyren]

There are two "Holding the Charge" entries in the PHB. The one you're probably looking at is on 176 in the Magic chapter and does not have this line. The one containing the line you couldn't find is on page 141 in the Combat chapter.

[Aetis]

Oh, I see.

[Curmudgeon]

Since you're considering that line of the rules, it's worth pointing out a couple of things:

A spell can't discharge when you touch something that's not a valid target; there's a limited scope to that phrase "anything or anyone".
D&D touching is active, not passive. If you're paralyzed and your friend picks you up and carries you out of danger, they're touching you. You're not touching them.

[Aetis]

Since you're considering that line of the rules, it's worth pointing out a couple of things:

A spell can't discharge when you touch something that's not a valid target; there's a limited scope to that phrase "anything or anyone".
D&D touching is active, not passive. If you're paralyzed and your friend picks you up and carries you out of danger, they're touching you. You're not touching them.


I understand. I have another question.

Can someone cast a touch spell pre-battle and hold the charge, and then during battle, full-attack with a one-handed weapon in primary hand and his spell with his off-hand?

[Curmudgeon]

Yes, you can do that. There are some gotchas, though.

If the touch attack spell has a duration, that starts counting down when you cast it.
You take all the appropriate two-weapon fighting penalties. If you don't have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, those would be -4 for all your weapon attacks and -8 with your off hand touch attack.

[Psyren]

I understand. I have another question.

Can someone cast a touch spell pre-battle and hold the charge, and then during battle, full-attack with a one-handed weapon in primary hand and his spell with his off-hand?

If you want to make a habit of this, may I suggest asking your DM if you can port in the Magus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus) class from Pathfinder? Their Spell Combat feature lets them, as a single full-round action:

- Deliver all their attacks with their main-hand weapon as though full-attacking
- Cast a spell whose normal casting time is up to a standard action
- If the spell is a touch spell, deliver that touch spell in the same round without needing to hold the charge.

In exchange, you do take two-weapon fighting penalties as mentioned above - but in this case, they are only -2/-2, as though you possessed the TWF feat for free. Best of all, you can do this as many times as you like, at least as long as you have spell slots to cast from.

[Starbuck_II]

A great spell for casting outside combat? Chill Touch because it lasts all day when not used.