Familiar: Deliver "Ranged" Touch Spell?

[Gruftzwerg]

If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the “toucher.” The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.

Imho the ability doesn't specify that it has to be a melee touch spell. So a ranged touch spell should be valid or am I missing something? (errata? anything else?)

While some might argue about "..his familiar as the toucher." might imply melee range, in terms of 3.5 you can touch at range compared to real word measurements would be another argument to support this.

[Vaern]

The PHB glossary defines a touch spell as "a spell whose effect is delivered when the caster touches the target creature or object," ie you must make physical contact (range: touch).
There's a good number of ranged spells that make ranged touch attacks, but the phrase "touch spell" is only ever used throughout the book in the context of spells that require actually physically touching their target.

[KillianHawkeye]

Vaern is correct. A "touch spell" is a spell whose Range is "Touch".

[Elkad]

Feature of less-than-accurate wording in the rules.

They used "touch" for two things.

One is "target doesn't get to count his armor"
and the other is "no range, make a melee attack with this spell".

Often, they are both the same thing, but not in this case.

Cause Light Wounds should be "armed melee, bypasses armor"
Scorching Ray should be "short range, bypasses armor"

[Jay R]

As I read it, touched spells and ranged touch spells are different, and this only refers to touch spells, so if it comes up in my game, familiars would only be able to deliver touch spells.

But to the extent that the rules are unclear, it's a judgment call for the DM. Ask your DM for her ruling. Nobody else's ruling matters.

[Gruftzwerg]

As I read it, touched spells and ranged touch spells are different, and this only refers to touch spells, so if it comes up in my game, familiars would only be able to deliver touch spells.

But to the extent that the rules are unclear, it's a judgment call for the DM. Ask your DM for her ruling. Nobody else's ruling matters.

It's not for an actual game. I mean I know how it was intended (RAI), but I was just curious about potential RAW abuse for optimizating builds/challenges in the future..^^