Duke of Urrel
2023-12-31, 07:04 PM
I have just read Khedrac's answer to Yora's question, Q 24, in the Simple RAW for 3.5 thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?662453-Simple-RAW-for-3-5-38-pages-and-I-still-don-t-know-how-to-play-D-amp-D/page3).
Khedrac's answer is the same that I would have given. I have always played according to the rule that Khedrac mentioned. If a spell's duration is one round, that spell lasts from the end of your spellcasting action until the start of your next turn.
However, as I went looking for place where this rule is stated explicitly, I could not find one.
There is a rule (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#fullRoundCastaSpell) that a spellcasting action whose casting time is one round ends at the start of your next turn. However, this rule refers to an action that you take, not to the effect of this action.
If I wanted to measure the duration of a one-round-duration spell exactly, I would start counting at the end of your spellcasting action. Suppose your spellcasting action is one standard action and you take it immediately after your turn begins. To measure the duration of your spell as precisely as possible, I would start counting immediately after your spellcasting action ends. So if your spell's effect has a duration of exactly one round, it should last not only until your next turn begins, but also the length of one standard action after that.
This method of measuring seems too fussy to be useful. To keep it simple, we should say that the effect of a spell with a duration of one round should last until either the start of your next turn or the end of your next turn.
But ... which should it be?
In D&D version 5.0, the True Strike spell takes one standard action to cast and lasts one round. Thus, the spell cannot work unless we assume that a spell with a duration of one round lasts not only until your next turn begins, but until it ends.
In D&D version 3.5, the True Strike spell does not have this problem, because its duration is "See text," and the text says this (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/trueStrike.htm).
You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack. Your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, you are not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target.
Most other spells in D&D version 3.5 also work just fine if we assume that spells with one-round durations last only until your next turn begins. Most spells that affect the spellcaster's next action are swift-action spells. There are a lot of them in the SPELL COMPENDIUM v. 3.5. Since casting a swift-action spell takes negligible time, the spell can easily affect your next action, because you can easily take this action before your current turn ends. All these spells work just fine.
However...
There are two spells that don't work just fine: the Hunter's Mercy spell and the Sticky Fingers spell. These spells have a casting time of one standard action.
The Hunter's Mercy spell appears on page 117 of the SPELL COMPENDIUM v. 3.5. It casting time is one standard action, its duration is one round, and it affects the next ranged attack that you make using a bow, provided that you make it during your next turn. The spell's description makes it clear that you are expected to make your attack during your next turn – but it does not make clear that this is an exception to a general rule. (The general rule, as far as I know, is never explicitly stated anywhere.)
The Sticky Fingers spell appears on page 117 of the SPELL COMPENDIUM v. 3.5. Its casting time is one standard action, its duration is one round, and it bestows an unnamed +10 bonus on your Sleight of Hand checks. The description of this spell is less helpful than the description of the Hunter's Mercy spell. It is unclear whether this spell affects your actions during your next turn. Unfortunately, I don't know of many actions you can take using Sleight of Hand skill that you can take after you cast a standard-action spell but before your turn ends.
So there are two troublesome spells. What should we do about them?
Should we say that they should be written as the True Strike spell was written, so that they apply to the next standard action that you take, provided that it is made before your next turn ends?
Should we say that they should have a casting time of only one swift action, so that they affect the next standard action that you take before your current turn ends?
Or should we leave the descriptions and stat blocks of these two troublesome spells exactly as they are, but use the "fussy" method that I mentioned above? This would have the following consequences.
If you cast a one-round duration spell at the end of your turn – for example, because you have already taken a move action and then cast the spell as a standard action – then the spell lasts until the end of your next turn. This allows you to take a full-round action during your next turn before the spell ends.
If you cast a one-round duration spell in the middle of your turn – for example, because you cast the spell immediately after your turn begins, as a standard action, and then take a move action – then the spell lasts until the middle of your next turn. In the case of this example, since you took one standard action before the spell took effect, you can take one standard action at the start of your next turn before the spell's effect ends.
If you cast a one-round-duration spell at the beginning of your turn – which you can do only if you cast the spell as a swift or immediate action – then the spell lasts only until the beginning of your next turn.
Khedrac's answer is the same that I would have given. I have always played according to the rule that Khedrac mentioned. If a spell's duration is one round, that spell lasts from the end of your spellcasting action until the start of your next turn.
However, as I went looking for place where this rule is stated explicitly, I could not find one.
There is a rule (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#fullRoundCastaSpell) that a spellcasting action whose casting time is one round ends at the start of your next turn. However, this rule refers to an action that you take, not to the effect of this action.
If I wanted to measure the duration of a one-round-duration spell exactly, I would start counting at the end of your spellcasting action. Suppose your spellcasting action is one standard action and you take it immediately after your turn begins. To measure the duration of your spell as precisely as possible, I would start counting immediately after your spellcasting action ends. So if your spell's effect has a duration of exactly one round, it should last not only until your next turn begins, but also the length of one standard action after that.
This method of measuring seems too fussy to be useful. To keep it simple, we should say that the effect of a spell with a duration of one round should last until either the start of your next turn or the end of your next turn.
But ... which should it be?
In D&D version 5.0, the True Strike spell takes one standard action to cast and lasts one round. Thus, the spell cannot work unless we assume that a spell with a duration of one round lasts not only until your next turn begins, but until it ends.
In D&D version 3.5, the True Strike spell does not have this problem, because its duration is "See text," and the text says this (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/trueStrike.htm).
You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack. Your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, you are not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target.
Most other spells in D&D version 3.5 also work just fine if we assume that spells with one-round durations last only until your next turn begins. Most spells that affect the spellcaster's next action are swift-action spells. There are a lot of them in the SPELL COMPENDIUM v. 3.5. Since casting a swift-action spell takes negligible time, the spell can easily affect your next action, because you can easily take this action before your current turn ends. All these spells work just fine.
However...
There are two spells that don't work just fine: the Hunter's Mercy spell and the Sticky Fingers spell. These spells have a casting time of one standard action.
The Hunter's Mercy spell appears on page 117 of the SPELL COMPENDIUM v. 3.5. It casting time is one standard action, its duration is one round, and it affects the next ranged attack that you make using a bow, provided that you make it during your next turn. The spell's description makes it clear that you are expected to make your attack during your next turn – but it does not make clear that this is an exception to a general rule. (The general rule, as far as I know, is never explicitly stated anywhere.)
The Sticky Fingers spell appears on page 117 of the SPELL COMPENDIUM v. 3.5. Its casting time is one standard action, its duration is one round, and it bestows an unnamed +10 bonus on your Sleight of Hand checks. The description of this spell is less helpful than the description of the Hunter's Mercy spell. It is unclear whether this spell affects your actions during your next turn. Unfortunately, I don't know of many actions you can take using Sleight of Hand skill that you can take after you cast a standard-action spell but before your turn ends.
So there are two troublesome spells. What should we do about them?
Should we say that they should be written as the True Strike spell was written, so that they apply to the next standard action that you take, provided that it is made before your next turn ends?
Should we say that they should have a casting time of only one swift action, so that they affect the next standard action that you take before your current turn ends?
Or should we leave the descriptions and stat blocks of these two troublesome spells exactly as they are, but use the "fussy" method that I mentioned above? This would have the following consequences.
If you cast a one-round duration spell at the end of your turn – for example, because you have already taken a move action and then cast the spell as a standard action – then the spell lasts until the end of your next turn. This allows you to take a full-round action during your next turn before the spell ends.
If you cast a one-round duration spell in the middle of your turn – for example, because you cast the spell immediately after your turn begins, as a standard action, and then take a move action – then the spell lasts until the middle of your next turn. In the case of this example, since you took one standard action before the spell took effect, you can take one standard action at the start of your next turn before the spell's effect ends.
If you cast a one-round-duration spell at the beginning of your turn – which you can do only if you cast the spell as a swift or immediate action – then the spell lasts only until the beginning of your next turn.