Chill Touch [3.5/Pathfinder]

[Leeham]

Can someone please clarify the Chill Touch spell, particularly the "You can use this melée touch attack up to one time per level." As always, thanks in advance.

[Rin_Hunter]

As I've read it, it seems to have infinite duation after cast, letting a level 5 wizard make five touch attacks before ever having to recast the spell.

That interpretation makes the spell broken, so I impose a 1 minute/level duration rather than instantaneous.

I too would like to hear a clarification on this spell.

[Flickerdart]

If you cast a spell while holding a charge for a touch spell, the charge dissipates. That interpretation isn't broken at all.

[Rin_Hunter]

If you cast a spell while holding a charge for a touch spell, the charge dissipates. That interpretation isn't broken at all.

Ah... I think I get it now...

You cast the spell, holding the charge. This lets you make however many touch attacks, but you can't cast any other spells until you either give up Chill Touch or it runs out.

Guess I didn't think of it like that when I read it. I read it more as a buff than a held charge.

[Akal Saris]

Also remember that missing with a touch attack does not consume the spell - so if you have 5 charges of Chill Touch and then hit twice, miss twice, you still have 3 charges remaining.

I'm fond of using it in conjunction with Poison Spell from Drow of the Underdark to get several uses out of a single dose of poison.

You can also have your familiar deliver the touch spell for you - I suppose it would be a way to avoid "holding the charge" and being unable to cast spells without losing Chill Touch. Not entirely sure of the legality on that point though.

[Person_Man]

Important trick: Your familiar is capable of holding the charge of a touch spell for you. So any time before combat starts you can cast a touch spell. Your familiar holds on to it, and then when you get your first round in combat, your familiar attacks with the spell during your turn. Then you take your full action. It's a huge action advantage that's often overlooked. The only restriction is that, as previously mentioned, once you cast the touch spell you can't cast another spell until the touch spell is used up (or it dissipates).