rules for holding onto touch spells

[trazwald]

I really don't understand the rules for holding a charge when casting spells that require touch attacks. d20srd.org says:

"If you don’t discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, you can hold the discharge of the spell (hold the charge) indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round. You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges."

This seems totally contradictory to me. Thoughts?

[Otodetu]

Very cluttered indeed.
What is the problem, can you mention any specifics?

[Rhawin]

Basically after casting a touch spell you have several options:

1) Do nothing, saving the spell for later.
2) Dissipate the spell, causing it to have no effect. Touching an object also has this effect (unless the spell can affect an object).
3) Touch a subject with the spell. This uses charges up equal to the number of subjects touched (you can touch multiple foes or a foe multiple times if you have more than one attack per round. You cannot touch more subjects than you have charges). If you have charges remaining after this action, you can again take any of the three options.

I've had some players confused by this too, as the paragraph is structured in a way which makes it seem like the later choices are consequences of, rather than alternatives to, the first.

[bloodtide]

The idea is you can whole the charge for a while, but generally not too long. For example, you can cast Shocking Grasp, and walk around with a charged hand. But it does not give you too much of an advantage, as you still need to take an action to attack with it. Making a attack with the touch is a 'free' part of casting the spell. And you'd have to be careful not to touch anything, rest your hand on a tree and the spell is gone.





See: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040831a