|
I have an inquisitor in my game with the Madness domain. Her 1st level domain power is Visions of Madness. This is a Spell-Like ability and a touch attack.
My questions are this:
Does using this ability provoke AoO?
If so, can you Concentrate to "Cast" defensively?
If you can "Cast" defensively, how do you determine the check DC?
If you cannot "Cast" defensively, does taking damage disrupt the "spell"?
If so, how would you calculate that concentration DC?
1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Just like for a spell. For spell-like abilities gained from a class that aren't based directly on a spell (like the visions of madness ability), the spell level is usually considered equal to the highest spell level the character could cast when gaining the ability.
(I would suggest using the highest level spell a cleric could cast, since inquisitor domains are based on cleric domains).
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, focus, or material components). They go away in an antimagic field and are subject to spell resistance if the spell the ability is based on would be subject to spell resistance.
A spell-like ability usually has a limit on how often it can be used. A constant spell-like ability or one that can be used at will has no use limit; unless otherwise stated, a creature can only use a constant spell-like ability on itself. Reactivating a constant spell-like ability is a swift action. Using all other spell-like abilities is a standard action unless noted otherwise, and doing so provokes attacks of opportunity. It is possible to make a concentration check to use a spell-like ability defensively and avoid provoking an attack of opportunity, just as when casting a spell. A spell-like ability can be disrupted just as a spell can be. Spell-like abilities cannot be used to counterspell, nor can they be counterspelled.
For creatures with spell-like abilities, a designated caster level defines how difficult it is to dispel their spell-like effects and to define any level-dependent variables (such as range and duration) the abilities might have. The creature's caster level never affects which spell-like abilities the creature has; sometimes the given caster level is lower than the level a spellcasting character would need to cast the spell of the same name. If no caster level is specified, the caster level is equal to the creature's Hit Dice. The saving throw (if any) against a spell-like ability is 10 + the level of the spell the ability resembles or duplicates + the creature's Charisma modifier.
Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that work differently when cast by characters of different classes. A monster's spell-like abilities are presumed to be the sorcerer/wizard versions. If the spell in question is not a sorcerer/wizard spell, then default to cleric, druid, bard, paladin, and ranger, in that order.
Cleric domains, sorcerer bloodlines, wizard schools, and certain other class features give spell-like abilities that aren't based on spells. What's the effective spell level for these abilities?
The effective spell level for these spell-like abilities is equal to the highest-level spell that a character of that class could normally cast at the level the ability is gained.
For example, a 1st-level elemental bloodline sorcerer has elemental ray as a spell-like ability. Because a sorcerer 1's highest-level spell available is 1st, that spell-like ability counts as a 1st-level spell. A 9th-level elemental bloodline sorcerer has elemental blast as a spell-like ability. Because a sorcerer 9's highest-level spell available is 4th, that spell-like ability counts as a 4th-level spell.
Elamdri:
Since there is no corresponding spell that Visions of Madness is based upon then the DC for Visions of Madness is dependant upon the level the power was acquired at.
Visions of Madness is acquired at level 1 when you have level 1 spells. Therefore the Casting Defensively DC is 15+1*2 = 17.
The Casting Defensively DC for Visions of Madness will not change as you level.
Yes, you activate it then you are holding a charge until you touch someone with it. You may still make a free touch attack in the round that you activate it.
- Gauss
|
|
Elamdri:
Since there is no corresponding spell that Visions of Madness is based upon then the DC for Visions of Madness is dependant upon the level the power was acquired at.
Visions of Madness is acquired at level 1 when you have level 1 spells. Therefore the Casting Defensively DC is 15+1*2 = 17.
The Casting Defensively DC for Visions of Madness will not change as you level.
Yes, you activate it then you are holding a charge until you touch someone with it. You may still make a free touch attack in the round that you activate it.
- Gauss
Ah, that's what I thought, but I wanted to double check. Thanks!
I edited my post after I found the FAQ entry; I had originally thought it worked differently. Visions of madness counts as a 1st-level spell :)