Let's say I have a spell that gives me multiple melee touch attacks, like Chill Touch
A touch from your hand, which glows with blue energy, disrupts the life force of living creatures. Each touch channels negative energy that deals 1d6 points of damage. The touched creature also takes 1 point of Strength damage unless it makes a successful Fortitude saving throw. You can use this melee touch attack up to one time per level.
Can I choose which hands have the charge for each attack?
I ask because I have a four-armed magus and was thinking about casting this spell and then doing a full attack on my next turn.
I'm not at a location where I can do an exhaustive forum search at the moment. It's not certain that you get iterative attacks with a held touch spell. The additional ability of the magus to deliver his touch attacks through a weapon only complicates matters.
However, based on this faq., when using spell combat the magus MUST use the light or one-handed weapon in his other hand (not armor spikes and/or bites). In addition, according to another question in the same faq, the magus could be disarmed of his weapon and retain the held touch spell it had in THAT hand, pick the weapon back up (or draw/pick up another) and then deliver the spell. This tends to indicate that the spell is indeed held in THAT particular hand and cannot be transfered anywhere else.
My opinion is that when the touch spell is cast, the touching member of the caster's body to be used is determined and cannot be changed while the spell is still active.
@SlimGauge: I have to disagree some with what you've said.
In SKR's answer from 02\07\12, he indicates that spellstrike was never meant to restrict a magus on delivering touch spells, but to give him extra options on delivering it.
The answer from the PDT on 04/05/13 does not indicate that a magus can only deliver a spell with his weapon via spell combat. It indicates that if he is somehow wielding multiple weapons that he can onlyuse the light- or one-handed weapon to deliver the spell.
So for instance, a magus of a race with a natural tail slap attack could use his light-or one-handed weapon or his empty off-hand to deliver the spell, but not his tail; a magus with four arms, wielding a two-handed sword on one side and a scimitar\nothing on the other must use the scimitar or empty hand, not the two-handed sword.
Now granted, it doesn't always make a lot of sense that a magus would declare spell combat, take the attack penalty, and then decide to deliver the spell via touch rather than his weapon, but there are circumstances where it might occur.
As an example, the magus might use the free touch attack granted by the spell to try to hit with his weapon and hit AC 30 - and still miss. In that case, if it's more important that the spell goes off, he could then use his standard action to try and touch the target (so that he only has to bypass touch AC instead of standard).
As to "holding iterative charges", here would be my argument that it must be allowed. Chill Touch is a level 1 spell that gives you one charge per level. A level 2 caster with the spell is not going to have the BAB to be able to do more than one touch per round, and is unlikely to gain an extra touch attack through other means. Based on the wording used in other spells, if those charges were required to be delivered on a single turn, the phrasing would be something like, "Starting at level X [where X is the level the character would commonly have at least two attacks], you can use this melee touch attack up to one time per level".
Now, to answer the first question based on the assumption that you can deliver iterative attacks: The touch spell rules indicate that if you actively touch something, it discharges the spell, so every time that you 'touch' something (or hit something with your designated light- or one-handed weapon), it's going to discharge the spell (or a charge of the spell).
Note that having four arms does not automatically give you extra attacks. You can use them in conjunction with two-weapon fighting to attack with multiple weapons, but at normal penalties.
Let's say I have a spell that gives me multiple melee touch attacks, like Chill Touch
Can I choose which hands have the charge for each attack?
No, the rules do not state that the charge is held in any particular limb. (However, see below)
A level 2 wizard can cast chill touch, hold the charge, then the next round full-attack with unarmed strikes using two-weapon fighting and deliver the spell with both attacks if they hit normal AC.
I ask because I have a four-armed magus and was thinking about casting this spell and then doing a full attack on my next turn.
It will work fine according to the printed rules if you're using unarmed strikes, natural attacks, or Spellstrike. If you want to actually make touch attacks against touch AC, you're stuck with a single touch attack as a standard action.
It's not certain that you get iterative attacks with a held touch spell.
It depends on what you mean by that.
Making a touch attack isn't clearly defined in the rules, however JJ has said it's a standard action and can't be used with iterative attacks.
Holding the Charge: "Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. ... If the attack hits, you deal normal damage for your unarmed attack or natural weapon and the spell discharges. If the attack misses, you are still holding the charge."
No restriction there on action type or number of attacks, so a full-attack works fine. Those are normal attacks, granted by actions that grant normal attacks, and they target normal AC.
The additional ability of the magus to deliver his touch attacks through a weapon only complicates matters.
Spellstrike (Su): "At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack."
Each attack in a full-attack is a melee attack, so as long as he meets the requirements (cast spell, range touch, magus spell list) then he can deliver the spell through each of those attacks.
However, based on this faq., when using spell combat the magus MUST use the light or one-handed weapon in his other hand (not armor spikes and/or bites).
The OP asked about a full-attack, so Spell Combat is not relevant. If he did choose to use Spell Combat, he would then be limited by what Spell Combat allows him to do.
In addition, according to another question in the same faq, the magus could be disarmed of his weapon and retain the held touch spell it had in THAT hand, pick the weapon back up (or draw/pick up another) and then deliver the spell. This tends to indicate that the spell is indeed held in THAT particular hand and cannot be transfered anywhere else.
There's a FAQ Request post here to find out if that FAQ was intended to create a rule about touch spells being held in particular physical locations, or if it was just a figure of speech.
Yeah, Spell Combat's not really an issue. The question is whether I can distribute charges to different hands. I don't think that's the case from the sound of it. I was thinking the spell granted me multiple charges, but it sounds more like it's the same charge that can be triggered more than once. In that case, I can only discharge it by attacking with that same hand.
I don't think that's the case from the sound of it. I was thinking the spell granted me multiple charges, but it sounds more like it's the same charge that can be triggered more than once. In that case, I can only discharge it by attacking with that same hand.
There's nothing in the rules that suggests this.
The only hint at all that it could possibly be that way was a partial comment by SKR during an FAQ response.
And if that's the case, that means there's orcs out there trying to touch people with their faces if they want to later deliver the spell with a bite.
In any case, since you're a magus, if you're using Spellstrike, there's no limitation on hands, since you can specifically deliver it through any weapon you are wielding.
It's not certain that you get iterative attacks with a held touch spell.It depends on what you mean by that.
Making a touch attack isn't clearly defined in the rules, however JJ has said it's a standard action and can't be used with iterative attacks.
That statement by JJ is the one I was talking about but couldn't immediately link to with the resources at my disposal at the time.
EDIT: Personally, I allow a held touch attack to benefit high BAB iterative attacks. If the wizard can full attack but misses with his +6 attack, he can try again at +1, but this goes against JJ's post.
As to "holding iterative charges", here would be my argument that it must be allowed. Chill Touch is a level 1 spell that gives you one charge per level. A level 2 caster with the spell is not going to have the BAB to be able to do more than one touch per round, and is unlikely to gain an extra touch attack through other means.Yes and no. At level 2, the Magus will be able to cast the spell using spell combat, and use spellstrike to deliver the first charge with their weapon. Then they get their normal attack, and may deliver the second charge with that.
At 3rd level, the Magus may do that trick, then spell combat the next round as well, making their weapon attack first (delivering the 3rd charge) and then following up with another touch spell like shocking grasp.
It's not until 4th level that you have more charges than you can deliver effectively.
I should have clarified: In that specific example, I was not talking about a magus. A magus has a specific mechanic that allows them to deliver multiple charges in a single turn at a low level.
However, sorcerers, wizards, and witches have access to the same spell, with the same text. At 2nd level, all three of those classes have two charges, and no widely availabe way to deliver both of them in a single turn.
sorcerers, wizards, and witches have access to the same spell, with the same text. At 2nd level, all three of those classes have two charges, and no widely availabe way to deliver both of them in a single turn.
They could use unarmed strikes and two-weapon fighting. (or natural weapons if they have any)
You were correct in that they can't deliver more than one touch per round, but they can deliver the spell more than once per round via melee attack.
Anyway, all of this sort of ignores the goofy potential ruling where chill touch and similar spells cease to function as touch spells after being delivered the first time. (There was a FAQ request post here but it got marked "Answered in the FAQ" despite not actually being answered in the FAQ.)
Looking at the bestiary shows that creatures do not get iterative attacks with touch attacks, rather it is treated as a natural weapon.
So you can make a weapon attack and make an off-hand touch attack with a -5 penalty, or try to make an unarmed strike with their other hand suffering two-weapon fighting penalties instead. Either way a held charge does not seem to be restricted to any limb in particular.