Deliver touch similar to spring attack?

[Seraphimpunk]

I'm tired, but I thought it was in an FAQ that you could cast a touch spell, move down to touch your target as a free action, and finish your move by moving back to an empty square.

The hallway position being like this:
Cleric , ally, empty, ally, target, enemy

1. Cast beneficial touch spell
2. Move 15ft down the corridor , behind his target.
a. Deliver touch spell as free action
b. finish moving by moving back fifteen feet to where cleric started.

This is legal, no?
All the cleric can't do is end his movement in someone else's square, right?
The free action doesn't interrupt or end the movement, much like speaking as a free action while walking is okay

( and you could likewise do this while attacking with a held charge, but your movement might provoke an attack of opportunity. )

[Mojorat]

The part your getting wrong is anything reswebling spring attack.

Standard action cast a touch spell.
You now have a free action to touch an enemy until the end of the turn.

You move 15 feet touch the enemy. Your turn is done.

[Speaker for the Dead]

Unless you have the spring attack feat, no. You can cast the spell, move and attempt the touch attack, then your turn is done.

[Mojorat]

Yeah but that is totally seperate from what he was proposing.

[Xenrac]

Speaker for the Dead wrote:

Unless you have the spring attack feat, no. You can cast the spell, move and attempt the touch attack, then your turn is done.

Even with the Spring attack feat he could not. It only allows an attack action to be taken, not a spell cast.

However, he could cast the spell one round, then, on his turn during the next round, move once, deliver the free action touch attack, then move again. It would just provoke AoO every step of the way, so it would be wise not to do this against an opponent.

[Speaker for the Dead]

My post actually agrees with yours, doesn't it?

[Xenrac]

Speaker for the Dead wrote:

My post actually agrees with yours, doesn't it?

Yup. Realized that in the time it took me to refresh the page.

However, now I'm intrigued... Because I thought about a new wrinkle, in that it could be treated like drawing a weapon, as an action taken while taking a different move action. And that there's no restriction on doubling back on yourself in a single move action, as far as I know.

[Seraphimpunk]

nowhere does it say that taking a free action, such as delivering the touch spell, or speaking on your turn interrupts or ends movement.

the equivalent would be to say that you can cast a spell, move 15 feet, and take a free action to speak, but that free action to speak would end your movement.

yes, i agree that you can't move 15 ft., cast a spell, and then move again after casting. I swear this had been answered in a FAQ or something before, no one remembers it? i can't find it with my search fu.

[Xenrac]

Seraphimpunk wrote:

nowhere does it say that taking a free action, such as delivering the touch spell, or speaking on your turn interrupts or ends movement.

the equivalent would be to say that you can cast a spell, move 15 feet, and take a free action to speak, but that free action to speak would end your movement.

yes, i agree that you can't move 15 ft., cast a spell, and then move again after casting. I swear this had been answered in a FAQ or something before, no one remembers it? i can't find it with my search fu.

I think I've got an answer, in that you only get a Free Melee touch as part of casting your spell. So if you didn't touch attack during the spell casting action, you now are holding the charge. And Touch attacking while holding the charge is a standard melee attack.

So I think your answer is no, you cannot do this. I don't say that with absolute certainty though.

[Seraphimpunk]

xenrac you'd be slightly wrong, as the magic and combat sections says otherwise. you get the free melee touch in the same round that you cast. you're explicitly allowed to cast move and touch.

touch spells and holding the charge wrote:

Touch Spells and Holding the Charge: In most cases, if you don't discharge a touch spell on the round you cast it, you can hold the charge (postpone the discharge of the spell) indefinitely. You can make touch attacks round after round until the spell is discharged. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates.

touch spells in combat wrote:

Touch Spells in Combat: Many spells have a range of touch. To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) as a free action. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. You can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on yourself, but to touch an opponent, you must succeed on an attack roll.

if you don't touch during that round, then yes, you're holding the charge.

i'm questioning the timing of the touch. You can move before casting, you can move after casting, and you're allowed to move between casting the spell and touching the target. that doesn't preclude moving-touching-and-finishing your move.

why is it not legal for a cleric to cast cure light wounds, move up behind their ally and touch them, and then rather than squeeze into a square in a narrow corridor with their allies, finish their movement by going back to a legal square. or if they can't end their movement squeezing, and can't end their movement in another character's square, they end up shunted back to a legal square anyhow.

i remember this being asked in a FAQ or forum thread over the last 5 years, and thought the answer was Yes. but the only thing in the FAQ that I can find that resembles the situation is the spring attack FAQ.