Familiars and Touch Spells


Rules Questions


Just getting back into it after being absent a year or two.

My question is about the delivery of touch spells:

A familiar can deliver a wizard/witch's touch spell. How does the mage get the spell to the familiar? Must it be via touch?

Followup: I know that a touch spell can be cast and then "held" until the spell is delivered via a touch attack. Is there a time limit on this?

Like, can a little dinosaur familiar be lurking with a touch of idiocy or Frostbite for an entire encounter waiting for his shot? Can he have it on all day?

Sczarni

The Caster and the Familiar must "be in contact with each other" when the spell is cast, though there is either a feat or a class ability introduced in the ACG that extends this to within 30 feet.

There is no time limit to holding the charge. According to the CRB, it can be held indefinitely.


Thanks.

ACG is the Adventure Card Game? Does that affect regular PF/PFS?

Grand Lodge

ACG = Advanced Class Guide that just came out a few days ago.


Remember, that casting another spell should still cause the held charge (even in the familiar) to disipate just like any other normal casting while holding a charge.

Quote:
Holding the Charge: If you don't discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, you can hold the charge indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates. You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. In this case, you aren't considered armed and you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal for the attack. If your unarmed attack or natural weapon attack normally doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity, neither does this attack. 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.
Quote:
Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the “toucher.” The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master would. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.

So, while theoritically you could cast the spell with your familiar touching you, if it touches anything with the limb the charge is held in or if you cast another spell the charge disappears.

This makes precasting the spell a dangerous proposition since you are likely going to want to cast spells again at the very beginning of combat and there may not be a good opportunity for your familiar to deliver the spell.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Familiars and Touch Spells All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.