Can i choose to fail a concentration check?


Rules Questions

The Exchange

Question is simple, can I chose to fail a concentration check while casting defensively?.

Thanks in advance.


To my knowledge, you can always choose to fail a check. Why do you want to?


Generally yes, though I hesitate at giving such a broad answer without knowing more details.

I've found from experience that these sort of questions tend to be missing context on purpose, so i dont wanna guarantee.


The Sideromancer wrote:
To my knowledge, you can always choose to fail a check. Why do you want to?

I know you can always choose to fail a saving throw, but I don't know about checks in general. In most cases it would make sense, but if you're hoping to get some mechanical benefit from failing a check it might not be strictly legal.

The Exchange

I was wondering if karmic bloddline is much more helpful than i initially thought.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/archetypes/paizo---so rcerer-archetypes/wildblooded/mutated-bloodlines---paizo/karmic


Let's see, casting is normally a standard action. Basically, you're giving up your casting for that round to let someone else make an extra attack? That's not the most overpowered thing I've seen, and is in fact less useful than actually casting would often be, so I'd probably allow it.


Fixed that for you.

Using your standard action to take at least one AoO and allow one ally to make one AoO is not "helpful". It's really bad and it's even situational, since you and an ally need to group up for this to work. A better idea is to actually cast a spell or play a martial character that can make several attacks while also not provoking AoO while doing so.

And also: No, you can not choose to fail a concentration check.

Cencentration Check wrote:
When you make a concentration check, you roll d20 and add your caster level and the ability score modifier used to determine bonus spells of the same type.

This is how you determine success. You can not choose.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Rub-Eta wrote:

Fixed that for you.

Using your standard action to take at least one AoO and allow one ally to make one AoO is not "helpful". It's really bad and it's even situational, since you and an ally need to group up for this to work. A better idea is to actually cast a spell or play a martial character that can make several attacks while also not provoking AoO while doing so.

I can't comment on the voluntary failing of the concentration check, but doing so does not provoke an AoO, you just lose the spell. So the risk is putting yourself in harms way of a foe on the following round, but you could "lose" a 0th level spell casting to let your barbarian smash the bad thing.


Necro_y2k wrote:

Question is simple, can I chose to fail a concentration check while casting defensively?.

Thanks in advance.

There are no simple questions for such a strange request. It would help if you gave us the agenda you're hiding.

If you're trying to browbeat a corner interpretation from your home DM, this is not the way to go.

Keep in mind that the consequences of failing a concentration check in spellcasting means that you lose the prepared spell or spell slot, not just simply failing to cast. So if that was your only prepared teleport spell, it is GONE.


Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
Necro_y2k wrote:

Question is simple, can I chose to fail a concentration check while casting defensively?.

Thanks in advance.

There are no simple questions for such a strange request. It would help if you gave us the agenda you're hiding.

If you're trying to browbeat a corner interpretation from your home DM, this is not the way to go.

Keep in mind that the consequences of failing a concentration check in spellcasting means that you lose the prepared spell or spell slot, not just simply failing to cast. So if that was your only prepared teleport spell, it is GONE.

Necro_y2K wrote:
was wondering if karmic bloddline is much more helpful than i initially thought.

He says what he's looking to do right upthread. No need for the outright hostility.

The Exchange

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

T

here are no simple questions for such a strange request. It would help if you gave us the agenda you're hiding.

If you're trying to browbeat a corner interpretation from your home DM, this is not the way to go.

I'm the DM. Judging people is wrong and judging people for a post is awful, go for a walk and think in what you have done.

I was thinking in a friendly NPC supporter that gives free attacks to my players when there is nobody to heal.


Necro_y2k wrote:

I was wondering if karmic bloddline is much more helpful than i initially thought.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/archetypes/paizo---so rcerer-archetypes/wildblooded/mutated-bloodlines---paizo/karmic

linkified

If you fail on purpose then you are not really trying to cast the spell. You are just pretending, and have no intention of it actually going off, just to so can get a benefit so I would not allow it. At best I would not allow you to expend a cantrip to get the benefits, since I feel like this use is gaming the rules to some extent.

Yeah, I am aware that you are the GM. My reply is what I would give to a player.


Galnörag wrote:
Rub-Eta wrote:

Fixed that for you.

Using your standard action to take at least one AoO and allow one ally to make one AoO is not "helpful". It's really bad and it's even situational, since you and an ally need to group up for this to work. A better idea is to actually cast a spell or play a martial character that can make several attacks while also not provoking AoO while doing so.

I can't comment on the voluntary failing of the concentration check, but doing so does not provoke an AoO, you just lose the spell. So the risk is putting yourself in harms way of a foe on the following round, but you could "lose" a 0th level spell casting to let your barbarian smash the bad thing.

Right. Derp. Though it's still an extremely bad tactic.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Can i choose to fail a concentration check? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.