| Hellefire |
So, I have had two people who do this, and I have been told it was specified in 3.5 this way, but I cannot find a very clear specific ruling one way or another in pathfinder.
The question is - if someone casts a cure spell, casting while NOT in a threatened square, then they touch an ally in an adjacent square and the square their friend is in IS threatened, does the threatening enemy get an AoO on the healer, who has reached into the threatened square but not moved there?
So healer casts spell from safe square, and stands in safe square, but casts on ally in threatened square.
And what if healer casts spell from safe square, then moves to threatened square, and touches ally, thus finishing spell?
Now a couple people have insisted that reaching into the threatened square opens the healer up to an attack of opportunity. I disagree.
My argument is that, according to core rules pp.185-186 on touch spells in combat, that the touching part is considered a free action (listed on pg.188 as 'don't take any time at all' and stated that they 'rarely incur attacks of opportunity'). Also, 'if you touch anyone or anything, even unintentionally, the spell discharges' tells me that only incidental contact with any portion of the body is necessary. Lastly, since there are specific rules for deciding if touching an enemy incurs an attack of opportunity, I have always basically assumed that touching a friend does not. I would even argue that doing the touch part while the healer is standing in a threatened square would not incur an AoO if he was touching a friend.
Their arguments are: that the description of cure spells is 'lay your hand' upon them, which takes mroe commitment than a casual touch; that some free actions may incur an attack of opportunity and that action is not specified either way; that the only place anything is specified for touching is for a full round action of touching up to 6 people as part of a touch spell, which does incur an AoO (though I would argue that this is a separate type of action (full round, not free) and only incurs AoO if you are in a threatened square, not if the friends you will touch are).
I guess that I think the spirit of the touch spells in combat rule is that only the casting (and moving if you move out of a threatened square) can draw an AoO. And the rule in Core Rules pg. 180, under Attacks of Opportunity - Provoking an Attack of Opportunity states 'Two kinds of actions can provoke attacks of opportunity: moving out of a threatened square and performing certain actions within a threatened square.' While you are touching someone who is in a threatened square, I don't think the healer is within a threatened square, so should not be subject to AoO, definitely when not touching from a threatened square. And I still think the touch action on a friend should not ever draw an AoO.
Thoughts? Specific rulings from Paizo would be more handy.
Thanks