Spells as Attacks of Opportunity

[Dralid]

Just a quick rules check:
Normally spellcasters can only take advantage of an Attack of Opportunity with a spell if the spell is already cast and is being held (and the spell is a touch spell). However a character could use a quickened version of a spell to both cast and deliver a touch spell when an opponent provokes.

Is that all above board? Any major caveats I'm overlooking?

Also, if I understand it correctly, touch attacks provided by bloodline powers, arcane schools, and cleric domains both provoke AoO and cannot be used against an opponent provoking an AoO, unless cast previously and held.

Normally my spellcasters attack from a distance, but I'm trying to build a spellcaster who combats on the front lines. Any additional advice is welcome.

[Magicdealer]

Page 180 of the pathfinder dore rulebook

Making an attack of opportunity: An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and most characters can only make one per round.

Since you can't cast a quickened spell on any turn but your own, you cannot use a quickened spell to both cast and deliver a touch spell when an opponent provokes.

If you are already holding a charge, then you can make your attack of opportunity with the melee touch attack and deal that damage. Otherwise, you're stuck attacking them with whatever melee weapon you're currently holding.

Bloodline powers, arcane schools, and cleric domains which provide a touch attack-type action aren't just an attack. They're actually standard actions, spell-like, and do provoke attacks of opportunity. But because they're standard actions, and not actually added to an attack action, you cannot make attacks of opportunity with them unless they're touch attacks and you were already holding the charge before the aoo presented itself.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news :( Can you be a bit more specific about your concept, and your resources? As in, are you looking for an armored meleeing magic-user, an unarmored melee magic-user, and are you using pathfinder core, pathfinder core with the additional pazio pathfinder resources, or even 3rd party books?

There are a few ways to put together fun builds of this type, but a bit more detail is helpful ;)

[SkyGuard]

I don't think you can use a quickened spell like that. However there was a metapsionic feat in the 3.5 psionic handbook that let you use psionic touch powers as a AoO. Maybe you could work out a similar metamagic feat? An increase of 6 power points is the same as psionic quicken which would put the metamagic equivalent as a slot four levels higher.

Opportunity Power [Metapsionic]
You can make power-enhanced attacks of opportunity.

Benefit
To use this feat, you must expend your psionic focus. When you make an attack of opportunity, you can use any power you know with a range of touch, if you have at least one hand free.

Manifesting this power is an immediate action.

You cannot use this feat with a touch power whose manifesting time is longer than 1 full-round action.

Using this feat increases the power point cost of the power by 6. The power’s total cost cannot exceed your manifester level.

Normal
Attacks of opportunity can be made only with melee weapons.

[Morgen]

If your looking to make a front line spell caster you should focus much more on keeping yourself alive and useful then worrying about opponents who might draw attacks of opportunity. You have a lot more to worry about then if someone is going to draw and attack of opportunity from you.

Just have a weapon out and you get your AoO like everyone else. If it's a spell storing weapon then you can do what you want to do with whatever is held in it.

[Dralid]

Magicdealer wrote:

Can you be a bit more specific about your concept, and your resources? As in, are you looking for an armored meleeing magic-user, an unarmored melee magic-user, and are you using pathfinder core, pathfinder core with the additional pazio pathfinder resources, or even 3rd party books?

There are a few ways to put together fun builds of this type, but a bit more detail is helpful ;)

Resources: GM is fickle, but He greatly prefers PFRPG products to 3.5. Additionally, He doesn't like characters that require a stack of sourcebooks, so He won't allow much more than one or two sourcebooks for any player.

Concept: I just want to see an arcane spellcaster do well in the front lines. Another player who always plays fighters, paladins, and barbarians (meatshields) regularly teases the rouges, rangers, and spellcasters that we're somehow deficient to him. I want to beat him at his own game. Still in the very early stages, I've considered a sorcerer with a lvl of fighter (for proficiencies) and Arcane Armor Training/Mastery, wearing Mithral Chainmail. I've considered a Wizard with Bracers of Armor, and eventually a ring of force shield. Combat casting and Toughness are a must in all cases.

In all cases, the spellcaster will be casting spells from the front line, since I don't want to create a character that would be better done by a fighter with a few choice magic items. It must reek of arcane magic goodness.

A spell-storing weapon is extremely likely. Probably a scythe for the Sorcerer, or a quarterstaff for the Wizard.

Campaign: Will start at 1, but will use His "ultimate progression" rate TM, which is one lvl per 4-hr session, as long as we did not waste time, until lvl 10, which will revert to fast progression.

This is a tall order, but it's worth it to knock this guy down a peg.

[Castarr4]

Magicdealer wrote:

[...]

Bloodline powers, arcane schools, and cleric domains which provide a touch attack-type action aren't just an attack. They're actually standard actions, spell-like, and do provoke attacks of opportunity. But because they're standard actions, and not actually added to an attack action, you cannot make attacks of opportunity with them unless they're touch attacks and you were already holding the charge before the aoo presented itself.
[...]

Don't forget that you can still defensively activate spell-like abilities.

[Simon Legrande]

Consider a ranger/transmute wizard setup, maybe Ranger 5/Wizard 15 by level 20. You'll get a free +4 to a physical stat from the wizard spec as well as the ability to change shape starting at level 8. The ranger levels get you two favored enemies, a free TWF feat, and a bit of a boost to the wizard's weak Fort and Ref saves.

[unopened]

Simon Legrande wrote:

Consider a ranger/transmute wizard setup, maybe Ranger 5/Wizard 15 by level 20. You'll get a free +4 to a physical stat from the wizard spec as well as the ability to change shape starting at level 8. The ranger levels get you two favored enemies, a free TWF feat, and a bit of a boost to the wizard's weak Fort and Ref saves.

And a few divine spells, those spells allow you to use CLW wands and such stuff.-