A simple question that came to my mind, and I get a little confused.
If you have a wand with a touch spell (shocking grasp, for example) and you use the wand but miss the touch attack, can you hold the charge as with normal touch spells?
If the answer is affirmative, you could have your wand charged at the beginning of a combat so that you don't have to waste an standard action after.
Thanks !!!
You can hold it like a touch spell normally.
Looking over the rules, I noticed, that only the initial touch attack (while casting the spell) does not provoke an AoO. So when you hold the charge, you provoke AoO as a normal unarmed attack.
While you could charge it before the combat, it will still require an attack to deliver it, so you don't really get an extra action out of it. While it might be useful in few situations (delivering it as a part of a full-attack), the AoO you provoke (if you aren't a monk) will not be worth it.
Casting it on an ally is a standard action, so it cannot be done as part of a full attack action.
My mistake, rereading the rules, I realize that the AoO only apply if you deliver the spell through a normal unarmed attack, so disregard that bit.
It does make it a bit more viable to holde before combat and use as a part of a full attack action. But remember that is discharges if you cast any other spell.
A simple question that came to my mind, and I get a little confused.
If you have a wand with a touch spell (shocking grasp, for example) and you use the wand but miss the touch attack, can you hold the charge as with normal touch spells?
If the answer is affirmative, you could have your wand charged at the beginning of a combat so that you don't have to waste an standard action after.
Thanks !!!
Yes, you could cast the spell prior to combat simply hold the charge. Just remember that the moment you touch anything, or cast another spell, you lose the held charge.
As a spellcaster, running up into melee will generally be the last thing I do, not the first. If you're a fighter with Use Magic Device, than that is another matter. :)
Afaik you can't discharge a touch spell on a target using the wand, a weapon, or any item, you have to use a free hand, the wand just cast the spell but doesn't change the touch spells rules. However it is not clear in the rule (it was clarified in the 3.5 faq)
In any case, you can't hold the charge in the same hand that wields the wand because:
If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges.
But imo you can hold the charge in another free hand, or maybe drop the wand before holding the charge (you hold the charge "If you don’t discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell", not after failing the touch attack)
Afaik you can't discharge a touch spell on a target using the wand, a weapon, or any item, you have to use a free hand, the wand just cast the spell but doesn't change the touch spells rules. However it is not clear in the rule (it was clarified in the 3.5 faq)
In any case, you can't hold the charge in the same hand that wields the wand because:
But imo you can hold the charge in another free hand, or maybe drop the wand before holding the charge (you hold the charge "If you don’t discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell", not after failing the touch attack)
If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges.
I don't think something you were ALREADY holding at the time of casting will accidentally discharge the spell. If that was the case, you wouldn't ever be able to use such a spell unless you were completely naked and hovering off the ground.
I don't think something you were ALREADY holding at the time of casting will accidentally discharge the spell. If that was the case, you wouldn't ever be able to use such a spell unless you were completely naked and hovering off the ground.Afaik you can't discharge a touch spell on a target using the wand, a weapon, or any item, you have to use a free hand, the wand just cast the spell but doesn't change the touch spells rules. However it is not clear in the rule (it was clarified in the 3.5 faq)
In any case, you can't hold the charge in the same hand that wields the wand because:
But imo you can hold the charge in another free hand, or maybe drop the wand before holding the charge (you hold the charge "If you don’t discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell", not after failing the touch attack)
If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges.
The spell won't discharge in the same round you cast the spell. The unintentional discharge rule is only a part of "holding the charge" which doesn't happen until the round ends.
Furthermore IMO touching refers to touching with hands and unarmed attacks, not any part of the body, otherwise the RAW doesn't make much sense (altough it is open for a lot of DM adjudication)