While attempting to create a Magus build, I found a possible interaction between the Magus' Spellstrike ability and Combat Manuevers delivered via weapons (such as tripping with a whip). For reference, here's the description of Spellstrike:
"Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon as part of casting this spell. If used with spell combat, this does not grant an additional attack."
My question is, can a Touch Spell be delivered via Spellstrike with a tripping weapon on a Trip Combat Manuever?
I hate it when rules as written lean toward balance at the expense of logic... but there you have it. Virtually every combat maneuver is mentioned as doing something "in place of a melee attack".
If I were your GM, I'd say "absolutely, do it!" I'm not, though, and it's up to your own group to figure out if you'd do the same. Where the letter of the law is concerned, though, I agree with SlimJamama.
My question is, can a Touch Spell be delivered via Spellstrike with a tripping weapon on a Trip Combat Manuever?
There's a FAQ Request thread for a similar question here: Combat Maneuvers and held charges of touch spells.
I would assume that if a trip with a natural weapon will deliver a held charge, the same would be true with Spellstrike.
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Found it:
Tripping Staff (Combat)
You can make a trip attack with your quarterstaff.
Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Weapon Focus (quarterstaff), base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: You treat quarterstaves as if they had the trip special feature.
Special: If you are a magus with the staff magus archetype, you can use spellstrike on any trip combat maneuver you make with the staff.
The emphasized portion implies that the default state is that trips with a weapon don't normally trigger Spellstrike and that this feat provides a special exception.
I do believe that is just one of the unnecessary explanations on a feat the DEVS keeps saying they are trying to work away from.
Anyway that interpretations is the exact opposite of what was stated about spellstrike in one of the FAQ updates on how spellstrike works.
Here, look over THIS faq update:
Can a magus use spellstrike (Ultimate Magic, page 10) to cast a touch spell, move, and make a melee attack with a weapon to deliver the touch spell, all in the same round?
Yes. Other than deploying the spell with a melee weapon attack instead of a melee touch attack, [/b]the magus spellstrike ability doesn’t change the normal rules for using touch spells in combat (Core Rulebook 185)[/b]. So, just like casting a touch spell, a magus could use spellstrike to cast a touch spell, take a move toward an enemy, then (as a free action) make a melee attack with his weapon to deliver the spell.
On a related topic, the magus touching his held weapon doesn’t count as “touching anything or anyone” when determining if he discharges the spell. A magus could even use the spellstrike ability, miss with his melee attack to deliver the spell, be disarmed by an opponent (or drop the weapon voluntarily, for whatever reason), and still be holding the charge in his hand, just like a normal spellcaster. Furthermore, the weaponless magus could pick up a weapon (even that same weapon) with that hand without automatically discharging the spell, and then attempt to use the weapon to deliver the spell. However, if the magus touches anything other than a weapon with that hand (such as retrieving a potion), that discharges the spell as normal.
Basically, the spellstrike gives the magus more options when it comes to delivering touch spells; it’s not supposed to make it more difficult for the magus to use touch spells.
Sean K Reynolds
Designer
With that said the only exception given from the normal rules on touch spells is that the weapon itself doesn't count as something being touched. The only way I can think of this working is to look at the weapon as an extension of the Magus and anything it touches discharges the spell.
If it doesn't work that way then all a Magi would need to do is start casting ALL their touch spells and holding their sheathed weapons hilt to prevent themselves from ever accidentally discharging any of those spells. Could you imagine a Magi walking around with 11 spells ready to discharge at the same time as soon as their sword hits once?I'd much rather deal with touch spells going off on combat maneuvers then this bit of blatant cheese.
If it doesn't work that way then all a Magi would need to do is start casting ALL their touch spells and holding their sheathed weapons hilt to prevent themselves from ever accidentally discharging any of those spells. Could you imagine a Magi walking around with 11 spells ready to discharge at the same time as soon as their sword hits once?
Holding the Charge: "If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates."
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If it doesn't work that way then all a Magi would need to do is start casting ALL their touch spells and holding their sheathed weapons hilt to prevent themselves from ever accidentally discharging any of those spells. Could you imagine a Magi walking around with 11 spells ready to discharge at the same time as soon as their sword hits once?Holding the Charge: "If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates."
Normally true, with the posting from JJ stating some of these spells (chill touch and frostbite being the most common) you aren't holding the charge then that rule wouldn't apply and you could stack as many of those (different spells not the same one 11 times) as you want.
That is off topic however and still waiting to hear which interpretation is correct. Let's drop it from this and stay on the original question then.