I'm having some problems with touch attacks:
First of all, I take it you need to use your hand and not a weapon, right? So it's simply a matter of rolling your melee attack unarmed versus touch AC?
Also, I presume you need a free hand to do this?
If you cast defensively can you avoid the attack of opportunity for attacking in melee, or does attacking unarmed still provoke this?
Is it beneficial for sorcs/wizards to have good STR if they plan on using touch spells, or is it a waste or resources in a point buy?
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Touch Attacks: Some attacks completely disregard armor, including shields and natural armor—the aggressor need only touch a foe for such an attack to take full effect. In these cases, the attacker makes a touch attack roll (either ranged or melee). When you are the target of a touch attack, your AC doesn't include any armor bonus, shield bonus, or natural armor bonus. All other modifiers, such as your size modifier, Dexterity modifier, and deflection bonus (if any) apply normally. Some creatures have the ability to make incorporeal touch attacks. These attacks bypass solid objects, such as armor and shields, by passing through them. Incorporeal touch attacks work similarly to normal touch attacks except that they also ignore cover bonuses. Incorporeal touch attacks do not ignore armor bonuses granted by force effects, such as mage armor and bracers of armor.
I'm having some problems with touch attacks:
First of all, I take it you need to use your hand and not a weapon, right? So it's simply a matter of rolling your melee attack unarmed versus touch AC?
Also, I presume you need a free hand to do this?
If you cast defensively can you avoid the attack of opportunity for attacking in melee, or does attacking unarmed still provoke this?
Is it beneficial for sorcs/wizards to have good STR if they plan on using touch spells, or is it a waste or resources in a point buy?
Melee touch attacks are considered 'armed' unarmed attacks, so the caster doesn't suffer opportunity attacks regardless of casting defensively (or not).
First of all, I take it you need to use your hand and not a weapon, right? So it's simply a matter of rolling your melee attack unarmed versus touch AC?
Correct.
Also, I presume you need a free hand to do this?
Correct.
If you cast defensively can you avoid the attack of opportunity for attacking in melee, or does attacking unarmed still provoke this?
Touch Attacks: Touching an opponent with a touch spell is considered to be an armed attack and therefore does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The act of casting a spell, however, does provoke an attack of opportunity.
So, once your hand is all glowing with the magical power, your opponents treat you as making an armed attack. No AoO.
Casting the spell in the first place still provokes as always, so if you are threatened when you cast the spell, you should probably Cast Defensively to avoid provoking during the actual casting of the spell.
Is it beneficial for sorcs/wizards to have good STR if they plan on using touch spells, or is it a waste or resources in a point buy?
Remember that ranged touch attacks use DEX, so your question really only applies to melee touch attacks. In that case, this becomes a personal choice. If the mage is really going to rely very heavily on touch spells, then I would say probably yes, he will be much more effective if he can actually hit with them. If he's only going to use them occasionally, then it probably is a waste of his point-buy resources.
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Is it beneficial for sorcs/wizards to have good STR if they plan on using touch spells, or is it a waste or resources in a point buy?
Or go with Weapon finesse. unarmed strikes are always considered light weapons (and thus valid for finesse) and I cannot see a touch attack being any different.
Another thing to remember with this is that most things have a lower touch AC then normal AC.