Grave Walker Spell Poppet Touch Spells

[Joko PO]

"The following familiar ability works differently for a gravewalker:Deliver Touch Spells (Su): At 3rd level or higher, a gravewalker can use her poppet to deliver touch spells. After casting a
touch spell, as a full-round action, the witch can designate a target and stab a pin into her poppet, delivering the spell as a ranged touch attack. The target must be within range of her aura of desecration ability (see below)."

OK I read that as "By increasing the casting time of the spell to a full round action...." but and argument could be made that the rule is saying that you cast the spell normally AND then as a full round action.....

Am I right?

[ShadowcatX]

"After casting a touch spell. . ." = Touch spell was previously cast, ergo you are holding a charge.

". . .as a full-round action. . ." = You are now performing a full round action.

Ergo you must perform the action to cast the spell, and then a full round action, not just a full round action.

[nighttree]

Aww crap....we have just been doing it as a full round action :(

[ShadowcatX]

Coming back and looking at it again, I'm not nearly as sure of my answer as I was an hour and 5 minutes ago. I was only giving my interpretation of the RAW. If casting and delivering the spell as a full round action is working for your group, I'd keep it going, there's really no reason to change things midstream.

The ability is really horribly punctuated. The commas encapsulating "as a full-round action" really muddy the waters. If the ability was written "After casting a touch spell as a full round action, the witch can..." or "After casting a touch spell, as a full round action the witch can..." the meaning would be clear. However, because they put commas on both sides of the phrase, it could go either way.

Edit: Wow, I really seem to like adverbs. . .

[Joko PO]

ShadowcatX wrote:

Coming back and looking at it again, I'm not nearly as sure of my answer as I was an hour and 5 minutes ago. I was only giving my interpretation of the RAW. If casting and delivering the spell as a full round action is working for your group, I'd keep it going, there's really no reason to change things midstream.

Well I don't think I or anyone has expressed a problem with either one, I was just looking for some consensus.

The wording is wonky and can go either way. Honestly, doing it all as a full round action is not (imho) overpowered as you are giving up all the benefits of a familiar to do it.

[Sean K Reynolds]

Guys, the sentence is written in chronological order.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su): At 3rd level or higher, a gravewalker can use her poppet to deliver touch spells. After casting a touch spell,

In other words, once you've cast the spell, you can activate this deliver touch spells class ability.

as a full-round action, the witch can designate a target and stab a pin into her poppet, delivering the spell as a ranged touch attack.

Using the ability, after casting the spell, is a full-round action.

If the intent was that you could combine the spellcasting and pin-stabbing into one FRA, it would have been written as:

"As a full-round action, a gravewalker can cast a touch spell, designate a target, and stab a pin into her poppet, delivering the spell as a ranged touch attack."

Writing it that way would also have to include special language about spells that have a FRA casting time or longer (because this add-on ability would essentially be free or speed up the spellcasting, which doesn't make sense).

You cast the spell as normal, and AFTER casting the spell you use the deliver touch spells ability as a FRA.

[Joko PO]

Thank you very much for the clarification.

While I did not expect a developer response, one of the things I like about Paizo is that the developers do sometimes wander around with the natives.