Gauntlets interacting with Touch Spells

[Ganymede425]

Do gauntlets (either purchased separately or as part of a suit of armor) interact negatively with spellcasting?

For instance, would wearing a guantlet or spiked gauntlet spoil a touch spell? In the alternative, would delivering a touch attack with a spiked gauntleted hand grant the -4 to hit penalty if the caster was not proficient with gauntlets? Would it be any different if it was a normal gauntlet instead of a spiked gauntlet?

[Grick]

Ganymede425 wrote:

Do gauntlets (either purchased separately or as part of a suit of armor) interact negatively with spellcasting?

No. A locked gauntlet specifically states that you can't use the hand wearing it for casting spells, a normal or spiked gauntlet is fine.

Ganymede425 wrote:

would wearing a guantlet or spiked gauntlet spoil a touch spell?

Can of worms.

Some folks think touching -anything- will discharge the spell. They often don't include air, or the other cells in your hand, but do include fingers, gloves, rings, weapons, sleeves, tiny bugs, etc.

Other folks think anything you're holding/wearing at the time of casting is fine. That would include a gauntlet (spiked or not).

You'll have to ask your DM how he runs things.

Ganymede425 wrote:

would delivering a touch attack with a spiked gauntleted hand grant the -4 to hit penalty if the caster was not proficient with gauntlets?

Touch attack, no. Unarmed strike using the gauntlet, yes. (Assuming your DM doesn't rule that the gauntlet immediately discharges the spell.)

[Ganymede425]

Grick wrote:

Touch attack, no. Unarmed strike using the gauntlet, yes. (Assuming your DM doesn't rule that the gauntlet immediately discharges the spell.)

Is there a distinction between the gauntlet and spiked gauntlet in this area?

All characters are proficient with their own unarmed strikes. All the gauntlet seems to do is make it so unarmed attacks do lethal damage, so it seems that using a gauntlet when not proficient in simple weapons would not afford a -4 penalty with unarmed strikes.

On the other hand, the spiked gauntlet might not afford the same benefit. The description says that attacks with the spiked gauntlet count as an armed attack; such implies that the spiked gauntlet is just upgrading your unarmed attack as opposed to being a weapon in its own right. That is definitely not conclusive, though.

So, is there a distinction between spiked and regular gauntlets in this regard?

[Grick]

Ganymede425 wrote:

Is there a distinction between the gauntlet and spiked gauntlet in this area?

I don't believe so. They're both simple weapons. The wizard or druid or whatever can make an unarmed strike with a kick or headbutt, but if they use the gauntlet, they're using a weapon, and proficiency will matter.

Same thing if it's enchanted, if you make the unarmed strike with a +3 gauntlet, you get the +3 to attack and damage, but only if you're using the weapon.

[Sekret_One]

Adding to the can of worms here... unarmed strike is also labeled as a simple weapon in the equipment list. The gauntlet being under simple yet treated as unarmed strike is logically just in the simple list because it has to be somewhere.