Hello,
I apologize in advance for any grammar and/or spelling mistakes, and this has probably been asked a million times, but I'm kind of lost right now.
I just did play my first round of Pathfinder and I'm the DM. And I can't get behind how spells work.
Lets say a Level 1 Sorcerer with an a charisma of 16 (+3 Mod if I'm not mistaken), is trying to cast a spell. What does he need to do?
It says in the Rulebook he must concentrate, but let's say he is just standing around and shoots something magical at a goblin.
1. Does he need to roll in order to confirm a hit in general?
2. How do saving throws factor into this? I can see that the goblin would have to pass a 10 + spell level + 3 (Charisma). So the wizard itself doesnt have to roll at all? Seems weird to me.
3. Spells that don't allow saving throws just hit... always? Like Ray of Frost.
4. How do I calculate the damage? Ray of Frost states that it does 1d3 damage. Do I have to add anything else like Spell-level (in this case 0) or Charisma-Mod?
I'm kind of confused because I read something about Spell criticals, but how are they supposed to crit if you dont need to roll to hit?
Please help to clear my confusing.
Lots of thanks
Gromdar
1) In general, no. Some spells specifically require you to make a ranged touch attack (such as Ray of Frost,) in which case you must roll (1d20 + dex + BAB + miscellaneous bonuses such as Point-Blank Shot) versus the opponent's touch AC. You can crit if you roll a 20 on one of these ranged touch attacks.
2) Correct, for most spells the spellcaster doesn't have to roll anything.
3) Ray of Frost specifically requires you to make a ranged touch attack (as all ray spells do,) but some spells do indeed always hit.
4) You do not add anything to the damage, generally. There may be miscellaneous bonuses (Point-Blank Shot for ranged attacks like Ray of Frost, sorcerer bloodlines like Draconic, etc.) but typically you don't add anything.
Lets say a Level 1 Sorcerer with an a charisma of 16 (+3 Mod if I'm not mistaken), is trying to cast a spell. What does he need to do?
It depends on the spell.
Lets say he knows Magic Missile, and wants to cast it. That spell has a Casting Time of 1 standard action. It also has Verbal (V) and Somatic (S) components. So he needs a hand free in order to make the somatic gestures, and he needs to be able to speak in a strong clear voice. He uses a standard action to do this, then the spell effect happens. In the case of Magic Missile, it strikes unerringly, so there's no attack roll to be made, it just hits. There's no saving throw, so the target doesn't get to roll a save. There is spell resistance, however, so if the target has SR, the sorcerer will have to roll an SR check or else the missile does nothing.
It says in the Rulebook he must concentrate, but let's say he is just standing around and shoots something magical at a goblin.
If he's on a ship, or in really bad weather, or there's something else interfering with him, yes, he'll need to make a concentration check. If not, then he's fine.
If something threatens him, like the goblin is standing adjacent and has a weapon, then the sorcerer will provoke an attack of opportunity (which can interrupt his spell) unless he casts defensively (or steps back first).
3. Spells that don't allow saving throws just hit... always? Like Ray of Frost.
Ray of Frost is a ray. This means it's a weapon, and you must succeed on a ranged touch attack in order to hit with it. This is a ranged attack (d20 + BAB + Dexterity mod + any other applicable bonuses) against the targets touch AC (his AC minus armor, natural armor, and shield). If the attack hits, then the spell effect happens.
4. How do I calculate the damage? Ray of Frost states that it does 1d3 damage. Do I have to add anything else like Spell-level (in this case 0) or Charisma-Mod?
It just does 1d3 damage. Other things can increase it, though, like bard performance Inspire Courage, or Point-Blank Shot feat. (Note: That only applies to rays, because rays are weapons. There are other spells that use a ranged touch attack that are not rays, like Acid Splash which would not benefit by effects that increase weapon damage. Acid Splash still has an attack roll, and it can crit, but it's not a weapon)
I'm kind of confused because I read something about Spell criticals, but how are they supposed to crit if you dont need to roll to hit?
You can only crit if you roll to attack. With the ray, if you roll a natural 20, then confirm the crit, you deal double damage.
Wow, that many great answers in such a short time. Thanks a lot!
But now I have another question:
Where can I see which kind of spells are touch attacks and can crit/need a roll? A chapter in the Rulebook or a link would be nice :-)
The spells that are touch attacks will say it right there in the spell. Take Acid Splash as an example:
You fire a small orb of acid at the target. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. The orb deals 1d3 points of acid damage. This acid disappears after 1 round.
Where can I see which kind of spells are touch attacks
In the spell description.
"Range touch" means it's a touch spell.
"Effect ray" means it's a ray.
If the description says you need to make a ranged touch attack, then you do.
Melee touch attacks are a totally different deal, and have their own rules. You can touch yourself or a friend automatically, but touching an enemy requires an attack. Since they're melee, they use Strength instead of Dexterity for your attack roll. In the round you cast a touch spell, you get to make a touch attack as a free action. If you don't, or you miss, you can hold the charge and try again round after round until you touch something or cast another spell.
If you're going to have people using offensive touch spells, be very familiar with Touch Spells in Combat.
and can crit/need a roll?
Spells and Critical Hits: "A spell that requires an attack roll can score a critical hit. A spell attack that requires no attack roll cannot score a critical hit. If a spell causes ability damage or drain (see Special Abilities), the damage or drain is doubled on a critical hit."
Thanks again, you all have been a great help! :-)