Cover and melle penalties to hit with spells

[Drusilla1977]

I have heard different people say different things on this and I just want toe official PFS answer. In order to hit a foe with a spell, do you have to take into account cover and the foe being in melee like you do with ranged weapons? I mean, if you need Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot and whatnot to hit anything with a spell, it makes playing any kind of caster almost impossible for the first several levels! About the only thing a caster can do at that point is just spam Magic Missile until they run out of spell slots...

[Harley Quinn X]

This isn't a PFS specific question, even if you're trying to find an answer specifically for your PFS character. This is already covered in the rule book.

If it's a spell that requires an attack roll like a ranged touch spell, yes, cover applies.

See the section for Magic in the Core Rulebook:

Quote:

Ray: Some effects are rays. You aim a ray as if using a ranged weapon, though typically you make a ranged touch attack rather than a normal ranged attack. As with a ranged weapon, you can fire into the dark or at an invisible creature and hope you hit something. You don't have to see the creature you're trying to hit, as you do with a targeted spell. Intervening creatures and obstacles, however, can block your line of sight or provide cover for the creature at which you're aiming.

If you're having trouble hitting, having high DEX and feats like Weapon Focus (Ray) will help out.

[Snorter]

Plenty of spells can target a person, without requiring a 'to-hit' roll, either by affecting everyone in the area, or by simply allowing the caster to declare one or more 'targets'.

The clue is in the spell description, and the summary info before the flavor text.

[RainyDayNinja]

If the spell doesn't require an attack roll, then you don't need to worry about cover or other penalties to attack rolls*. You only need line of sight. However, if the spell does have an attack roll (such as a scorching ray), then you take all the usual penalties for ranged attacking.

*If someone has cover from the point of origin of a spell such as fireball or burning hands, they get get a bonus to the Reflex save equal to half the AC bonus from cover (+2 from regular cover, +1 from partial cover).

[calagnar]

If there is a attack roll required to hit. Yes you have to deal with cover, and shooting in to melee. How ever most spells target touch AC. So there is a big swing in what you need to hit vs. normal AC.

[BigNorseWolf]

If you want to be a scorching ray monkey, get point blank and precise shot asap. You can do so at first level on a human or 3rd as anything else.

[Illeist]

An attack roll is an attack roll, whether with a weapon of with a spell. "Sure, acid splash targets touch AC, but are you ready for that -12 penalty for the target being in melee, behind allies, and prone?" (A statement I've uttered many a time.)
You can take ranged feats to lessen these penalties (specifically, just the -4 for shooting into melee), but it stops being worthwhile around 5th level (unless you're building a ray specialist).

[Bbauzh ap Aghauzh]

This does not require an official PFS answer.

This question is better on the rules forum.

The others here have answered your question sufficiently.