The following happened in my game:
[a]Big scary monster raises its paw to attack character (AC20)[1] - - -
[b] Big scary monster attacks the character and GM rolls the die (18)
[2] - - -
[c] GM adds monster's modifiers to hit (+5)
[3] - - -
[d] GM and player check to see if monster hit AC of the character -> YES
[4] - - -
[e] Character is damaged (enough to kill the character)
[5] - - -
At what points 1 to 5 is the character allowed to cast the spell stone shield to influence this attack (thereby increasing AC to 24, which is sufficient to avoid the damage)
I appreciate your reactions.
School conjuration (creation) [earth]; Level cleric 1, druid 1, magus 2, sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1
Casting Time 1 immediate action
Components V, S, DF
Range 0 ft.
Effect stone wall whose area is one 5-ft. square
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
A 1-inch-thick slab of stone springs up from the ground, interposing itself between you and an opponent of your choice. The stone shield provides you with cover from that enemy until the beginning of your next turn, granting you a +4 bonus to Armor Class and a +2 bonus on Reflex saving throws. If the opponent's attack misses you by 4 or less, the attack strikes the shield instead. The stone shield has hardness 8 and 15 hit points. If the shield is destroyed, the spell ends and the shield crumbles away into nothingness. Spells and effects that damage an area deal damage to the shield.
You cannot use this spell if you are not adjacent to a large area of earth or stone such as the ground or a wall. A qinggong monk may select this spell as a ki power at 4th level.
[0] (before the attack). Once the creature declares an attack action, that action resolves unless interrupted by a readied action. Casting stone shield is not a readied action.
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And I thought I had all bases covered with my numbering ;-(.
Thanks for your response!
While Blahpers is technically correct (by RAW) I believe the intent is [a], provided the big scary monster is known about. If no-one has any clue the BSM is even there, then you don't get to do your immediate action in anticipation of its attack.
Imagine this thought experiment: Two character both adjacent to BSM. The BSM is invisible and neither character knows he's there. The BSM has multiple attacks. BSM attacks C1, becoming visible. C2 now casts (defensively) Stone Shield. BSM now continues to attack.
While Blahpers is technically correct (by RAW) I believe the intent is [a], provided the big scary monster is known about. If no-one has any clue the BSM is even there, then you don't get to do your immediate action in anticipation of its attack.
Imagine this thought experiment: Two character both adjacent to BSM. The BSM is invisible and neither character knows he's there. The BSM has multiple attacks. BSM attacks C1, becoming visible. C2 now casts (defensively) Stone Shield. BSM now continues to attack.
That might be the intent, but I can't be certain without asking a designer directly. Readied actions have very specific language indicating that they can interrupt another action. Immediate actions do not have this language.
Ideally, the designer should have put something in the spell description about when it can be cast, such as Hero's Defiance has.
It seems the spell designer didn't intend for Stone Shield to be used after the caster learns whether the attack would hit. The intent is contained in the following sentence:
If the opponent's attack misses you by 4 or less, the attack strikes the shield instead.
But if the caster knew in advance whether the attack would hit, the attack would always miss by 4 or less because otherwise the caster would never have erected the shield in the first place. So it seems the designer intended the shield to be erected before the caster knows whether the attack would hit.