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Background: I'm playing in an online AP, and my witch uses Infernal Healing. I'm casting it DURING a combat, so we cannot simply hand-wave the timing.
I began casting the spell last round without using a move action, so like other 1-round cast spells (e.g. Sleep, Summon Monster) it will take effect "immediately before the beginning of [this] turn." (See {1} below.)
The fighter (on whom I want to cast the infernal healing) moved next to me on his action (which is right after mine), so I can touch him without moving.
I touch the fighter in the 2nd round to deliver the infernal healing spell. Do I still get a full (move and standard) turn this round? Or do I only get my move action (no question that I still have that).
Normally the rules say the touch attack for a regular standard action touch spell is a "free action" on the round you cast the spell (See {2} below), but that happens "in the same round that you cast the spell."
Concurrent question: If I were to move, start casting using my standard action, and then in the 2nd round use the "finish full-round action" action (see {3} below) would I in the second round get the normal free touch attack to deliver the touch spell as part of that standard action (i.e. could I then move and deliver the Infernal healing without using a 3rd round)?
Reference Links:
{1}LINK: 1 Round spell: "A spell that takes one round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed."
{2}LINK: Free touch attack in round you cast a touch spell: "Many spells have a range of touch. To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) as a free action. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. You can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on yourself, but to touch an opponent, you must succeed on an attack roll."
{3}LINK: Start/complete standard action: The “start full-round action” standard action lets you start undertaking a full-round action, which you can complete in the following round by using another standard action.
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This comes up with Enlarge Person, too. The way I view it, cast takes their full round action to cast, ending with them touching the target. However, it takes a moment for the magic to actually build up/catch up/do it's thing, so the spell doesn't have any effect until just before the caster's next turn, even if the target has moved away.
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Enlarge Person is close range, not touch.
Also you need to maintain concentration on a 1 round spell until the start of your next turn, which indicates that you do not finish casting at the end of your full round action.
However I think that since the spell comes into effect just before the start of your next turn, you have touched them in the same round as casting - the next round starts with your turn, and you touch them just before that. This is a little like getting the benefit of an effect that improves all your attacks in a round on an AoO made just before your next turn.
When the rules refer to a "full round", they usually mean a span of time from a particular initiative count in one round to the same initiative count in the next round. Effects that last a certain number of rounds end just before the same initiative count that they began on.
I certainly don't think it's intended for a 1 round touch spell to effectively take an extra standard action to deliver.
Cconcurrent question: yes, if you use a standard action to finish casting your spell in turn 2 then you get a free touch in that round, which could be before or after your move.