I'm not entirely sure if this question has been asked before. If it has, my apologies.
Advanced Player's Guide wrote: Bodyguard: When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may use an attack of opportunity to attempt the aid another action to improve your ally's AC. You may not use the aid another action to improve your ally's attack roll with this attack. Advanced Player's Guide wrote: In Harm's Way: While using the aid another action to improve an adjacent ally's AC, you can intercept a successful attack against that ally as an immediate action, taking full damage from that attack and any associated effects (bleed, poison, etc.). A creature cannot benefit from this feat more than once per attack. Core Rulebook wrote: Attacks: Some spell descriptions refer to attacking. All offensive combat actions, even those that don't damage opponents, are considered attacks. Attempts to channel energy count as attacks if it would harm any creatures in the area. All spells that opponents resist with saving throws, that deal damage, or that otherwise harm or hamper subjects are attacks. Spells that summon monsters or other allies are not attacks because the spells themselves don't harm anyone. Question #1: Can a character with the Bodyguard feat spend an attack of opportunity even when it won't make a difference? That is, can you activate Bodyguard in response to a magic missile or fireball?
Question #2: If a character with In Harm's Way and spell resistance steps in to guard against a scorching ray that targets an ally, would spell resistance be checked?
1) Uhh, technically, I guess? Why would you want to?
2) Ooh, good question. I would say that SR applies, but I'm only about 95% sure.
1. The spell must attack the target. So yes, you could use it against magic missile but no, not against fireball because that is just an AoE blast, not a targeted spell. It doesn't matter that you're raising AC against a magic missile (which doesn't hit AC), the result that you take the hit from ONE of the missiles is still the same.
2. Yes. You intercept the spell and all the effects, but since lowering your Spell Resistance requires an actual action, you cannot lower it, therefore it applies because it's automatic. (The alternative, that SR is lowered and not applicable, opens this to exploitation as a way to gain healing or buffs in combat without lowering SR, so either way you rule it, it causes problems - I would just leave SR as always applicable like it's intended to be).
1) Yes, provided the spell requires an attack roll. IE: Rays, touches, etc.
2) Yep, spell hits you, caster rolls to penetrate SR.
Thank you for the idea of sticking these onto a Wild Rager.
That'll teach the squishers to stop attracting aggro from me.
I was specifically thinking of giving Bodyguard and In Harm's Way to an unchained demon eidolon, and use the combo to
a) protect its summoner from nasty spells
b) protect itself from those same nasty spells with energy resistance and spell resistance
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