I put this in Advice rather than Rules because of questions 5 & 6.
Friend wants to build a primary caster (type not yet determined) that specializes in the touch spells. As many folks have noticed. Many of the touch spells are significantly more powerful than the ranged spells. However, most casters don't actually want to get in touch range if they can possibly avoid it. There are at least a few ways to take care of that. But he has a few questions about the mechanics.
1) If you use Aberrant Bloodline increased touch range, the Spectral Hand spell, or even the Reach Spell metamagic feat they are still melee touch attacks. Is that correct?
2) If yes, then you could take weapon finesse and use dex to make the touch correct? Most would choose to dump strength.
3) If no, then you would pretty much need to take point blank and precise shot to use them in combat effectively. Correct?
4) Does the target get cover from melee or other creatures in the way or the 20% miss chance from Entropic Shield?
5) {I am the GM} Does it seem out-of-line to allow touch attacks to use either Str or Dex, whichever is better for everyone?
6) Anyone have any ideas other than the 3 listed in questions 1) to make effective use of touch spells?
1) Aberrant Bloodline and Spectral hand yes. Reach I think makes it ranged but cannot confirm the RAW ruling
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) Yes
5) I personally do not find it to be that bad though I do not personally use it. A training +1 spiked gauntlet costs 8300gp for weapon finesse. I would consider the most powerful touch spell build and make my decision off that.
6) None of these are optimal but they are fun. Bad touch clerics, dimensional assault + quickdraw + spellstoring weapons + force punch, and grapple build + intensified shocking grasp
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1) Yes, Yes, No. Reach spell turns it into a ranged touch at Close (or more) range. The other two just get your hand farther out but it's still a melee touch.
2) Yes.
3) Well, big creatures tend to trade Dexterity for natural armor, so they often have pretty low touch AC. You could get by without precise shot for your Reach spells, but it's nice to have.
4) Cover can happen for both melee attacks and ranged attacks. Note that all three tactics run into a different set of cover rules: Spectral Hand is tiny so moves into the enemy's square and thereby avoids all cover, Aberrant uses the reach melee cover attack rules, and Reach Spell the ranged cover rules. Only Reach Spell is a ranged attack and therefore affected by Entropic Shield.
5) I wouldn't. It's a buff to classes already considered on the strong end of the spectrum. Being able to ignore an ability (strength) and invest the points elsewhere should come at a price, such as a Weapon Finesse feat. Dexterity is already a strong ability for spellcasters because they tend to value Initiative very highly.
6) Don't overestimate touch spells. There's a few good ones, but they're not actually that much stronger than regular ranged spells (if they are at all).
But some of the best ones are Stricken Heart and Frigid Touch. Why? A touch-oriented caster wants to be friends with his melee-oriented PCs who'll be shielding him from enemies. These spells cause enemies to be staggered, which prevents them from making full attacks. Thus, the spell gives the melee PCs a big advantage because they'll be making more attacks than their opponent can do in return.
Prehensile hair is also an option I really like as it allows to use your int score to deliver the touch and 10' range without cover as it is a melee touch, not a ranged one.
That's what I meant actually. Messed up (again) with the words.
Prehensile hair is also an option I really like as it allows to use your int score to deliver the touch and 10' range without cover as it is a melee touch, not a ranged one.
Grippli with the Agile Tongue feat is another fun option.
Kileanna: melee attacks are also subject to cover. In fact, the rules for cover against non-adjacent melee attacks are the same as against ranged attacks. They are however not subject to the shooting into melee thing that ranged attacks want Precise Shot to avoid.
Phalanx Formation lets you ignore the soft cover caused by your allies. I think of it as Precise Shot for reach builds. :)
Friend wants to build a primary caster (type not yet determined) that specializes in the touch spells. As many folks have noticed. Many of the touch spells are significantly more powerful than the ranged spells. However, most casters don't actually want to get in touch range if they can possibly avoid it. There are at least a few ways to take care of that.
Spellstrike with a reach weapon is a great option for a touch spell build. Your friend might want to consider a Blade Adept Arcanist. By 5th level you can be using Spellstrike with your Black Blade Whip from 15' away. It also works well with Eldritch Knight in case you want to boost your BAB.
Phalanx Formation is a bit of a trick answer, since it only works for "Reach weapons" - that's not the same as limbs with more than normal natural reach. It would work for a whip-wielding magus, but not for an agile-tongued grippli or aberrant sorcerer.
Huh. Natural weapons are weapons, and prehensile hair states that it has reach so I thought it would work. But given this recent FAQ stating that "weapon" usually means "manufactured weapon," you could be correct.
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Phalanx Formation is a bit of a trick answer, since it only works for "Reach weapons" - that's not the same as limbs with more than normal natural reach. It would work for a whip-wielding magus, but not for an agile-tongued grippli or aberrant sorcerer.Huh. Natural weapons are weapons, and prehensile hair states that it has reach so I thought it would work. But given this recent FAQ stating that "weapon" usually means "manufactured weapon," you could be correct.
A Reach Weapon is a weapon with the Reach property, the kind that you can't use if enemies get too close. The hair and tongue are like a troll that has long arms and therefore natural reach - you can still attack people close by, but it doesn't work with Phalanx Formation.
The Whip is sneaky because it clearly has the Reach tag but you can also use it up close (although that has its own problems).
A Reach Weapon is a weapon with the Reach property, the kind that you can't use if enemies get too close. The hair and tongue are like a troll that has long arms and therefore natural reach - you can still attack people close by, but it doesn't work with Phalanx Formation.Phalanx Formation is a bit of a trick answer, since it only works for "Reach weapons" - that's not the same as limbs with more than normal natural reach. It would work for a whip-wielding magus, but not for an agile-tongued grippli or aberrant sorcerer.Huh. Natural weapons are weapons, and prehensile hair states that it has reach so I thought it would work. But given this recent FAQ stating that "weapon" usually means "manufactured weapon," you could be correct.
I get it now: having reach doesn't necessarily mean that weapon has the Reach property. So this would be analogous to the way that Spear Dancing Style would give you the benefits of Weapon Finesse with a spear, but the spear still wouldn't have the Finesse property and so wouldn't qualify for the Dueling Weapon Special Ability.