Spell Piercing Rod

[Atalius]

If I am equipped with a Cestus and Shield, do I need to have a rod (lesser metamagic piercing) in my hand in order to use it with my spell? Or can I just simply have it on my person?

[GM Rednal]

Quote:

Unless noted otherwise, you must be holding a rod to use its abilities.

[Atalius]

GM Rednal wrote:

Quote:

Unless noted otherwise, you must be holding a rod to use its abilities.

Thanks, if I was holding a rod am I considered threatening my enemy?

[Pizza Lord]

Some rods may be treated as clubs or light maces. Their description will typically say so. Otherwise,it's the GM's call based on the rod's construction.

[Zarius]

Personally... You're pointing a rod at me, and I don't know what it does. I'd rule that as a threatening action, from a social stand point. From a stand point of what spaces you Threaten on a map, your Cestus means you threaten.

[Atalius]

Pizza Lord wrote:

Some rods may be treated as clubs or light maces. Their description will typically say so. Otherwise,it's the GM's call based on the rod's construction.

I couldn't find anything under the Piercing metamagic rod :( and I imagine I wouldn't be even able to cast a spell with somatic or material components if one of my hands had a shield in it and the other had a rod correct?

[GM Rednal]

Correct. This is one of the more important limits - you can only have so much 'stuff' going on with your hands. For casters, that's often holding one useful item and keeping the other hand free for casting. ^^

[Atalius]

GM Rednal wrote:

Correct. This is one of the more important limits - you can only have so much 'stuff' going on with your hands. For casters, that's often holding one useful item and keeping the other hand free for casting. ^^

Is it possible to make a melee touch attack with a rod in hand? Or do you need to have an open hand like a cestus?

[Zarius]

Wear a buckler. It expressly doesn't take up a hand slot, so you can wear the buckler and hold your rod, while still having a hand free for spellcasting.

[Pizza Lord]

Atalius wrote:

I imagine I wouldn't be even able to cast a spell with somatic or material components if one of my hands had a shield in it and the other had a rod correct?

Shield, Light; Wooden or Steel: wrote:

You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light shield's weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it.

With a light shield, you can hold objects in that hand, so material components are usable, assuming their manipulation wouldn't be considered as elaborate as an attack. Since those are allowed, I tend to rule that the free hand you have to hold an object while using a light shield is also able to perform somatic components but some GMs might disagree. You should check with yours.

You could wear a light shield and hold your rod in that hand and still benefit from it, ie. using it to modify spells. You can't attack with it, so you would not threaten with it (assuming it was of a sturdy enough construction to function as a weapon, again GM call if not listed in the rod description). However, as Zarius mentioned, your cestus would let you threaten while also keeping an open hand for the somatic components of your spells.

Atalius wrote:

Is it possible to make a melee touch attack with a rod in hand? Or do you need to have an open hand like a cestus?

Yes, you could make a touch attack with it, assuming it wasn't in the free hand on your arm with a light shield, since that can't be used to attack. Unless your rod specifically does something as a touch attack (or you have an ability to channel spells or effects through a weapon or rod), then it won't do anything other than touch an opponent (which could be used to mark them with soot or paint, or dab a fragrance or scent to them, etc.) You couldn't use it to deliver your shocking grasp without an ability to do so, such as similar to a magus's spellstrike.