Holding a charge and attacking with a touch spell

[Theconiel]

In 1e, I could cast a spell like Shocking Grasp and hold the charge for up to 10 rounds. If I missed with the first touch attack, I could keep trying without losing the spell. Is that still true?

[Kennethray]

Nope

The casting a spell action points out that once the activity is over the spell is done. The activity last as long as the casting time is. So for shocking grasp, 2 actions and it's done.

[thenobledrake]

Nope.

[rainzax]

Touching is automatic now. "Touch AC" no longers exists.

Perhaps it's easier to think of it as "Range: Adjacent"?

The spell will tell you if you need to make a spell attack roll, or if the target needs to make a save. Or for that matter, if it would "hold a charge" for a certain amount of rounds.

There are no more "special" rules for "touch" spells.

Hope that helps. Cheers.

[Claxon]

Yeah, "holding" a spell is gone, unless a spell notes a specific exemption.

[Captain Morgan]

rainzax wrote:

Touching is automatic now. "Touch AC" no longers exists.

Perhaps it's easier to think of it as "Range: Adjacent"?

The spell will tell you if you need to make a spell attack roll, or if the target needs to make a save. Or for that matter, if it would "hold a charge" for a certain amount of rounds.

There are no more "special" rules for "touch" spells.

Hope that helps. Cheers.

Shocking Grasp is one of the only spells that needs an attack role, actually.

[breithauptclan]

Also, it is a 'spell attack' at your unarmed reach rather than an actual unarmed strike. Which looks like a pedantic semantic difference on the surface, but the spell attack is typically using your class's key ability modifier rather than STR. That can be quite a difference. And coming from previous editions, that may be a difference that also goes unnoticed.