[Ratfolk, cheek pouches] way to ignore spell failure chances when you have something in your mouth

[Gaterie]

So I play a ratfolk witch with the cheek pouches traits:

cheek pouches wrote:

Some ratfolk have developed stretchy cheek pouches that they can use to hold and carry small loads up to 1 cubic foot in volume and 10 pounds in weight, such as light weapons, potions, scrolls, and similar objects. Such a ratfolk can transfer a held object to his cheek pouches or extract an object from his cheek pouches as a swift action. As a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity, the ratfolk can instead massage all of the items held in the cheek pouches onto the ground in the square it occupies. As long as the ratfolk has at least one object in its cheek pouches, its speech is difficult to understand, and it has a 20% spell failure chance when casting spells with verbal components. This racial trait replaces swarming.

I'm looking for a way to make this trait useful. I need my swift action at beginning of fight: the GM decided my prehensile hair activate as swift; and I play a (winter witch)³, so my swift actions enhance my spells. Hence I can't simply take the item I have in mouth in my hand at the beginning of fight. I don't have enough feats to take Silent spell, and a rod of Silent spell doesn't make much sense if I want to hide rods in my mouth. Is there another way to remove the drawback from cheek pouches?

[avr]

If someone else casts collaborative thaumaturgy as you cast a spell that'd do it. This is obviously a difficult thing to arrange on a regular basis unless you take the leadership feat, and you say you can't spare any feats.

A silent spinel metamagic gem costs too much to use regularly (1000 gp/spell casting) but might be useful occasionally.

Aside from those there's no obvious way - your class (& prestige class) and race are already picked, you have no feats to spare on silent spell or spell hex, metamagic rods are out. What else do you have that you could use? Not a whole lot.

Edit: I suppose if you dump your mouthful as a move action that works without taking your swift or standard actions. Maybe your familiar can grab the dumped item and run.

[Gaterie]

avr wrote:

If someone else casts collaborative thaumaturgy as you cast a spell that'd do it. This is obviously a difficult thing to arrange on a regular basis unless you take the leadership feat, and you say you can't spare any feats.

It works with Familiar spell (not available until mid-level, but it's ok). I have to think about it (the cost is heavy, but i think there's something to do with this). x)

Note: i *could* spare a feat on leadership since it's the best feat in the game(ie, it's a better feat than any of the feat I'll ever take), but I *won't* do it because it's too cheesy. I have no problem with Improved familiar + Familiar spell: my "cheese limit" is at improved familiar with UMD cheese (I don't know if it's inside or outside my limit; Familiar spell has a real cost, so it's inside the limit). Leadership is far outside this limit.

Quote:

Edit: I suppose if you dump your mouthful as a move action that works without taking your swift or standard actions. Maybe your familiar can grab the dumped item and run.

That, or an Unseen servant...

I already though about the Unseen servant, but in the end it's the same as having the unseen servant holding some stuff and no cheek pouch...

Note: I have still one Trait to choose, and i'm considering Accelerated Drinker. The combo with cheek pouches is obvious... If i can actually use my cheek pouches x) . Or maybe I shouldn't take this trait at character creation (and take Magical lineage + Accelerated drinker at level 15+... i guess it's worth a feat, since magical lineage is worth a feat all by itself x) ...)

The other trait I'm considering is Sleight of hand as a class skill. Not very useful, but the idea of stealing something and hiding it in my mouth is a lot of fun at least. x)

[zza ni]

swallow?