Fight Defensively and Spells w / attacks

[Zwordsman]

Howdy

Plain and simple, I didn't see any other posts about it but. Can you fight defensively when you cast a spell that gives an attack?
FD only requires attacking as part of a standard action. Casting a spell is a standard action, and some spells require an attack roll as part of it.

I do not see any specific reason why this would not work. but a lot of Starfinder rules are scattered on occasion so I could miss something.

So, is there anything preventing this?
I'm pondering casters for the new book next month when Cantrips get a bit more to them.

"Fight Defensively
You can fight defensively when attacking as part of a standard action. If you do, you take a –4 penalty to attacks and gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.:
:"Cast a Spell
The vast majority of spells require at least a standard action to cast, and sometimes more. Spells that take more than a round to cast require a full action each round until they are complete. "

[Darg727]

As the book is written, spells can be attacks. Either fighting defensively is referring to the attack (full attack) action, all attack rolls, or all actions that can be defined as an attack. Sadly, the book does not say one way or another.

Most people probably play with the vestigial understanding that fighting defensively can happen anytime you attack with a weapon as was the historical norm. My group is currently playing that you can fight defensively when attacking with spells as defined on page 331-332 of the CRB. As you can't cast defensively, it is a nice benefit to casting and combos well with Combat Casting against AoOs and readied actions trying to interrupt your casts.

[ThermalCat]

I like the idea of Fight Defensively applying to spells, as long as there is an attack roll or target saving throw that the -4 penalty can apply to. It may be in the realm of a house rule, but as a GM I think I'd allow it to apply to spells.

[Garretmander]

Fighting defensively specifically calls out standard actions, so I don't think it works for full attacks, or any attack rolls made as part of non-standard actions.

However, casting a spell like jolting surge is attacking as part of a standard action.

I think I would say it works, as long as the spell is a standard action and involves an attack roll.

Though, I don't think I would ever do so in combat. After all, starfinder got rid of 'holding the charge' for touch spells, and almost all touch spells don't provoke an attack of opportunity anyway. It ends up adding a significant chance to waste a spell slot in exchange for a minor AC bump.

[Sputt]

Garretmander wrote:

After all, starfinder got rid of 'holding the charge' for touch spells

No, they didn't get rid of that.

CRB pg 271.

Touch Effects and Holding the Charge

Some effects, most notably spells, have a range of touch (see Range below) and require an action to activate. In most cases, if you don’t discharge a touch effect on the round you create it, you can postpone the discharge of the effect (also known as holding the charge) indefinitely.

You can make touch attacks round after round until the effect is discharged. If you make any other attack, activate another ability, or cast a spell during this time, the touch effect dissipates.Some touch spells allow you to touch multiple targets as part of the spell. You can’t hold the charge of such a spell; you must touch all targets of the spell in the same round that you finish casting the spell.

[Xenocrat]

Yeah, it's amazing they hid that in tactical combat rather than the spells chapter.

[Darg727]

Garretmander wrote:

Fighting defensively specifically calls out standard actions, so I don't think it works for full attacks, or any attack rolls made as part of non-standard actions.

You can fight defensively as a full action. It's in the full action section. It has a parenthetical that calls out the penalties for fighting defensively and full attacking are cumulative.