Does spirit link activate twice per round?

[Ravingdork]

Sprit Link: When you Cast this Spell and at the start of each of your turns, if the target is below maximum Hit Points, it regains 2 Hit Points (or the difference between its current and maximum Hit Points, if that's lower).

Does spirit link activate twice per round per the above? If it was referencing only the caster's turns, then the words "each of" is entirely superfluous and should have been omitted entirely.

"When you Cast this Spell and at the start of your turns..." would have the exact same result.

Ergo, I posit that it must be a reference to each of the caster's and target's turns, which would mean the transfer is potentially triggered twice per round.

[Eoran]

Well, for me Life Link triggers exactly never - because I have never prepared or cast it. Getting the spell was just a superfluous byproduct of gaining Life Boost.

[aobst128]

I believe it's referencing each of the casters turns. I don't see how it could be referencing the targets turns.

[breithauptclan]

Ravingdork wrote:

Does spirit link activate twice per round per the above? If it was referencing only the caster's turns, then the words "each of" is entirely superfluous and should have been omitted entirely.

"When you Cast this Spell and at the start of your turns..." would have the exact same result.

I would never have read it that way without you pointing it out. But I can see how it could be read to mean that.

But while those extra words are extra, it is a common turn of phrase. I look more to the 'you' and 'your' to mean specifically the spell's caster and the caster alone.

So I will continue to run with Spirit Link only triggering at the start of the caster's turn. But if you and your table want to run with it triggering on both the caster's and the target's start of turn, that is technically valid. I don't think it is worth pushing for if it is going to cause an argument though.

[breithauptclan]

aobst128 wrote:

I believe it's referencing each of the casters turns. I don't see how it could be referencing the targets turns.

The ambiguity is in the English language. 'you' and 'your' can be both singular and plural based on context.

So "each of your" is a plural 'your' and must be referencing both the spell caster and the target.

But "your turns" is a singular 'your' and must be referencing just the caster.

[thenobledrake]

There is not significant enough difference in the meaning of the two phrasings in question to insist that the inclusion of the word "each" changes the meaning.

It's just how some people talk to throw the "each" in there even though it is technically unnecessary, such as "I'm taking something from home for each of my lunches this week" instead of "I'm taking something from home for my lunches this week" or "I'm taking something from home for each lunch this week" which are all synonymous phrases.

[breithauptclan]

There is also 'each of your children'. Which follows the exact same syntax as 'each of your turns'.

A principal has a group meeting with all of the parents of the 4th grade class. He says, 'each of your children is being awarded a scholarship.' plural 'your'

A principal calls a meeting with a single parent of three children. He says, 'each of your children is being awarded a scholarship.' singular 'your'

[The Raven Black]

I think it is only the caster's turn. Because if they meant the caster's turn and the target's turn, then they could write it like this, which would eliminate the ambiguity.

Just like the wrote "you or the target" in the rest of the spell's description.

[painted_green]

Doesn't it state before the spell descriptions that 'you' always refers to the caster? I think I remember something like that, but I don't have the book on hand to check right now.

That being said, 'at the start of your turns' sounds like bad English to me. It would have to be 'at the starts of your turns', which also sounds bad. And I don't even see how either of those would remove the ambiguity you are talking about.

[Castilliano]

There is zero ambiguity. The antecedent of "your" is "you" which (unless somehow multiple creatures are casting the spell!) refers only to the caster. To interpret otherwise would be first to assume Paizo made a communication error, which is a stretch as the phrasing, spell balance, etc. make sense as is. (It could also be unclear due to translation, but in English when read straightforward there should be no doubt.)