S T O N E K E E P |
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MAGIC ACTIONS
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Magic ActionsThese are the most common, straightforward actions involving the use of magic. Less commonly used magic actions are touched on in Table: Miscellaneous Actions, Turn and Rebuke Undead, and the descriptions of the Concentration skill in Chapter 4: Skills. Cast a SpellCasting a spell with a casting time of 1 action is a standard action. You can move and then cast the spell, or cast the spell and then move. Casting a spell with a casting time of 1 full round is a full-round action. You can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after casting such a spell, but cannot otherwise move. See Chapter 10: Magic for details on casting spells, their effects, saving throws, and so on. Note: You retain your Dexterity bonus to AC while casting. Concentration: You must concentrate to cast a spell. If you can’t concentrate, such as because hundreds of malignant insects are biting off little pieces of your skin all over your body (see the summon swarm spell, page 261), you can’t cast a spell. If you start casting a spell but something interferes with your concentration, such as an ogre taking the opportunity to hit you with its 40-pound club (successfully hitting you with his attack of opportunity), you must make a Concentration check or lose the spell. The check’s DC depends on what is threatening your concentration. If you fail, the spell fizzles with no effect. Concentrating to Maintain a Spell: Some spells require continued concentration to keep them going. Concentrating to maintain a spell is a standard action that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. Anything that could break your concentration when casting a spell can keep you from concentrating to maintain a spell. If your concentration breaks, the spell ends. Casting Time: Most spells have a casting time of 1 action. These spells you can cast as a standard action. A spell cast in this manner immediately takes effect. A few spells have a casting time of 1 full round or even longer. A spell that takes 1 full round to cast is a full-round action, and it comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed. A spell that takes 1 minute to cast comes into effect just before your turn 1 minute later (and for each of those 10 rounds, you are casting a spell as a full-round action). When you begin a spell that takes a full round or longer to cast, you must continue the invocations, gestures, and concentration from one round to just before your turn in the next round (at least). If you lose concentration after starting the spell and before it is complete, you lose the spell. Attacks of Opportunity: Generally, if you cast a spell, you provoke attacks of opportunity from threatening enemies. If you take damage from an attack of opportunity, you must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + points of damage taken) or lose the spell. Casting on the Defensive: You may attempt to cast a spell while on the defensive. This option means casting the spell while paying attention to threats and avoiding blows. In this case, you are no more vulnerable to attack than you would be if you were just standing there, so casting a spell while on the defensive does not provoke an attack of opportunity. It does, however, require a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to pull off. Failure means that you lose the spell. Touch Spells in Combat: Many spells have a range of “Touch.” To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject, either in the same round or any time later. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) the target. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. You can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on yourself, but to touch an opponent, you must succeed at an attack. Touch Attacks: Since you need only touch your enemy, you make a touch attack instead of a regular attack. Touching an opponent with a touch spell is considered to be an armed attack and therefore does not provoke attacks of opportunity when it is discharged on an armed opponent. The touch spell provides you with a credible threat that the defender is obliged to take into account just as if it were a weapon. However, the act of casting a spell does provoke an attack of opportunity, so you may want to cast the spell and then move to the target instead of vice versa. Touch attacks come in two types: melee touch attacks (for touches made with, say, your hand) and ranged touch attacks (for touches made with magic rays, for example). You can score critical hits with either type of attack. Your opponent’s AC against a touch attack does not include any armor bonus, shield bonus, or natural armor bonus. His size modifier, Dexterity modifier, and deflection bonus (if any) all apply normally. Holding the Charge: If you don’t discharge the spell on the round you cast the spell, you can hold the discharge of the spell (hold the charge) indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round. You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates. Activate Magic ItemMany magic items don’t need to be activated—magic weapons, magic armor, gauntlets of dexterity, and so forth. However, certain magic items need to be activated, especially potions, scrolls, wands, rods, and staffs. Activating a magic item is a standard action (unless the item description indicates otherwise). Spell Completion Items: Activating a spell completion item, such as a scroll, is the equivalent of casting a spell. It requires concentration and provokes attacks of opportunity. You lose the spell if your concentration is broken, and you can attempt to activate the item while on the defensive, as with a spell (see Casting on the Defensive, above). Spell Trigger, Command Word, or Use-Activated Items: Activating a spell trigger, command word, or use-activated item does not require concentration and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Dungeon Master has much more information on magic items. Use Special AbilityUsing a special ability is usually an action, but whether it is a standard action, a full-round action, or not an action at all is defined by the ability. See Special Abilities. Spell-Like Abilities: Using a spell-like ability (such as a paladin’s laying on of hands) works like casting a spell in that it requires concentration and provokes attacks of opportunity. Spell-like abilities can be disrupted. If your concentration is broken, the attempt to use the ability fails, but the attempt counts as if you had used the ability (for example, it counts against your daily limit if you have one). The casting time of a spell-like ability is 1 action, making its use a standard action, unless the ability description notes otherwise. Using a Spell-Like Ability on the Defensive: You may attempt to use a spell-like ability on the defensive, just as with a spell. If the Concentration check (DC 15) fails, you can’t use the ability, but the attempt counts as if you had used the ability (for example, it counts against your daily limit if you have one, or it uses up at least 1 point of increment of its daily complement, such as in laying on hands). Supernatural Abilities: Using a supernatural ability (such as a cleric’s turn undead or rebuke undead ability) is usually a standard action (unless defined otherwise by the ability description). Its use cannot be disrupted, does not require concentration, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Extraordinary Abilities: Using an extraordinary ability (such as a barbarian’s uncanny dodge ability) is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen in a reactive fashion. Those extraordinary abilities that are actions are usually standard actions that cannot be disrupted, do not require concentration, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity. The descriptions of these abilities note any exceptions to these general rules |