Understanding Touch Spells

Touch Spell Requirements

1. The spell's range is listed as Touch

Casting a Touch Spell

1. Casting of Touch spells is different than Expending them

2. Expending a touch spell may be done versus an unfriendly target or a friendly one. Against a friendly one, success is automatic. However, expending a touch spell on an unfriendly target requires one of the two:

a. Attack roll versus the target's touch AC if "touching" them, or

b. Attack roll versus the target's normal AC if punching them with an unarmed strike or natural weapon (however, if you do not have IUS, you provoke an AoO)

3. You can cast a touch spell and then "hold the charge" indefinitely. However,

a. The spell is immediately expended upon your first successful attack, or

b. ...if you brush up against something

The main benefit of holding the charge is to be able to cast and then move up to a target.

4. Normally, casting and Expending a touch spell is the same as the spell's action; that is, if the spell is a standard action, then casting and expending (touching the target) is also a standard action.

a. Generally, willing targets must be within 30' of one another (or the spell will give a specific distance) so that the caster may reach them within a reasonable time period.