Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Moon-Lancer 01-09-05, 12:57 PM	by this i mean the lighting bolds that are cast after the first bolt. Its a standard action and the text says "however each round after the first you may use a standard action (concentrating on the bolt) to call lightning." does this provoke an attack of oppertunity? -=edit=- thanks nom for clarification on what I was actually saying rather then what I meant to say
Bloodtide_the_Red 01-09-05, 02:38 PM	By RAW, concentration on a spell does not provoke an AoO. BT
Nom 01-09-05, 03:00 PM	by this i mean the lighting bolds that are cast after the first bolt. Its a standard action and the text says "however each round after the first you may use a standard action (concentrating on the bolt) to call lightning." Is this an attack of oppertunity?No. But what you are actually asking is whether it provokes an attack of opportunity. That is a bit trickier to figure out. Bloodtides answer is too neat and misses an important distincting. While maintaining concentration does not provoke an attack of opportunity, but beginning concentration typically does, especially if the concentration takes less than a round. Since the description specifies a standard action that requires concentration, I'd rule that it provokes an attack of opportunity, just as any other spell or spell-like ability.
bjorntfh 01-09-05, 03:10 PM	The problem with ruling that way is that you turn call lightning into a death trap for a caster. Since concentration doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity, nor does stopping concentration, there's no reason to decide that doing it over and over would provoke.
Seeker95 01-09-05, 03:38 PM	I'm with Bloodtide on this one. Only the initial casting provokes an Attack of Opportunity.
Moon-Lancer 01-09-05, 06:21 PM	well thats good. i hate it when i find out later that i screwed up the rules (even though im a player)
Nom 01-09-05, 09:44 PM	The problem with ruling that way is that you turn call lightning into a death trap for a caster.Not really. I see nothing in the spell description that suggests that the caster is supposed to do this while standing in the middle of a raging melee. Range is "medium", not "close" or "touch". It's the same AoO rules as for any other spell. Since concentration doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity, nor does stopping concentration, there's no reason to decide that doing it over and over would provoke.Incorrect. Maintaining concentration doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. However, the two instances I could find of beginning concentration are starting casting a spell and activating a bardic spell-like ability, and in both cases starting the activity provokes an AoO. Further, I note PH pg 69, "Concentration". "In general, if an action wouldn't normally provoke an attack of opportunity, you need not make a Concentration check to avoid being distracted." While not definitive, it follows that if the action could potentially be distracted, and thus require Concentration checks, it generally provokes an AoO when taken. "Requires concentration" obviously suggests that the activity is subject to concentration checks, and thus provokes an AoO. There is one situation where I would rule that a character concentrating on call lightning did not provoke an AoO - if the character never stopped concentrating. Of course, any damage taken during the intervening period would provoke a Concentration check as normal. Any damage would break concentration, and they would need to begin anew on their turn, and possibly even lose a "charge". Alternatively, you could consider that the ability to "call lightning" is a supernatural (rather than spell or spell-like) ability. However, I can't think of a Su ability that requires concentration, let alone requires concentration but doesn't provoke an AoO, and this also plays havoc with the spell resistance rules.