Sickening Grasp & Duskblade Channeling

[kitep]

Sickening Grasp (CM-47)

As long as you have a necromancy spell of 3rd level or higher available to cast, any living creature you hit with a melee touch attack becomes sickened for a number of rounds equal to the level of the highest-level necromancy spell you have available to cast. The subject can reduce this duration to 1 round with a successful Fortitude save. As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your caster level when casting necromancy spells.

This can be powered by Vampiric Touch, the "bread and butter" of duskblades, but it happens on EVERY melee touch attack, not just necromatic ones.  The duskblade's arcane channeling channels touch attacks, but do they count as touch attacks for the purpose of this feat?  I'm thinking "no", but I'm hoping I'm wrong

To be clear, I'm only talking about when they channel a melee touch attack, not when they channel a ranged touch attack.

[NunoM]

I say "no" as well, BUT if you deliver the attack using a "Heartseeking Amulet", i think it would apply.

RAI, though, i believe it you're supposed to touch the target to achieve this effect. Sort of, "uhhh, he touches people and they get sick!"

Now that i think of it... Wouldn't this feat arm your unarmed attack, like, forever, as long as you have a Necromancy spell of 3rd level to cast?

[kitep]

That's what I thought.  I hadn't even thought of the heartseeking amulet.

I think your right about the unarmed attack.  As long as you're just touching them, and not trying to actually punch them.

[kitep]

To be clear, I'm only talking about when they channel a melee touch attack, not when they channel a ranged touch attack.

Argh!  I just found out that Duskblades only channel melee touch attacks, and can't channel ranged touch attacks at all!  I had always thought that "touch" meant "touch".

From the FAQ

    Can a duskblade (PH2 20) using arcane channeling
channel ranged touch spells through his weapon attack or is
the ability limited to melee touch spells only?
    “Touch” spell refers to spells that require a melee touch
attack to deliver. The duskblade can’t use arcane channeling to
deliver a spell that requires a ranged touch attack.

(And yes, I know around here the FAQ is not considered RAW.  But my group uses it)

[NunoM]

Yeah... For Duskblades, "Touch" means spells of "Range: Touch".

Other "chanellers" like the Spellsword have different rules for this.

Still, i think it's pretty consistent. I only wish they had 2 things different:
- a wider spell list (Why, oh why, isn't "Combust" available to this class?!)
- a spell learning/changing rule similar to the sorcerer. The Duskblade can only change previously learned 1st level spells, when he reaches 9th! Again, why?!

[whitetyger009]

I know you talk about the vampiric touch spell being the 'bread and butter' of the duskblade, but I didn't go that way.  I ran my duskblade on shocking grasp.  using the feat smiting spell (phb2 pg92) allowing me to 'channel' a spell into my weapon (shocking grasp), it then stays there for up to a minute.  next round as a swift action cast blade of blood and pay the 5 hp, as my standard action cast shocking grasp I hit for 13d6+weapon damage.  it gets better when I used twin spell (23d6+ weapon damage).

yea I took vampiric touch as a spell I could use but I generally didn't use it as I was pumping all my upper spell slots with shocking grasp.

[kitep]

The duskblade handbook refers to it as the 'bread and butter'.  Personally, my duskblade just got it and I'm looking forward to using it in combat for the first time.  It'd be nice if all those temp hp stacked, but they don't; so I'll probably use VT on my first attack, then switch to shocking grasp until my temp hp run out.  Up till now, Shocking Grasp has been my main spell, but I've reached the point where it's maxed out (5d6).

I keep forgetting to use blade of blood.  I noticed it was a swift action so I could stack it on top of Grasp, but then I forgot all about it

[Wolfe]

I'll probably use VT on my first attack, then switch to shocking grasp until my temp hp run out.

The Bloodstone enchantment (+1, MIC 29) allows you to store a VT in your weapon and discharge it empowered when you strike. So your first attack can be VT/SG both. My (ex) Duskblade considered that his bread and butter.

[kitep]

Yep.  I already plan on picking that up.

[NunoM]

In my shopping list, i have these things of beauty: "Empowered Spellshard" (MIC p. 96).
3/day they empower the attuned spell for free as you cast it, without adjusting the casting time or the spell level!
They only go up to 3rd level spells, but, hey, a Duskblade doesn't go much higher than that!

Just attune them to "Shocking Grasp" and/or "Vampiric Touch". Build a custom item with this ability, or pay double so that they don't take up the magic item space (they're cheap enough to do so, at least the 1st level one [aka. Empowered Shocking Grasp]).

Enjoy!