Concentration Skill Expanded

CONCENTRATION (CON)

Check: You must make a Concentration check whenever you might potentially be distracted (by taking damage, by harsh weather, and so on) while engaged in some action that requires your full attention. Such actions include casting a spell, concentrating on an active spell, directing a spell, using a spell-like ability, or using a skill that would provoke an attack of opportunity. In general, if an action wouldn’t normally provoke an attack of opportunity, you need not make a Concentration check to avoid being distracted.

If the Concentration check succeeds, you may continue with the action as normal. If the check fails, the action automatically fails and is wasted. If you were in the process of casting a spell, the spell is lost. If you were concentrating on an active spell, the spell ends as if you had ceased concentrating on it. If you were directing a spell, the direction fails but the spell remains active. If you were using a spell-like ability, that use of the ability is lost. A skill use also fails, and in some cases a failed skill check may have other ramifications as well.

Expanded Info: Maintaining a spell is considered a standard action.  Characters who cast illusions that have concentration as a duration may maintain these spells even during duress with the application of the Concentration skill.  Maintaining a spell during "non stressful" situations (such as sitting at the side of a stream or walking) requires a Concentration check (DC 5 + spell level).  Maintaining spells while performing vigorous motion (such as riding your horse or traveling through hostile terrain) requires a Concentration check (DC 10 + spell level).  Maintaining during violent motion (riding on a galloping horse or during combat situations) requires a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level).  Taking damage, failing a save, and certain other conditions may occur where a separate Concentration check must be made.

Also, there is no automatic success or failure in using a skill.  So a roll of 1 or a roll of 20 does not always mean failure or success.  With this in mind, a character with a total skill modifier in Concentration of + 5 may maintain a Silent Image of a burning torch to provide light in his room at the local inn while reading without making a single skill check.  (This is because the DC for the roll would be 6 and the minimum roll possible is 6, therefore no roll is needed.)

Under these rules, a spellcaster may cast a Silent Image spell and keep the spell going until he voluntarily dismisses it or fails a Concentration check.  With proper preparation and application, the spell may even be maintained all day long to only get dismissed when the character goes to sleep at night.  High level gnome illusionists may find creative use of their spellcasting abilities will get them out of any situation they encounter.  A lone spellcaster can appear to have an armored warrior guard at any times with use of a simple spell.

Spell casters who maintain spells during combat situations only have one action available.  They can either move, attack, cast another spell, or perform any other partial action available to them.  Casting another spell requires another concentration check (DC 15 + spell level), failure means that the spell is ruined and concentration is lost on the maintained spell.  Full round actions cannot be attempted while maintaining a spell.

The table below summarizes various types of distractions that cause you to make a Concentration check. If the distraction occurs while you are trying to cast a spell, you must add the level of the spell you are trying to cast to the appropriate Concentration DC. If more than one type of distraction is present, make a check for each one; any failed Concentration check indicates that the task is not completed.

Action: None. Making a Concentration check doesn’t take an action; it is either a free action (when attempted reactively) or part of another action (when attempted actively).

Try Again: Yes, though a success doesn’t cancel the effect of a previous failure, such as the loss of a spell you were casting or the disruption of a spell you were concentrating on.

Special: You can use Concentration to cast a spell, use a spell-like ability, or use a skill defensively, so as to avoid attacks of opportunity altogether. This doesn’t apply to other actions that might provoke attacks of opportunity.

The DC of the check is 15 (plus the spell’s level, if casting a spell or using a spell-like ability defensively). If the Concentration check succeeds, you may attempt the action normally without provoking any attacks of opportunity. A successful Concentration check still doesn’t allow you to take 10 on another check if you are in a stressful situation; you must make the check normally. If the Concentration check fails, the related action also automatically fails (with any appropriate ramifications), and the action is wasted, just as if your concentration had been disrupted by a distraction.

A character with the Combat Casting feat gets a +4 bonus on Concentration checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability while on the defensive or while grappling or pinned.