[D&D] Spellthief question

[hedgeknight]

You fellers were so helpful on the deeper darkness question, here's another. Got a player with a Spellthief character and he is attempting to siphon off his first spell...believe it or not, from the same Drider that cast deeper darkness! Why can't they just leave him alone? Why? Why? :tsk:
But I digress...again...

So, the spellthief wants to steal a spell. His actions for the round are thus: he has the Drider flanked and fires his crossbow at the Drider; he foregoes the sneak attack damage to steal a spell.
Now, my question is this: can he steal a spell without physically touching the Drider? He's making a ranged attack and from my reading of the Spellthief description in Complete Adventurer (pages 13-20), it just doesn't make sense that he can steal a spell without touching the target.
Please help me with this.

Also, does it matter that the Drider is a cleric and not a sorceror/wizard? Meaning, the Spellthief isn't prevented from stealing divine spells is he?

Looking forward to reading your answers.
-g-

[Linklegacy77]

You can't flank with ranged weapons. If he is attacking with the crossbow, he can't get sneak attack with the crossbow.

If he had the drider flat-footed, then yes, he can steal the spell, whether or not it is a melee attack.

And no, he's not restricted to arcane spells.

[akiko]

Link's got it right. And how cool will that description be.

"The drider is turned the other way, oblivious of the spellthief's presence. The spellthief fires his crossbow into the spine of the monstrous beast and a magical backlash occurs that everyone sees as a blue light arcing back towards the wielder of the crossbow..."

[hedgeknight]

You can't flank with ranged weapons. If he is attacking with the crossbow, he can't get sneak attack with the crossbow.

If he had the drider flat-footed, then yes, he can steal the spell, whether or not it is a melee attack.

And no, he's not restricted to arcane spells.

Okay, let me see if I understand this correctly:

Flanking with ranged weapons is impossible (I think I knew that already, but I'm so damned confused about the spellthief I can't think straight!)

But...if the Drider is flat-footed, he can steal a spell WITHOUT touching the Drider? Is that what you are saying?
OR...does he have to TOUCH the Drider to steal a spell??

I need a beer...or three. :S
-g-

[akiko]

IIRC the spellthief only says that you forego sneak attack damage for the ability to grab a spell. If it does not mention flanking or melee directly in that ability then any time one would gain SA one could instead drain a spell.

Besides flanking another way to gain SA is to catch someone flat-footed. So if the Drider is flatfooted and the thief is within 30' then when he shoots it with his crossbow he could do that ability instead of SA. Though I don't have the book in front of me now so this is off my head.

[Linklegacy77]

That is correct, he does not have to hit the Drider in melee combat to steal the spell, merely score a sneak attack and forgo sneak attack damage dice to steal the spell.

[hedgeknight]

I'm just trying to wrap my mind around how he steals the spell - is it mental contact or physical?
-g-

[Linklegacy77]

Well, for one, it is a physical attack, even if he didn't actually touch the foe, the crossbow bolt did.

It is kind of intangible really, I picture it as the spellthief linking himself up with the weapon and drawing energy out of it when it hits a spot weak enough to do so (a.k.a. sneak attack). I could be wrong, but that's what I picture.

[akiko]

Exactly why I gave the description above. I see it as the thief attuning himself to the weapon on the throw/shot. And if it connects where he wants it to (resulting in successful hit and SA) the spell is sorta released by the opponent's body and it flies back to him.

[nightinverse]

That could make for some rather illustrative writing, and I believe is the mechanically correct method of dealing with the situation.