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Interposing Hand reads as follows:

Description

Interposing hand creates a Large magic hand that appears between you and one opponent. This floating, disembodied hand then moves to remain between the two of you, regardless of where you move or how the opponent tries to get around it, providing cover (+4 AC) for you against that opponent. Nothing can fool the hand–it sticks with the selected opponent in spite of darkness, invisibility, polymorphing, or any other attempt at hiding or disguise. The hand does not pursue an opponent, however.

An interposing hand is 10 feet long and about that wide with its fingers outstretched. It has as many hit points as you do when you’re undamaged, and is AC 20 (-1 size, +11 natural). It takes damage as a normal creature, but most magical effects that don’t cause damage do not affect it. The hand never provokes attacks of opportunity from opponents. It cannot push through a wall of force or enter an antimagic field, but it suffers the full effect of a prismatic wall or prismatic sphere. The hand makes saving throws as its caster.

Disintegrate or a successful dispel magic destroys it. Any creature weighing 2,000 pounds or less that tries to push past the hand is slowed to half its normal speed. The hand cannot reduce the speed of a creature weighing more than 2,000 pounds, but it still affects the creature’s attacks. Directing the spell to a new target is a move action.

Both Forceful Hand and Grasping Hand say that they behave like Interposing Hand, except that they can attack the opponent in certain ways. The question is, how far can they move to do that? Clenched Fist specifically says that it can move up to 60 ft. per round and still attack, but the other spells don't mention a speed limit, and in fact Forceful Hand specifically says:

The forceful hand gets one bull rush attack per round. This attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Its Combat Maneuver Bonus for bull rush checks uses your caster level in place of its base attack bonus, with a +8 bonus for its Strength score (27), and a +1 bonus for being Large. The hand always moves with the opponent to push them back as far as possible. It has no movement limit for this purpose. (emphasis added) Directing the spell to a new target is a move action.

So it sounds like an opponent can outrun a Clenched Fist, but not a Forceful Hand. What would you say about outrunning an Interposing or Grasping Hand?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Does anyone know where the hands' resting place is? When I'd read Interposing before I'd made the assumption that it remains within 5ft of the caster, since that's the easiest way to ensure it can always be in the correct location as well as provide Cover against but not toward enemies. It does, however, have a Medium casting range. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ifusaso
    Aug 15, 2017 at 20:37

2 Answers 2

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They do not use a movement speed, they automatically work within their range like most spells.

Forceful hand specifies no movement limit because part of a bull rush maneuver is that it is capped on 'remaining movement' so it's unclear what that is in this case with no/infinite speed so they say it out loud.

You cannot "outrun" any of these spells.

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    \$\begingroup\$ If your answer is that you can't outrun any of them, you should explain what's up with Clenched Fist's 'can move 60 ft per round' thing. Certainly the rest of them seem intended to travel at infinite speed, but the highest-level one seems to instead have a speed limit (or something-- since it can act like the others maybe it also doesn't? Not clear, in my opinion) \$\endgroup\$ Jul 26, 2017 at 1:41
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    \$\begingroup\$ Forceful hand specifically says "It has no movement limit for this purpose." in regards to the bullrush. \$\endgroup\$
    – Rodger
    Jul 30, 2017 at 20:24
  • \$\begingroup\$ Yeah that's what I said. \$\endgroup\$
    – mxyzplk
    Jul 30, 2017 at 21:46
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It floats. Interposing Hand says, "This floating, disembodied hand..." It doesn't have a move speed, because it stays with the opponent: "This floating, disembodied hand then moves to stay between the two of you..."

Forceful hand says: "Directing this spell to another target is a move action." It seems like this spell stays with an opponent and bull rushes it, and moves to another opponent withing spell range if you direct it to do so.

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