Holt's Forceful Hand (3.5e Spell)

This spell functions as Holt's interposing hand, with the following additions:

As an immediate action, you may command the hand to grant the person the hand is protecting total cover from a single attack or effect, after which is resumes its normal functions.

As an swift action, you may direct this hand to move to a single target within Close range and make a single melee attack. Each turn thereafter, the hand continues to automatically follow the opponent (hovering in their space) and attacking them automatically at the beginning of your turn until it has been commanded otherwise (a free action that returns it to a friendly target you designate) or the opponent is dead. If the latter case occurs, the hand automatically returns either to the you or to the person it was last protecting depending on your whim.

The protective effects of the spell are negated so long as the hand continues to attack in this manner. The hand has a Strength score of 24, and rolls for a melee attack with a total attack bonus equal the your caster level + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (for a wizard, cleric, or sorcerer, respectively) + its Strength modifier (in this case, +6). On a successful attack, the creature struck takes 3d6+9 points of damage. The hand threatens a critical hit on a natural 20 and deals double damage on a confirmed critical. Because the hand is made of force, it can attack incorporeal and ethereal creatures normally without a miss chance. So long as it has located the target before any of the following conditions are applied, it also attacks regardless of concealment or invisibility.

In addition, the hand may also attack while protecting a creature. You make take an immediate action to command the hand to attack anyone within the reach or space of the creature that it is protecting. Attacking in this way does not inhibit the hand’s ability to protect its target.

Lastly, the spell may also be used to lift or drag an object as its Strength score will allow; the hand is also treated as a quadruped creature for the purposes of carrying capacity and suffers no penalties to movement for high encumbrance.

Focus: A sturdy glove made of leather or heavy cloth.