Spell-casting, hands and foci

[Corey]

Hiya!

I have a set of questions that seems a bit too complicated for the RAW thread.

Q1 A components pouch is something you wear on your waist, while an arcane or divine focus is something you hold in your hand, correct?

Q2 (This is actually the biggie) Is there ANY advantage in 5e to a focus vs. a components pouch, given that most components are no longer expended?

Q3 If you have a focus in your hand, you can use that hand for somatic spell components as well. Does that remain true if the spell has no material components?

Q4 A divine focus can be embedded in a shield (I forget where that is in the RAW, but it's true). How about other combinations, such as an arcane focus in a shield or a divine focus in weapon?

There are more and pickier ones, but those seem like a solid place to start. :smallcool:

[SharkForce]

1) yes.

2) potentially. a component pouch works for a lot more things. if you are, say, a bard/sorcerer, you would normally need some form of arcane focus and some form of musical instrument... or just a single component pouch. i suppose you could also argue that technically spells with expensive components would require a hand that is not a focus, but i don't think most people actually enforce that.

3) technically, no. i'd allow it anyways though.

4) for the most part, not unless specified (as noted above, bards can use an instrument). the rule you're thinking of is in the equipment section, under the description of holy symbol specifically, and also notes that the symbol can simply be worn visibly as well (for example, you can wear it as a medallion; a priest dressed in full priestly ceremonial regalia would presumably not need to also carry a holy symbol. though of course, their full priestly ceremonial regalia most likely includes and/or incorporates one or more holy symbols anyways).

[Corey]

2) potentially. a component pouch works for a lot more things. if you are, say, a bard/sorcerer, you would normally need some form of arcane focus and some form of musical instrument... or just a single component pouch. i suppose you could also argue that technically spells with expensive components would require a hand that is not a focus, but i don't think most people actually enforce that.

That's what I was thinking, and all the more if one multiclasses across both divine and arcane classes.

Basically, I'm looking for the best way -- and more to the point asking what the most reliable way is -- to avoid having to shuffle items in and out of hand so as to allow casting. It seems that a component pouch is:


In some cases better than a focus.
In some cases no better or worse than a focus.
Never worse than a focus, unless the focus has special magical properties, such as an Instrument of the Bards would.

[Sigreid]

Well, even if you use a foci, eventually you'll likely want a spell component pouch too anyway for those components that do have a defined cost.

[jkat718]

Regarding question 1: I was under the impression that, regardless of where you kept your component pouch, you still had to hold/handle some small bit of the material components held therein in order to cast. Therefore, you still require a free hand.

[Corey]

I'm still not reading ANY reason to use a focus, other than:

RP flavor.
A magical focus that provides a spell-casting boost (Instrument of the Bards and what else?)
Embedding in, for example, a shield.


Am I missing anything?

[Corey]

Regarding question 1: I was under the impression that, regardless of where you kept your component pouch, you still had to hold/handle some small bit of the material components held therein in order to cast. Therefore, you still require a free hand.

Even so, consider the difference between:

I use my free hand to fiddle with a belt pouch.
I wave a focus around.



I don't see how #1 would ever be worse than #2. On the other hand, if I wanted to cast spells and shoot a bow in alternate rounds, #2 could be worse than #1.

[SharkForce]

well, using something like a staff as a focus gives you a melee weapon as well as a focus, and of course they're cheaper as well.

as for other magical focuses, there's the wand of the battlemage (name might be slightly wrong) and of course you can use other magical wands as a regular focus as well, the rod of the pact-keeper (might have the name slightly wrong, but something to that effect), the staff of the magi (and other magical staves, but the staff of the magi actually boosts your spellcasting in addition to being a magical staff)... think that's it, pretty much.

but yes, for the most part if you can afford a component pouch it probably does basically everything you want mechanically. IC, you may just be fond of not eating live spiders and similar (which used to be the component for spider climb in previous editions iirc, though actually i don't think you need to eat it any more in 5th).