Spell casting focus help.

[CrackedChair]

Alright, quick question of an first-time Eldritch Knight, and I am thinking about picking war caster. But until I reach lvl 4, I have to make-do with a focus.

But I kept thinking that I have to put away my shield to use magic, which would not sit well with me, but I was thinking about things I can do to alleviate this issue.

Would wearing a crystal around my neck allow me to have the benefit of a focus, or no?

[Zman]

How about using your free item interaction to put your sword away, cast using your open hand, then the next turn you can as a free item interaction draw your sword again?

[Demonic Spoon]

How about using your free item interaction to put your sword away, cast using your open hand, then the next turn you can as a free item interaction draw your sword again?

This could be annoying in a few very specific scenarios - you have your weapon out, you want to cast a spell and then action surge to attack. You'd need two item interactions.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Then you are looking at warcaster, losing the shield, sheathing the weapon/re-drawing it, or switching to two-handed weapon for a bit.

[Corran]

This could be annoying in a few very specific scenarios - you have your weapon out, you want to cast a spell and then action surge to attack. You'd need two item interactions.
Well, you can always attack first and cast the spell afterwards, if the order does not matter. Point of notice, with your weapon seathed during your off-round, you wont be making the most of OAs, and that can hurt your squishies. Then again, if you dont seathe your weapon at the end of your turn, you wont be able to use shield as it has a somatic component. You could always go with a two-hander for the first 3 levels, unti you get warcaster, if you dont want to find yourself in either of these two situations. Or alternatively, as you said, convince your DM to let you use your sword as a focus, or sth like that, though this is not RAW.

[Giant2005]

Just use a staff as your weapon.

[CrackedChair]

Actually, a sword made out of magical crystals sounds like a nice magic item.

It's a sword and a arcane focus!

[Corran]

Actually, a sword made out of magical crystals sounds like a nice magic item.

It's a sword and a arcane focus!
Be careful of them thieves!

[NewDM]

Well, you can always attack first and cast the spell afterwards, if the order does not matter. Point of notice, with your weapon seathed during your off-round, you wont be making the most of OAs, and that can hurt your squishies. Then again, if you dont seathe your weapon at the end of your turn, you wont be able to use shield as it has a somatic component. You could always go with a two-hander for the first 3 levels, unti you get warcaster, if you dont want to find yourself in either of these two situations. Or alternatively, as you said, convince your DM to let you use your sword as a focus, or sth like that, though this is not RAW.

Why are the majority of suggestions I read "... convince the DM to allow something that is against the rules..."?

[Mjolnirbear]

Have an Arcane crystal as part of the pommel of the sword?

Most of the suggestions are "convince the DM" because that is what he asked for: a way to get around the focus rules.

[kaoskonfety]

Why are the majority of suggestions I read "... convince the DM to allow something that is against the rules..."?

Because "provide the DM food and drink and then ask if you can bend the rules" is a proud D&D tradition and I'd ask you not to tred on my free munchies :smalltongue:

[CrackedChair]

Anyways, what with the arcane focus talk, I might as well post a magic item of it...

-----
Channeling Weapon
(Any weapon, but usually a sword of sorts.) Rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls with this weapon. When holding this weapon, you can use it as an arcane focus in place of any other arcane focus or component pouch. The weapon is made of crystals magically bonded together to form a suitable arcane focus for casting spells. You can also cast a touch spell using this weapon as the object needed to cast a spell with a touch range.

[Zman]

Anyways, what with the arcane focus talk, I might as well post a magic item of it...

-----
Channeling Weapon
(Any weapon, but usually a sword of sorts.) Rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls with this weapon. When holding this weapon, you can use it as an arcane focus in place of any other arcane focus or component pouch. The weapon is made of crystals magically bonded together to form a suitable arcane focus for casting spells. You can also cast a touch spell using this weapon as the object needed to cast a spell with a touch range.

I don't know if we need to make it a magic weapon. Though, I do use it as a bonus for some magic weapon, i.e. Bladesinger's sword, Magical Finessable Longsword that is useable as an arcane focus and may or may not have a +1 Enchantment.

We already have a template for using an arcane focus as a weapon, the staff. A Quarterstaff costs 2sp, an Arcane Focus staff costs 5GP. A Rod is an arcane focus and I think it's reasonable to treat as a club. What about allowing inscriptions or Arcane Focus crystal added to a weapon for a reasonable cost, maybe 25-100gp?

[manny2510]

Guys. Stop bending the rules. We need something that helps at all tables, not some situational "my DM, therefore your DM" cheese. I mean if you truly want to hack and cast, a longsword is what you want. You two hand it when not casting and you use your free hand and a spell component pouch at the hip to cast with material components.

[Zman]

Guys. Stop bending the rules. We need something that helps at all tables, not some situational "my DM, therefore your DM" cheese. I mean if you truly want to hack and cast, a longsword is what you want. You two hand it when not casting and you use your free hand and a spell component pouch at the hip to cast with material components.

Every table is run different, it's integral to a functioning Dnd group. Many DMs are open to working with foci and casting rules for somatic/material components and many ignore them altogether. A discussion about how it is played at their table is perfectly acceptable and it's not bad/wrong fun.

Yes, a one handed or versatile is the easiest to work with within the rules. Unfortunately the rules are a bit clunky and don't always make that much sense.

[Sigreid]

Why are the majority of suggestions I read "... convince the DM to allow something that is against the rules..."?

Is there really a good reason that a staff can be a focus, but you can't pay for a special sword that has had all the mojo done to it? I mean, if I were to allow this as DM I would require the sword to have the cost of the base sword+focus, so it wouldn't be cheap. And it would have the disadvantage that if you do find a magic sword, now you have to choose between spellcasting and whatever bonus you provide.

And before you say it, yes, this would be a house rule item.

[Zalabim]

Since no one else is going to outright say it:
Eldritch Knights don't use a focus. They do not have that ability in the rules. They are the bat poop crazy fighters who play with bat poop guano to throw fireballs.

[LordVonDerp]

Guys. Stop bending the rules. We need something that helps at all tables, not some situational "my DM, therefore your DM" cheese. I mean if you truly want to hack and cast, a longsword is what you want. You two hand it when not casting and you use your free hand and a spell component pouch at the hip to cast with material components.

That works just as well with a greatsword, which can still be held in one hand.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Warcaster was most likely the designers way to deal with this "problem". If you take it at 4th level, you will only have to worry about your casting for 1 whole level. You will gt your next ASI at level 6, which would also be a suitable time to pick up Warcaster if you wanted an ability score increase at 4 instead. Either way, you are presented with the classic this or that until you rectify it.

The problem isn't that a spell casting focus can't be constructed... in the PHB it says that the focus is an orb, rod, wand, staff... or some similar specially constructed item. That would allow such an itme as a sword focus to exist...

The part you are overlooking... and that many people overlook, is that the focus takes the place of the material component... not the somatic component, which is what is requiring the free hand. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access these components, but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.

So the real question is, can the hand that holds the focus, be the hand that also performs the somatic component of the spell.

[Demonslayer666]

...
So the real question is, can the hand that holds the focus, be the hand that also performs the somatic component of the spell.

That's exactly what I see a wand doing, or any other focus for that matter.