Question of juggling hexblade somatics with two handed weapons

[Bannan_mantis]

In our current game I am planning on playing a hexblade which I am very excited for and I plan on him using either a halberd or a great sword, my main question I was wondering is for somatic components can you simply say you hold the great weapon with one hand and said great weapon be pointed to the ground not used for combat while your now free hand is used for casting spells allowing you to not need to juggle your items so much

[trctelles]

IIRC, there is a Sage Advice that states that the two-handed property of a weapon only matters when you are attacking with it, so you can hold it in one hand to cast spells. That seems to be the RAI

[nickl_2000]

To answer your question, yes can hold a two handed weapon in only one hand for casting purposes. However, you need two hands to attack.


How are you hexblading with a two handed weapon? Just curious

[youtellatale]

How are you hexblading with a two handed weapon? Just curious

If he later gains Pact of the Blade it ignores the non two-handed issue as far as I understand it.
(reference pg. 56 XGtE)

[nickl_2000]

If he later gains Pact of the Blade it ignores the non two-handed issue as far as I understand it.
(reference pg. 56 XGtE)

Yup that's it. Thank you, I couldn't remember.

[Sception]

RAI, Yes, you can absolutely do this, as per the aforementioned sage advice. RAW though isn't particularly clear, and I have seen some table variation on this issue in the past, in the form of a DM who ruled that if you use a hand to cast a spell on your turn, then you aren't using that hand to attack with until your next turn (ie, you aren't wielding your weapon to threaten opportunity attacks), and likewise that if you attack with your weapon on your turn, then your hand isn't free to cast spells until your next turn (ie, you don't have a hand free for the somatic components of Shield).

Again, this isn't the RAI, but I have seen it, and if you encounter that sort of interpretation/house rules from your DM, then it might be easier to just take the warcaster feat rather than argue the issue. Warcaster's advantage on concentration saves and opp attack spells aren't bad to have regardless, so it's not the end of the world if you're pushed into taking it.

[JackPhoenix]

It's completely RAW as of the later printings, or if you read the errata, if your PHB is older: "Two-Handed (p. 147). This property is relevant only when you attack with the weapon, not when you simply hold it"

[BaconAwesome]

You can absolutely cast somatic spells while holding a two handed weapon and on the same round that you attack with the two handed weapon.

If you have a spell with a material component, then opinions differ on whether you have to use your free interaction to grab and/or stow your focus. (There's a sage advice somewhere that that reaching into a component pouch is part of the spell action, but nothing that specifically addresses whether stowing the component or grabbing/stowing a focus requires an interaction.)

[Spieldog20]

Further, if a Warlock takes Improved Pact Weapon Invocation, then they have the ability to use their weapon as their arcane focus for their Warnock spells (XGE pg 57). And PHB pg 203 states you must have a free hand to access these components [or the substituting focus], but it can be the same hand that you use to perform somatic components.
So I think if the hexblade used that invocation, it's written and intended for them to be able to cast a spell with that weapon, be it one or two handed or even a sword and board situation, when using the weapon as the focus, regardless of DM fiat. A partial "free" warcaster feature.

[BaconAwesome]

Yes, if you have Improved Pact Weapon, a Ruby of the War Mage, or are fighting with a quarterstaff that is also an arcane focus, then you can use your weapon hand to cast spells with a material component. You would still need a free hand or War Caster to cast spells with a somatic but no material component (similar to a cleric or paladin using a shield with an holy symbol).