Material and somatic component spells

[Biggus]

If a spell has both material and somatic components, do you need both hands free to cast it? Or can you do one then the other with a single hand?

[Darrin]

If a spell has both material and somatic components, do you need both hands free to cast it? Or can you do one then the other with a single hand?

PHB p. 174 says, "You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component."

The description for material components does not list or require any number of hands, but it's implied elsewhere by the rules that you must be able to manipulate objects to draw the material component out of your spell component pouch and manipulate it for the purpose of the spell. Common sense dictates that you need at least one free hand in order to do this.

The rules don't say anything about whether the one free hand you have available to make somatic gestures can't also draw and manipulate the material components. Drawing a material component is a free action, so this doesn't impede or prevent that hand from performing other actions.

So... RAW says it's possible for one hand to both manipulate the material component and to perform somatic gestures.

[Rijan_Sai]

This may not be proof, exactly, but at least "proof-of-concept."

Dungeons and Dragons (2000) (https://youtu.be/bG8G2u1Dj9o?t=17)

The section is only about three seconds long, but notice that Marina (the mage) has a scroll in one hand, but uses the other to both grab the powder off the ground (Material component) and then raise up then thrust forward (somatic component) to cast... (whatever spell that was... it's been a long time since I've seen that movie!)

Like I said, not really proof-positive that it is how it works, but at least shows how it could work!


(Minor edit Re: the YouTube clip: when I found that, for reasons I had to have my computer on mute, so I didn’t hear what was playing... no real problem; the main point is in the visuals, anyway!)

[Biggus]

Thank you both.


PHB p. 174 says, "You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component."

The description for material components does not list or require any number of hands, but it's implied elsewhere by the rules that you must be able to manipulate objects to draw the material component out of your spell component pouch and manipulate it for the purpose of the spell. Common sense dictates that you need at least one free hand in order to do this.

The rules don't say anything about whether the one free hand you have available to make somatic gestures can't also draw and manipulate the material components. Drawing a material component is a free action, so this doesn't impede or prevent that hand from performing other actions.

So... RAW says it's possible for one hand to both manipulate the material component and to perform somatic gestures.

This was more or less the conclusion I'd reached, that it doesn't seem to say anywhere that you need two hands to use both somatic and material components, so by default the answer is you don't. But I know D&D is notorious for hiding rules in odd places so I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything.