TWF and arcane casting

[Orannis]

Quick question, what is the penalty for arcane caster using two weapons? If someone was using two weapons then would they even be able to cast whle using them without using the still metamagic?

[BobVosh]

Wiggling your fingers doesn't require hands to be empty, except for shields. Noone knows why.

[kamikasei]

You have to have a hand free to supply somatic components. If both your hands are holding weapons (or anything else), you can't supply somatic components and can only cast spells that either a) don't have any to start with or b) have been stilled.

(Here's a question for any ninjas that I couldn't find a clear answer for, though. How do material components and foci play in to it? Do you need one hand free to hold them and one to gesture with, or can a single hand take out the material components and supply the somatic components all at once?)

Wiggling your fingers doesn't require hands to be empty, except for shields. Noone knows why.

That's exactly the opposite of my understanding - can you clarify your reasoning?

[Zaq]

You must have a hand free to use somatic components. Using two weapons means you usually don't have a hand free. This is one of the few times when double weapons are worth it, because it's a free action to take one hand off while you're casting and put it back when you're done. There's also a feat (Somatic Weaponry, either CArc or CMag) which lets you make somatic components with weapons, but feats are expensive and I think there's a catch. I don't recall the exact text offhand.

[Volthawk]

You must have a hand free to use somatic components. Using two weapons means you usually don't have a hand free. This is one of the few times when double weapons are worth it, because it's a free action to take one hand off while you're casting and put it back when you're done. There's also a feat (Somatic Weaponry, either CArc or CMag) which lets you make somatic components with weapons, but feats are expensive and I think there's a catch. I don't recall the exact text offhand.

Complete Mage. You can't do it an grapple, though.

[Ravens_cry]

Expensive yes, but still rather cool, especially for a gish.

[BobVosh]

That's exactly the opposite of my understanding - can you clarify your reasoning?

That would be because I completely forgot that you need at least one hand free. I thought that was only for material components.

[Orannis]

Ok, found the feat. Awesome. On a side note the PHB has shields with arcane spell faliure implying that your hand is sort of free, my question then becomes can you use two weapons and a shield (not a buckler)? To take it further with the somatic weaponary feat and something to reduce arcane spell faliure on the shield could you have 2 weapons, 1 shield and STILL cast arcane spells?

[Tinydwarfman]

Ok, found the feat. Awesome. On a side note the PHB has shields with arcane spell faliure implying that your hand is sort of free, my question then becomes can you use two weapons and a shield (not a buckler)? To take it further with the somatic weaponary feat and something to reduce arcane spell faliure on the shield could you have 2 weapons, 1 shield and STILL cast arcane spells?

... Sure, if you can find a way to wield 2 weapons, and a non-buckler shield. I think Thri-keen is the easiest way to have 4 arms, or persisted girralon arms.

[kamikasei]

On a side note the PHB has shields with arcane spell faliure implying that your hand is sort of free...

How does it do that? Having a shield in your left hand gives you arcane spell failure even if your right hand is completely free, just as wearing armor that puts nothing in your hands at all does the same. It doesn't suggest anything either way about whether your hands are free. (Since you can't wield a weapon if you have a light or heavy shield in hand, and can't even hold anything else in that hand at all with a heavy shield, I'd say in neither case should the hand count as free for casting.)

[Draz74]

This thread needs more Lightning Warrior.

What book is Somatic Weaponry from, again?

[Volthawk]

This thread needs more Lightning Warrior.

What book is Somatic Weaponry from, again?

I did say earlier:

Complete Mage. You can't do it an grapple, though.

[Eldariel]

This thread needs more Lightning Warrior.

What book is Somatic Weaponry from, again?

Complete Mage. Quite useful, in the end. Too bad it falls on the wrong side of the "don't have enough feats for basics, no way I'm fitting that"-line.

[Lord Vukodlak]

What you need is a chain running of the end of one of your weapons hilts and attached to your bracer.

[Yora]

And how do you want to grasp something that is violently dangling from your wrist without using a second hand to stabilize it?
It can be done, but I don't think as a free action.

[WoodenSword]

Or: Be a warforged and use the Somatic Tentacle upgrade. Third hand for Somatic Components!

[jiriku]

Gnomish quickrazor seems to recommend itself. You can draw and/or sheath it as a free action. Races of Stone, I believe. Cool little toy.

Although you have a free hand when wielding a light shield, the shield is too unwieldy for you to be able to attack with a weapon held in that hand. Heavy shields have a handgrip, so you don't have a free hand when wielding a heavy shield. If all sources are open to you, look into the dastana or kote. These are essentially armored bracers or shirtsleeves that function like shields, but leave your hands free. You'll find the dastana in the Arms and Equipment Guide, and the Kote in one of the Oriental Adventures books, I forget which. All 3.0 sources, unfortunately.

[The Cat Goddess]

Since nobody answered...

Usually, the material component is flung/held up/displayed during the somantic gestures of casting a spell.

[demidracolich]

You could be a daggerspell mage which cast spells from two daggers.

[AslanCross]

You could be a daggerspell mage which cast spells from two daggers.

Which is really awesome. Probably not optimized, but it sure is stylish.