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2007-01-04, 03:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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Do you need one hand to cast spells?
I'm dming, and my player is a warforged spellcaster. he wants a weapon in the place of one hand, and I think he can't cast spells with just one hand. what are the rules?
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2007-01-04, 03:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2006
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- Fairfield, CA
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Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
If you have one free hand, you can cast spells.
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2007-01-04, 03:51 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2006
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Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
thanks! that was quick! maybe 2 minutes
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2007-01-04, 03:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2005
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- Back in the USSR
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Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
And if you're talking about a Battlefist, I'd say he could gesture with that. An Armblade or an Armbow, however, would require his offhand to be free.
The technical rule is, you need to be able to gesture with one hand.Spoiler
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2007-01-04, 06:32 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2006
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
How about a cleric with touch spells? If he's wielding a heavy mace in one hand, can he have a heavy shield? Or does he need a light shield (or buckler) to cast touch spells while in combat?
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2007-01-04, 06:40 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2004
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- The Land of Angles
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
That depends on whether the touch spell has a somatic component or not. There's nothing in the rules that says your hand has to be free to use it for a touch attack.
And really, the cleric can just drop his weapon. It's a free action. Picking it back up is a move action, too, so a cleric can cast a spell as a standard action and pick his weapon back up as a move action.
He'd have to be daft to do it while standing next to someone, though...
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2007-01-04, 07:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2005
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- with Carmen Sandiego.
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
What if a spell has both a material and somatic component? Would that require two hands?
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2007-01-04, 07:16 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2006
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- Oregon
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Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
My question precisely. The rules seem to imply that you just need one hand for both the material component and the somatic component, but that really doesn't make sense.
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2007-01-04, 07:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2005
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- with Carmen Sandiego.
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
What if you're missing fingers!?
And I don't think you should be able to gesture with a battlefist... It's a gigantic piece of metal shaped like a fist. it can't move.Member of a fanclub.
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2007-01-04, 07:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2004
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- The Land of Angles
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
The rules allow you to just use one hand, even when there are somatic and material components. And why not? For all you know, the somatic component involves waving around the material component.
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2007-01-04, 08:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2006
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
So if a spell has a material component but no somatic component, you can cast it without use of your hands?
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2007-01-04, 08:23 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2004
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- The Land of Angles
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2007-01-04, 09:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2005
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- NC
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
As far as I know, you need to posess the material component, not necessarily have it in hand. The SRD states "A spell’s components are what you must do or possess to cast it."
I can't think of any spells using a material component without also requiring a somatic component. So the only method I can think of meeting the conditions specified is using Still Spell...and I would not require a caster using it to have the material component in hand...just need it on their person.-
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2007-01-04, 10:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2006
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- In the corner, drawing.
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Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
But when you're grappling, I'm pretty sure you're not able to cast spells with material components unless you've got the material component in your hand. Lemme check, I'll be right back...
EDIT: Here we go.
Originally Posted by SRDLast edited by Shazzbaa; 2007-01-04 at 10:13 PM. Reason: adding SRD quote
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2007-01-04, 10:17 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2005
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- NC
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
True, but the source books are often contradictory. And while the grappling rules are the primary source for when grappling, they're secondary to spell use in other situations.
Does it make sense? No. But it's not the only contradiction. Probably why WotC said to use the specific source to override less specific sources.-
I laugh at myself first, before anyone else can.
-- Paraphrased from Elsa Maxwell
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The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
-- Paul Graham in Keep Your Identity Small
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2007-01-04, 10:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2006
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- In the corner, drawing.
- Gender
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
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2007-01-04, 10:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2005
- Location
- NC
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
The rule I quoted earlier can be found here. This is the rule specifically covering components. Using WotC's guidelines of applying the most specific source when they contradict, the requirement for having a component in hand only applies when grappling.
As I said, it doesn't really make sense. :/-
I laugh at myself first, before anyone else can.
-- Paraphrased from Elsa Maxwell
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The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
-- Paul Graham in Keep Your Identity Small
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2007-01-04, 10:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2006
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- Texas
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Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
Hmm...
Usually you don’t worry about components, but when you can’t use a component for some reason or when a material or focus component is expensive, then the components are important.
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2007-01-04, 10:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: Do you need one hand to cast spells?
I'm mostly thinking of Still Spell. The Still Spell feat would be greatly diminished in usefulness if you had to move to use it (obviously). In situations where you can't move for some reason, its generally not an option to grab components. And honestly, how often is it going to come up that you can't move but you still manage to have the material component in hand. If you can't even move your hand with that component, then presumably its just going to magically dissolve from it or something, so it may as well be dissolving from your belt pouch. Of course there are spells with no material component that the feat can be used on, but if you have to have the components in hand to use a still spell, then its pretty close to just disallowing still spell from being used with those.
Last edited by Errata; 2007-01-04 at 10:50 PM.