Sage Advice: The Rules of Spellcasting

WotC's Jeremy Crawford takes the role of The Sage again this week, with a Sage Advice column devoted to spellcasting. He answers questions about spells with attack rolls, melee spells and opportunity attacks, spells cast without spell splots, material components, line of sight and concentration, and dismissing spells. "The worlds of Dungeons & Dragons are filled with magic, and many characters and monsters wield that magic in the form of spells. This month’s installment of Sage Advice focuses on rules that govern the casting of those spells. The following questions deal with rules from the Player’s Handbook, especially in chapters 9 and 10. You might want to have the book handy as you read!"

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You'll find the column right here!

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[TerraDave]

You were late by 6 minutes.

But you have the pic.

Probably want to merge the threads.

 

[Morrus]

You were late by 6 minutes.

But you have the pic.

Probably want to merge the threads.

It takes 6 minutes longer when you're formatting it for an article, even a short one!

(I can't merge them, as that would make yours the first post and thus the news item, and it's not formatted to be one!)

 

[Prince Atom]

That guy'll need to know the rules for somatic components so he can compensate after he loses his hand to the Highly Visible Trap even though he's got a stick right there.

 

[Sunseeker]

That guy'll need to know the rules for somatic components so he can compensate after he loses his hand to the Highly Visible Trap even though he's got a stick right there.

Right? Also: Mage Hand much?

 

[SteeleC]

"If a spell has a somatic component, you can use the hand that performs the somatic component to also handle the material component."

So this makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense is if there is no material component, then you need an empty hand for the somatic component. In other words, of it's S,M you can hold your focus but if it's just S you can't. I can understand this for the sake of not having a weapon in hand, but to say you can't have your spell focus in hand, that doesn't make sense to me. I think I'll be house ruling that one away.

Granted the example here was the cleric using their shield as a spell focus, but I think if you're going to allow that, then you allow it to always act as a spell focus. Saying a mage can't perform somatic gestures with his/her wand hand unless it also requires material components is just silly.

 

[Grainger]

.

 

[Sunseeker]

I think that's what he might be casting. It's not like he can possibly think he can reach the item at the far end of the corridor with his arm.

Based on the shadows of his hand against the wall, he's almost to it. I would guess the trap only triggers when you attempt to remove the artifact, not when you reach for it.

 

[turkeygiant]

I find it weird that you meet the somatic requirements for M,S, spells with a implement in hand, but you need a completely free hand to meet the somatic requirements for just plain S, spells. I would let you keep your focus in hand for those spells too.

 

[Sunseeker]

I find it weird that you meet the somatic requirements for M,S, spells with a implement in hand, but you need a completely free hand to meet the somatic requirements for just plain S, spells. I would let you keep your focus in hand for those spells too.

I assumed it was taking into account the fact that you needed to use at least one hand to hold or remove from your bag (or both) the material components.