Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
Just had a browse through the latest FAQ update.
FAQ p8:
My DM says that my cleric has to drop his morningstar
to cast spells. Is he right?
Yes and no. To cast a spell with a somatic (S) component,
you must gesture freely with at least one hand. (Player’s
Handbook, page 140) A cleric (or any caster, for that matter)
who holds a weapon in one hand and wears a heavy shield on
the other arm doesn’t have a hand free to cast a spell with a
somatic component (which includes most spells in the game).
To cast such a spell, the character must either drop or sheathe
his weapon.
Another simple option is for the cleric to carry a buckler or
light shield instead of a heavy shield. The buckler leaves one
hand free for spellcasting, and you don’t even lose the
buckler’s shield bonus to AC when casting with that hand. The
light shield doesn’t give you a free hand for spellcasting, but
since you can hold an item in the same hand that holds the light
shield, you could switch your weapon to that hand to free up a
hand for spellcasting. (You can’t use the weapon while it’s held
in the same hand as your shield, of course.) The rules don’t
state what type of action is required to switch hands on a
weapon, but it seems reasonable to assume that it’s the
equivalent of drawing a weapon (a move action that doesn’t
provoke attacks of opportunity).
FAQ p12:
The duskblade’s armored mage class feature (Player’s
Handbook II, 20) allows you to cast spells while wearing a
shield with no arcane spell failure. If the duskblade has a
sword in one hand and a shield in the other, can they still
cast spells? If not, why carry a shield?
You need a free hand to cast a spell with a somatic
component, and to cast a spell with a material or focus
component, you need that component at hand (which usually
means you need a free hand to manipulate it). The buckler and
light shield both allow you to use your shield hand for such
activities.
A duskblade using a heavy shield and holding a weapon or
other object in his other hand can only cast spells that don’t
include the components listed above, despite the fact that he
ignores the arcane spell failure chance for the heavy shield.
-Hyp.
FAQ p8:
My DM says that my cleric has to drop his morningstar
to cast spells. Is he right?
Yes and no. To cast a spell with a somatic (S) component,
you must gesture freely with at least one hand. (Player’s
Handbook, page 140) A cleric (or any caster, for that matter)
who holds a weapon in one hand and wears a heavy shield on
the other arm doesn’t have a hand free to cast a spell with a
somatic component (which includes most spells in the game).
To cast such a spell, the character must either drop or sheathe
his weapon.
Another simple option is for the cleric to carry a buckler or
light shield instead of a heavy shield. The buckler leaves one
hand free for spellcasting, and you don’t even lose the
buckler’s shield bonus to AC when casting with that hand. The
light shield doesn’t give you a free hand for spellcasting, but
since you can hold an item in the same hand that holds the light
shield, you could switch your weapon to that hand to free up a
hand for spellcasting. (You can’t use the weapon while it’s held
in the same hand as your shield, of course.) The rules don’t
state what type of action is required to switch hands on a
weapon, but it seems reasonable to assume that it’s the
equivalent of drawing a weapon (a move action that doesn’t
provoke attacks of opportunity).
FAQ p12:
The duskblade’s armored mage class feature (Player’s
Handbook II, 20) allows you to cast spells while wearing a
shield with no arcane spell failure. If the duskblade has a
sword in one hand and a shield in the other, can they still
cast spells? If not, why carry a shield?
You need a free hand to cast a spell with a somatic
component, and to cast a spell with a material or focus
component, you need that component at hand (which usually
means you need a free hand to manipulate it). The buckler and
light shield both allow you to use your shield hand for such
activities.
A duskblade using a heavy shield and holding a weapon or
other object in his other hand can only cast spells that don’t
include the components listed above, despite the fact that he
ignores the arcane spell failure chance for the heavy shield.
-Hyp.
