do you need a free hand to use material compenents?

[shilsen]

Am I tired, or did someone just say "Given that X is true," and conclude something in a discussion of whether or not X was true?

Nope, you're right - that's what happened. And if you're surprised, you haven't spent enough time on the rules forum

 

[Klaus]

You need a free hand to manipulate the material component or focus.

Check out the shield descriptions. The main difference between heavy and light shields is that a light shield leaves the hand free enough to manipulate components/focus or carry something (albeit not a weapon), whereas the heavy shield totally occupies the hand. So clerics that carry heavy shields can't cast their spells unless they drop their weapons and use the main hand for spellcasting.

 

[silentspace]

You need a free hand to manipulate the material component or focus.

Check out the shield descriptions. The main difference between heavy and light shields is that a light shield leaves the hand free enough to manipulate components/focus or carry something (albeit not a weapon), whereas the heavy shield totally occupies the hand. So clerics that carry heavy shields can't cast their spells unless they drop their weapons and use the main hand for spellcasting.

Could you post that please? I can't find it. All I can find is this

A heavy shield is so heavy that you can't use your shield hand for anything else.

A light shield's weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it.

Its an interesting idea though, that a light shield gives you a free hand for casting. Never thought of that.

 

[Klaus]

Here's a more direct quote, from the Magic Overview chapter:

"CHOOSING A SPELL
First you must choose which spell to cast. If you’re a cleric, druid, experienced paladin, experienced ranger, or wizard, you select from among spells prepared earlier in the day and not yet cast (see Preparing Wizard Spells and Preparing Divine Spells).
If you’re a bard or sorcerer, you can select any spell you know, provided you are capable of casting spells of that level or higher.

-----------This is the relevant part---------------
To cast a spell, you must be able to speak (if the spell has a verbal component), gesture (if it has a somatic component), and manipulate the material components or focus (if any). Additionally, you must concentrate to cast a spell.
-------------------------------------------------

If a spell has multiple versions, you choose which version to use when you cast it. You don’t have to prepare (or learn, in the case of a bard or sorcerer) a specific version of the spell.
Once you’ve cast a prepared spell, you can’t cast it again until you prepare it again. (If you’ve prepared multiple copies of a single spell, you can cast each copy once.) If you’re a bard or sorcerer, casting a spell counts against your daily limit for spells of that spell level, but you can cast the same spell again if you haven’t reached your limit."

So it clearly mentions "manipulating" the material components.

 

[silentspace]

Great! Thank you.

 

[JoeBlank]

I always keep one hand free so I can manipulate my material components.

IYKWIMAITYD

 

[moritheil]

Nope, you're right - that's what happened. And if you're surprised, you haven't spent enough time on the rules forum

I'm only truly surprised that it was done so blatantly. Usually there's some layering to throw people off the trail.

 

[Bront]

Am I tired, or did someone just say "Given that X is true," and conclude something in a discussion of whether or not X was true?

Sorry, just offering a thought on how we run it. Someone else had already given evidence that what we do doesn't seem wrong. Apparently I was tired though when I wrote it, probably should have phrased it differently.

 

[Thanee]

Someone else had already given evidence that what we do doesn't seem wrong.

Hmm... I thought, that the evidence was quite clearly pointing in the other direction, tho.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

Its an interesting idea though, that a light shield gives you a free hand for casting. Never thought of that.

I don't think it suffices for casting a somatic component spell, but for one with only a material component, it might work. It really only lets you carry items, not much more.

Altho, you could as well just use a buckler then, which certainly works better.

Bye
Thanee