Getting a hand free to cast a somatic spell

[Evil DM]

Hi folks,

I am thinking about the cleric who wields his typical mace and protects himself with a light shield.

Why light? Because in the rules is written that he can hold an item with the hand where his shield is strapped on his arm.

So I think about the combat situation where the cleric has his mace and shield ready and wants to cast a spell with a somatic component.

As a free action he could drop his weapon but that should not be his first choice. So I thought he could just hold his mace for a while in his off hand (I think a mace is supposed to be an item).

So my first question:
Would this be possible?

2nd
What action is the switch? I think I once read that it is a free action to switch weapons from primary to off-hand.

3rd
Would the cleric gain his shield bonus to AC while holding his mace?

So it should work as follows:
Switch the weapon as a free action and cast a spell. Still a move action free.
And at the start of the next round switch the weapon back and be ready for a standard, move or full-round action.

 

[Corsair]

Generally moving things between hands is a free action. I believe a sage question in regards to the duskblade addressed this (though there it was using a two handed weapon and casting a spell).

 

[Maleketh]

You might consider using a buckler instead of a light shield - it's a little more expensive, but grants the same AC bonus and leaves your hand "free" for the purpose of spellcasting.

 

[Infiniti2000]

1. Yes.
2. It's not defined in the rules, but the guidelines on withdrawing/stowing a weapon is a Move action; but I would allow it as a free action with quickdraw
3. Yes

If you say it's a free action, then obviously the turn would go: switch (Free), cast (std), switch back (free), still a move action remaining. And, you can still threaten and get full AC bonus all the time! That's too much of a sweet deal for free IMO.

 

[Evil DM]

You might consider using a buckler instead of a light shield - it's a little more expensive, but grants the same AC bonus and leaves your hand "free" for the purpose of spellcasting.

I thought of a buckler exactly for that reason. But I did nowhere find anything that the buckler allows you spellcasting. Where is that written? Or did the Sage say that?

If you say it's a free action, then obviously the turn would go: switch (Free), cast (std), switch back (free), still a move action remaining. And, you can still threaten and get full AC bonus all the time! That's too much of a sweet deal for free IMO.

I do not think that way. Becaus according to the new swift-action I would transform the switching weapon action from a free action into a swift action. And according to the rules you are only allowed for one swift action during your turn. So you can switch the weapon at the beginning of your turn and that's it. So you do not threat any adjacent square.

Cheers, Evil DM.

 

[MarkB]

I thought of a buckler exactly for that reason. But I did nowhere find anything that the buckler allows you spellcasting. Where is that written? Or did the Sage say that?

The buckler's description says that it's strapped to your forearm, which would your hand free. What you do with that hand - spellcasting included - is up to you.

 

[NightCrawler]

This remind me of an old thread about Duskblades and how they can make spells with somatic components while holding a two-handed sword...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Barring that, you can always:

1) Choose a feat that negates that neccessity, like Somatic Weaponry or Still Spell;

or

2) Choose a Base class or PrCl that can cast spells through their weaponry;

or

3) Choose spells without somatic components (see list in Dragon #354) or using weapons as somatic components;

or

4) Choose to be holding- not wielding- your weapon when you cast spells- its how Wizards get away with casting spells while holding a staff (a.k.a. a 2 handed weapon).

 

[frankthedm]

I thought of a buckler exactly for that reason. But I did nowhere find anything that the buckler allows you spellcasting. Where is that written? Or did the Sage say that?

Sage or FAQ IIRC had the spellcasting with buckler arm bit. IMHO anything unwieldy enough to impact melee attack rolls should mess with Somatic components.

The buckler's description says that it's strapped to your forearm, which would your hand free. What you do with that hand - spellcasting included - is up to you.

Buckler
This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you don’t get the buckler’s AC bonus for the rest of the round.

You can’t bash someone with a buckler.


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)