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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 9527139" data-attributes="member: 71699">Well, the text in the core books -- absent the Sage Advice -- states unambiguously that clerics and paladins may obviate their need for (inexpensive) Material components by putting their holy symbol on their shield, and that does not apply to Somatic components.EDIT Following further discussion, I now believe that a spellcasting focus by intent covers both material components (that aren't costed or consumed) and somatic components.So it seems inaccurate to characterise that as having "trouble reading the rules". The actual words lucidly state the maligned conclusion! Here is that text, for S and M components<h4>Somatic (S) </h4> A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements. <h4>Material (M) </h4> A Material component is a particular material used in a spell’s casting, as specified in parentheses in the Components entry. These materials aren’t consumed by the spell unless the spell’s description states otherwise. The spellcaster must have a hand free to access them, but it can be the same hand used to perform Somatic components, if any. If a spell doesn’t consume its materials and doesn’t specify a cost for them, a spellcaster can use a Component Pouch (see chapter 6) instead of providing the materials specified in the spell, or the spellcaster can substitute a Spellcasting Focus if the caster has a feature that allows that substitution. To use a Component Pouch, you must have a hand free to reach into it, and to use a Spellcasting Focus, you must hold it unless its description says otherwise (see chapter 6 for descriptions). For Clerics and PaladinsSpellcasting Focus. You can use a Holy Symbol as a Spellcasting Focus for your Cleric spells. For Warcaster to read thatSomatic Components. You can perform the Somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a Shield in one or both hands. Very strongly implies that it cannot be done except where expressly afforded by a mechanic. Otherwise that part of the Warcaster text becomes (in effect) blank: the better reading sustains meaning in all parts of a text where possible.EDIT The Warcaster text then has to be read as a panacea for characters without access to a spellcasting focus. Meaning I overstated this point as the feature is only sometimes irrelevant.In the cited text, a spellcasting focus is tied to obviating M components. It takes a fairly strong misreading to interpret that otherwise. The Sage Advice indeed adds something new: expressly extending the effect of using a focus to cover S components. As I said above, given that the authors of 2024 text must have been aware of that Sage Advice, the fact it wasn't migrated into the core text implies (but doesn't prove) that it wasn't intended.Caveat: that's based on text I've been able to find. Can you point to some text I've overlooked?</blockquote>

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