Quick Q about spellcasting with large shields

[Junkheap]

Ok, i know you cannot use a heavy/large shield while spellcasting, with a weapon in the other hand. What if the weapon is a darkwood shield or a mithril shield. I think under the descriptions for large shield it states that you cannot cast spells because of size, and under spellcasting it states because the shield is too heavy you cannot cast spells. Well a darkwood/mithril shield brings a large or heavy shield down to 5 pounds. Can a cleric cast a spell with a weapon in one hand and a darkwood or mithril large shield in the other?
Thanx guys.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Can a cleric cast a spell with a weapon in one hand and a darkwood or mithril large shield in the other?

If it doesn't have a somatic component? Sure.

If it does? Absolutely not - he needs to have a hand free to perform the somatic component. If he has a shield in one hand, and a weapon in the other, he doesn't have a hand free. The weight's irrelevant.

-Hyp.

 

[Elephant]

A light shield or buckler, on the other hand, does still allow spellcasting because the hand is free enough to use in somatic components.

Alternatively, take the Quick Draw feat and use it to free your weapon hand while you cast a spell, then draw the weapon at the conclusion of the spell.

 

[hong]

IIRC Monte mentioned that a caster could have their weapon loosely tied to their arm by a thong or something, so they can have a weapon and shield, and still cast spells. Works for me.

 

[Egres]

A light shield or buckler, on the other hand, does still allow spellcasting because the hand is free enough to use in somatic components.
.

Skip Williams doesn't think so.

From the "Rules of the Game" article:

Your hand is free when you aren't carrying a weapon, a piece of equipment, or (usually) a shield. You can strap a buckler to your arm and use your hand to wield a weapon (albeit at a penalty), so there's no reason you couldn't use your buckler hand for a somatic component. The buckler might interfere a little bit, but that's what the arcane spell failure chance for the buckler is for. You also can strap a light shield to your forearm and still carry items in that hand, but you can't use the hand for anything else (such as wielding a weapon), so there's no good reason you should be able to use that hand to complete a somatic component. Since manipulating a material component (including a focus) is part of casting the spell, it's best to consider the hand that holds the material component or focus as "free" for purposes of completing a somatic component.

 

[Parlan]

If it doesn't have a somatic component? Sure.

If it does? Absolutely not - he needs to have a hand free to perform the somatic component. If he has a shield in one hand, and a weapon in the other, he doesn't have a hand free.

So then how would switching the weapon around work? Could a (right handed) character move the weapon from their right hand to their left (shield) hand as a free action, and then cast?

Could they move their weapon back to their right hand with another free action?

Under light shields the PHB says "A light shield's weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it". (p125)

Kinda off topic, but what does this mean? I thought it was to indicate the hand switching thing above, but then I noticed that all the clerics I've seen in books and adventures always have LARGE shields.

Is this description just supposed to imply that someone can carry a torch in their light shield hand?

 

[Hypersmurf]

So then how would switching the weapon around work? Could a (right handed) character move the weapon from their right hand to their left (shield) hand as a free action, and then cast?

Could they move their weapon back to their right hand with another free action?

That works just fine with a light shield. Not a heavy shield, though.

-Hyp.