Somatic components and a lanyard

[Harmon]

I have a wizard character that uses a DarkWood cane as a weapon, generally he ties the cane to his wrist on a lanyard. The leather strap is about a foot long so he can drop the cane to cast spells and grab things.

What my question is- should he have a Spell Failure chance with the cane attached to him via such a fashion where Somatic components are concerned?

 

[RangerWickett]

You only need one free hand to cast a spell, I thought. Wizards can easily hold a staff in one hand while casting.

 

[azmodean]

I think so, for comparason look at the buckler, this is a 5 lb piece of wood strapped to your forearm, and it causes a 5% failure chance. What is a cane in D&D weapon terminology? A club? An ordinary club weighs slightly less than a buckler, so IMC I'd assess a similar failure rate, but since yours is darkwood, it is only about 1.5 lb, it's right on the edge, I'd probably let you get away with no penalty, but I'm sure others would disagree.

It's really a house-rule area.

 

[BlackSilver]

azmodean and Ranger both make good points, I think I would let it go.

A minor question however do you think its fair that you can drop your weapon and rearm yourself without an AoO?

Nice to see your back, Harmon. All has worked out I take it?

 

[frankthedm]

Automatic failure on any spell with somatic component. you need the hand free, not weighted down.

The buckler does not grant the ability to cast spells with that hand, Only the ability to use bows and weapons. the arcane falure rate is for wearing the buckler, not for using the hand it is on to cast a spell.

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.

 

[Harmon]

A lanyard is a leather strap that connects the cane (aka club) tot eh welder's arm, is is not in his hand while casting spells it is dangling from his arm.

If a spell caster can cast spells with a buckler and suffer a 5% spell failure then why would one not be allowed to have a DarkWood cane dangle on a short cord? In your opinion, Frank?

Emm- I see something here, you are referring only to the Buckler that was used as an example. My apologizes.

 

[Harmon]

A minor question however do you think its fair that you can drop your weapon and rearm yourself without an AoO?

Not sure, Silver, if the GM makes that call then I will more then likely agree with him. He's pretty fair about most things and will more then likely hear me out on any point I have to make regarding it.

Nice to see your back, Harmon. All has worked out I take it?

Thanks.

One sacrificed pride for the good of the whole.

 

[Shin Okada]

The buckler does not grant the ability to cast spells with that hand, Only the ability to use bows and weapons. the arcane falure rate is for wearing the buckler, not for using the hand it is on to cast a spell.

According to the newest FAQ file, it does. Everything changes ....

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).

 

[azmodean]

Silly me, of course you can't cast using a hand with a buckler strapped to it. Similarly, I think I wouldn't allow the lanyard either. Or perhaps allow it with a large failure chance.

This is far into house rule territory, it's debatable wether this would render your hand "free" as per the requirements for somatic components.

Somatic (S): A somatic component is a measured and precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component.

I'd give a hefty failure chance, 35% or higher.

What is your other hand doing, by the way?

ok, now I'm just confused, I don't know what I'd end up ruling on this IMC.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Automatic failure on any spell with somatic component. you need the hand free, not weighted down.

The buckler does not grant the ability to cast spells with that hand, Only the ability to use bows and weapons. the arcane falure rate is for wearing the buckler, not for using the hand it is on to cast a spell.

I don't see that in the rules, Frank.

In fact, I see just about the opposite:

Shield, Heavy, Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A heavy shield is so heavy that you can’t use your shield hand for anything else.

Shield, Light, Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light shield’s weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it.

You can't use the hand wielding a heavy shield to cast a spell, because "you can't use your shield hand for anything else."

You couldn't, probably, use the hand wielding a light shield to cast a spell, because you can only "carry other items in that hand." Like, say, a torch (or your weapon from your other hand).

On the other hand, the buckler doesn't even involve your hand at all, to the point where you can wield weapons in it.

The buckler hand works, and counts as a free hand for casting spells.

In fact, the FAQ supports this (for what it's worth):

Q: My DM says that my cleric has to drop his morningstar to cast spells. Is he right?

A: 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).

Of course, I disagree that switching hands is a Move action, but there you are.