I have been playing pathfinder for a short time, and I am still trying to grasp some of the subtle nuances of the game.
My primary concern for today has to deal with a clerics use of a holy symbol or HS( divine focus ) during the heat of battle.
I used the search function but the most recent response to my question was over a year old.
To cast a spell with a somatic components and a divine focus, how many hands do I need free?
Bucklers and light shields allow for the use of 1 hand. But if I have a weapon in my other hand can I still cast the spell ? The confusing part to me is where does the holy symbol go ? Some threads have indicated the HS may be anywhere it can be seen. However I can't seem to find any reference to support this ( or I just haven't found it yet ). Plus the visual of a cleric Not grasping there HS and trying to invoke the power of their god seems a little ..well...lame ( think about a vampire hunter wielding a glowing cross in one hand for instance)
Given the concept of just having a HS on my person , and being a heavily armored cleric. I have realized I can't use my heavy shield and a weapon while I cast ( as I need 1 free hand for the somatic part )logic says hide behind the shield but keep that hand free for casting unless you have quick draw and a bunch of weapons to drop at a moments notice.
Any help would be appreciated
If a spell has somatic components, you need one hand free to cast it. Retrieving and using any spell focus or material component is done as a free action as part of the somatic component.
Bucklers allow you to cast spells with the hand wielding the buckler.
Light shields keep your shield hand free, but unable to perfom delicate actions such as somatic components. Switching weapons from one hand to the other however is a free action. So you can switch your weapon to your shield hand, cast a spell with the now free weapon hand and switch the weapon back to your weapon hand after casting the spell.
|
Switching weapons from one hand to the other however is a free action. So you can switch your weapon to your shield hand, cast a spell with the now free weapon hand and switch the weapon back to your weapon hand after casting the spell.
Blave,
do you have a page reference that shows that switching weapons from one hand to another is a free action?Drawing a weapon is a move action, but can be combined with a regular move if you have a +1 BaB. Dropping a weapon is a free action (which is not the same as changing hands).
I don't see anywhere that changing weapons is a free action. So, if there is a page reference, I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Changing hands is not listed in the book, so it is a Not An Action. It's easier to just think it's a free action though because an action being a Not An Action is a bit weird.
A light shield allows spellcasters to use their hand to cast, and lets you carry an object; the only thing it actually prevents is wielding a weapon.
Switching a held object from one hand to the other doesn't require an action, so the end result is the same whether or not you use the light shield hand to lay on hands or your weapon hand after switching your weapon to the off hand, and then back to your weapon hand.
The fact that allowing you to use your light shield hand to do so without so many fiddly steps is why I'd say it's fine to let it work that way.
James has long said his posts are not 'official' rules errata or whatever, but they're good enough for me. Your DM may feel otherwise.
Whether you need to hold the divine focus or not is kind of a weird issue. There are many options to not have to hold the holy symbol (such as Sanctified Armor, or the Birthmark trait.
You cannot have a heavy shield and a weapon and cast spells, unless you have more than 2 arms.
So just use a Light Shield.
Vampires can be held back by brandishing a holy symbol. No problems there. It's in their description somewhere. Probably in Undead Revisited.
See here for a discussion on the holy symbol bit.
I'd just have it showing somewhere, and ignore it.
This line muddles the waters a bit:
The cleric can use the focus as a holy symbol (whether activated or not), though if it is a worn item rather than a held item she must touch the item with a free hand.
You're wearing the shield. And touching it at the same time.
It's a muddy issue, I think.