Spellcasters and elemental body

[ShoulderPatch]

I've seen this discussed a few times but never seen the final RAW answer... in PFS play, can a spellcaster using elemental body to assume a humanoid form of the elemental still cast spells with somatic components?

[Todd Morgan]

Per the polymorph rules everything you have becomes subsumed into your new body so you have to account for that.

It is still going to be table variation I'm afraid, as elementals don't have a set body type, so a fire elemental may or may not have hands whereas an earth elemental might.

[WalterGM]

I asked the man. Maybe we'll get a definitive answer.

[ShoulderPatch]

WalterGM wrote:

I asked the man. Maybe we'll get a definitive answer.

Thanks Walter, and nice to see per JJ, Yes indeed elementals can have fingers, and seemingly by RAW/RAI spell casters can cast spells with somatic comp. while in Elemental Body form.

That question's been floating around since Trentmonks Guide back in the day. Nice to finally have something resembling an official answer.

[WalterGM]

I love James Jacobs. That man is my go-to rules guru. He kills so many long, terrible threads.

[AnnoyingOrange]

ShoulderPatch wrote:

I've seen this discussed a few times but never seen the final RAW answer... in PFS play, can a spellcaster using elemental body to assume a humanoid form of the elemental still cast spells with somatic components?

Verbal and somatic yes, though your gear becomes part of your shape, eschew materials might be handy here.

[AnnoyingOrange]

WalterGM wrote:

I love James Jacobs. That man is my go-to rules guru. He kills so many long, terrible threads.

One thing to keep in mind though is that none of his answers are official, as a creative director it is not his job to discuss the fine points of the rules. Any advice he gives tends to be his own opinion and viewpoints, not necesarily the game's developers as a whole.

I still appreciate the feedback though since his words do carry weight, even if it is his perspective as an experienced GM with some beyond-the-curtain knowledge.