The switch back and forth thing is how clerics cast, so it should work for you
But the book IS the focus, right? Unless you can use a focus held in your shield hand, I don't think that works.
Why couldn't you use a Divine Focus that way? the Light Shield description says you can hold items in your shield hand.
I'm not saying you can't. I thought you needed to be able to hold and manipulate it, same as for somatic components. But I am far from convinced.
Thanks. I never play divine casters so I'm not sure about the rules for their use. For material components I don't know of any cases where the ability to hold them doesn't also mean the ability to manipulate them, but maybe Divine Foci work differently.
I do know that the Birthmark Trait is a popular way to avoid the problem of not having hands free. From the Living Grimoire description it seems like the Birthmark might not be an option.
Yes the same hand can be used for the somatic and material components. You only need 1 free hand. That is how clerics and druids who will likely have a weapon are also able to cast spells. Otherwise they would have to drop the weapon to cast the spell.
If they have shields, only bucklers allow manipulation of items. For other types of shields they can't cast spells if they also have a weapon, but most GM's ignore that rule.
You can cast a spell with somatic components using your shield arm, but you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn.
Light and heavy shields do not have that allowance in their writing. Light shields only allow you to hold items, not to use somatic components.
If they have shields, only bucklers allow manipulation of items. For other types of shields they can't cast spells if they also have a weapon, but most GM's ignore that rule
Someone with a light shield can hold something in their hand (but not wield it) , and its generally considered a free action to pass left cast pass right.
|
Can you provide me with the specific text that says I can both manipulate the focus and perform the somatic component with the same hand?
Do you one better. Can you find me text that says you need to physically be holding in your hand, your focus for a spell you cast? You need to have the focus, but holding it isn't required as far as I can tell. Divine Foci may be different, for a normal Focus there is no holding requirement as far as I can tell (unless stated in the spell). You need to have the focus, but holding in hand is not part of the description for a Focus component to spells in the magic section.
|
|
Not actually helpful. His weapon is his book, which is his focus. He is already holding it.
My point is that he doesn't need a rules quote regarding the ability to use a somatic component in the same hand as the focus because there isn't a rule that requires the focus to be held in the first place.
He needs one hand free for somatic components and that's it. If the hand isn't free, then it isn't free.
If he chooses to wield the book, he can and that would occupy a different hand, but he could also just have the book on his person, to act as a focus. He shouldn't need to be actively wielding the book in order to count it as a focus. Though that may be a special rule of his book (like arcane bond).
Can you provide me with the specific text that says I can both manipulate the focus and perform the somatic component with the same hand?
If you needed one hand for material components and another hand for somatic components, that would have major implications for gameplay. For example, metamagic rods would be a lot less useful, because most spells have both material and somatic components, so unless you had a third hand you couldn't hold the rod. I've never heard of anyone playing it that way.