Bard component substitution and the Auditory trait

[hyphz]

"If you’re a Bard Casting a Spell from the Occult tradition while holding a musical instrument, you can play that instrument to replace any material, somatic, or verbal components the spell requires by using the instrument as a Focus component instead. Cast a Spell gains the Auditory trait if you make this substitution."

The Auditory trait states:

"An action with the auditory trait can be successfully performed only if the creature using the action can speak or otherwise produce the required sounds. A spell or effect with the auditory trait has its effect only if the target can hear it."

It is unusual for Cast a Spell to gain the Auditory trait, only for the spell itself to gain the Auditory trait.

It is obvious that the Bard must be able to produce the sound (of the instrument) in order to cast a spell. But does this also imply that the spell does not work on a creature that can't hear it?

[CrystalSeas]

No, it doesn't imply that. It says it explicitly in the part you quoted
A spell or effect with the auditory trait has its effect only if the target can hear it."

[Timeshadow]

So if a bard can cast fireball for some reason and uses this to make it Auditory and has a bunch of Deaf minions he can have them tie up "hearing" enemies and he can fireball with no chance of hurting them?

[TheFinish]

hyphz wrote:

It is obvious that the Bard must be able to produce the sound (of the instrument) in order to cast a spell. But does this also imply that the spell does not work on a creature that can't hear it?

Timeshadow wrote:

So if a bard can cast fireball for some reason and uses this to make it Auditory and has a bunch of Deaf minions he can have them tie up "hearing" enemies and he can fireball with no chance of hurting them?

No. The text is clear that it's Cast a Spell that gains the Auditory trait, not the spell itself. Which means, as we find under the auditory trait description that hyphz posted...

"An action with the auditory trait can be successfully performed only if the creature using the action can speak or otherwise produce the required sounds. A spell or effect with the auditory trait has its effect only if the target can hear it."

What that means is that your bard would be unable to use the Cast a Spell Action (and therefore, cast the spell at all) if they were unable to produce the required sounds. It doesn't matter if anyone can hear them at all, only that the bard can produce them.

So, for example, if your bard was under the effect of a silence spell, they'd not be able to use Component Substitution to cast spells with their instrument.

[Timeshadow]

ok thats ok just checking it seemed odd lol

[hyphz]

Also I think the errata removed it anyway.