I am building a Summoner that I'd like to hold a Longspear, which is an exclusively 2-handed weapon.
I am aware that the rules for somatic components state that: "You can use this component while holding something in your hand, but not if you are restrained or otherwise unable to gesture freely". However, I am not sure if by RAI this includes the case where the caster wields a 2-handed weapon. I am not sure if this satisfies the "gesturing freely" requirement.
Any thoughts? Have any clarifications already been made by someone from the developer team?
You can cast spells while wielding a weapon with both hands just fine as long as it doesn't have a Material or Focus component.
Nothing in the rules text you quoted says otherwise.
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It depends on the components of the spell being cast and the class doing the casting.
Somatic components can be provided with hands that are holding things - including a 2-handed weapon.
Focus components you have to either have a hand free to quickly grab and then stow your focus, or have your focus in hand. There is also Emblazon Armament that will let you put your focus on a weapon or shield you are holding in combat.
Material components always need a free hand. If the class has a built-in class feature to allow replacing material components with somatic components (Oracle, Sorcerer, Magus, and probably some others), then you don't need a free hand because you are not using material components any more. If on the other hand you are a Wizard that paid a feat slot for Eschew Materials to be able to replace material components with somatic components, then you do still need a hand completely free.
Oh, as for Summoner specifically:
You can cast spells using the Cast a Spell activity, and you can supply material, somatic, and verbal components when casting spells. Because of the magic you draw from your eidolon, you can usually replace material components with somatic components, so you don't need a material component pouch.
Yes, you are good. Summoner is one of the classes that gets the built-in replacement of material components with somatic components. Cast longspear to your heart's content.
Edit: Though do be aware that this won't help for Focus components. Not sure how many spells have a Focus component though.
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It's 100% intended. The only component you can't provide is Materials, but most, if not all spontaneous casters have some way around that in their class features. The only materials they need to provide are those with a monetary value (as explained in the spell).
As for Focus components, as breithauptclan mentioned, those are usually only used by Prepared casters. So far, only Clerics and Druids have a Focus, being their Holy Symbol or Holly and Mistletoe. Focuses are used as a replacement of a Material Components Pouch, and you have to hold them, meaning you still need a free hand for those classes. You also need to spend an action retrieving the focus before casting, so feats like Emblazon Armament are super useful. Or you can just get a pouch for 5s and not worry about a focus.
But on the other hand, the number of spells that require a material component are super low now. Mostly just 3 action spells, and ones without a verbal component like Invisibility.
Nothing in the rules text you quoted says otherwise.
Thank you Blave for your input, though the "you must be able to gesture freely" part troubles me a little. I am not sure how you can gesture while holding a spear with both hands. It sounds like a really awkward spectacle, to say the least :-P
Thank you breithauptclan for your insight, I've forgotten that Summoner does not need material components (except for Focus).
My main concern is that perhaps allowing a spellcaster to both cast spells and wield a (strong) 2-handed weapon will cause balance issues or something. A martial class, for example, is penalized in the sense that he/she is not able to hold a shield at the same time.
But probably I am just overthinking this due to my lack of experience (?)
@Cordel Kintner I just noticed your post. Ok, so it seems that it makes no difference and my Summoner can wield a longspear without hindering his spellcasting ability.
I've played a witch with a greataxe. A powerful weapon in the hands of a caster is still pitiful, trust me. :)
If you need further evidence, look at the Magus. That class is all about wielding weapons and casting spells at the same time. One of its subclasses is even exclusively for two-handed weapons. And then there's all kinds of hybrid characters. By your reading of the rules, a greaysword wielding Paladin couldn't even use Lay on Hands.
"Gesture freely" also doens't necessarily mean "both hands independent from one another". If a spell requires you to draw a circle with one hand, you can just move your other hand in Tandem.
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In practice, a caster wielding a weapon is fairly strong but not overly so. They are still tied in by the same action economy and MAP rules that martials are. And, once you hit 5th level, the pairing loses strength due to both proficiencies not progressing. So again, it is good, but far from broken.
The concept is also balanced by HPs and AC proficiencies of casters. It is a dangerous game to bring casters to the front lines. This is by design. So make sure you consider what it means to be near the front lines.
All of that said, this character is a melee-ish wizard, and a pretty successful one at that. In PF2 there are a lot of options out there, some more obvious than others. Sometimes a skill, general, or ancestry feat can help you achieve the character you want.
In practice, a caster wielding a weapon is fairly strong but not overly so. They are still tied in by the same action economy and MAP rules that martials are. And, once you hit 5th level, the pairing loses strength due to both proficiencies not progressing. So again, it is good, but far from broken.
The concept is also balanced by HPs and AC proficiencies of casters. It is a dangerous game to bring casters to the front lines. This is by design. So make sure you consider what it means to be near the front lines.
All of that said, this character is a melee-ish wizard, and a pretty successful one at that. In PF2 there are a lot of options out there, some more obvious than others. Sometimes a skill, general, or ancestry feat can help you achieve the character you want.
The thing is a casters first strike does not stack up compared to a martial characters main strike. But its not terrible or nothing either. Maybe it compares to a martial characters second strike (with a MAP penalty) and it is better than his third strike.
So yes caster with ranged weapons like bows, and thrown daggers are good. Reach weapons are nice like whips or long spears. These enable you to contribute and stay a litte bit out of reach. But you can go right into melee if you think you can handle it.
Finesse weapons are typically better as casters normally don't have much strength. Simple weapons are more accessible as you may already have the proficiency for them. But if you are prepared to pay the build cost, you can get around both these problems.
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At levels 1-3, a caster with Magic Weapon and proficiency in a d8+ melee weapon can out damage most martials pretty much every turn (in theory). The optimal actions would generally be a save based cantrip (electric arc or scatter scree if there are multiple enemies) followed by a strike. This is because a save based spell does not trigger or suffer from MAP. Also, it is probably the best switch hitting build as you don't have to change between weapons. You can just two-hand a d12 weapon and cast spells.
Again, the martials catch up at 4 when they get access to striking and then 5 when they get increased proficiency. As the levels continue, melee-full casters fall behind with their melee. That said, you are still a full caster. Though, they don't too far behind. Even at higher levels, if you have stuck with the basic melee needs to stay in the game, you can still use your melee skills against mooks.
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At levels 1-3, a caster with Magic Weapon and proficiency in a d8+ melee weapon can out damage most martials pretty much every turn (in theory).
Go Shillelagh for the extra die vs aberrations, extraplanar creatures, and undead too.
