Holding both rod and wand and still casting spells ? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Guigui_le_Yoyome Feb 14, 2015 12:59:36	Hi all, I am a french D&D player discovering this all new 5th edition. I'm a seasoned player of 3.5 ed. and Pathfinder, but in the 3.5 game I play, the team decided to convert to 5th edition. Then I discovered that my 3.5 halfling 7th level support mage had a lot to lose while going 5th (mostly because of concentration spells and the disappearance of glitterdust, which I used to spam all day), so I wonder building an all new character. Trying to stay in the same global role of an arcane caster, I've read a lot and focused on the warlock 2 / draconic sorcerer X, which seems to be a quite solid build, especially since damage spells seem to be much more powerful than in previous editions (4th excepted). Speaking of magic items, the DM allowed us 2 rare, 3 uncommon and 4 common items. I do not have access to the DMG yet, but I've read this very good guide about magic items (it should be added to the guide compilation thread, btw) : http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4179391 The author says that the to-hit bonuses of the rod of the pact keeper and the wand of the war mage do stack, and it seems to be true, but here is my question : if I hold the rod in one hand and the wand in the other, how can I cast spells ? I have no free hand left... Is there something I missed or didn't notice ? Thanks, Guigui PS : sorry for the possible grammatical mistakes... I read english better than I write it... or speak it !
#2 ShinQuickMan Feb 14, 2015 13:45:00	Warlocks can use Rods or Wands as a Spellcasting Focus, which can both be used in place of Material components without a specified price and can be cast in the same hand with which the Warlock uses their Somatic components. So for a number of spells, that Rod/Wand combo would function, but it won't work if the spell has Somatic components yet no Material components., nor will it work for spells with expensive material components.
#3 Yunru Feb 14, 2015 14:08:21	Hold both in the same hand. Problem solved.
(Reply to #2) ZHDarkstar	ShinQuickMan wrote:
#5 Yunru Feb 14, 2015 16:31:11	Unless you go by logic and the dev's tweets in which just because it lacks material components doesn't mean foci can't be used for somatic components.
#6 ShinQuickMan Feb 14, 2015 18:21:12	Yunru wrote:
#7 cowleymen Feb 14, 2015 20:10:51	For my games, foci also take the somatic components, as your channeling your magic through said foci, so you instead point that foci instead of your hand/fingers.
#8 Archon007 Feb 14, 2015 20:33:17	I think this is more of a DM by DM case. By RAW you need an open hand for S casting, but I'd guess a lot of DMs wouldn't care.
(Reply to #6) Yunru	ShinQuickMan wrote:
#10 Yunru Feb 15, 2015 1:58:18	Also not that Somatic components don't require a free hand, but free use of a hand: S o m a t i c (S) Spellcasting gestures might include a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. If a spell requires a som atic com ponent, the caster must have free use of at least one hand to perform these gestures.
(Reply to #10) Guigui_le_Yoyome	Well, thank you all, and especially ShinQuinckMan ! It's clearer to me now. I dislike the idea of holding both items in one hand. Doesn't seem to be the spirit, imho. If you could do this, where is the limit ? How many rods and wands could you hold together ? As the DM, I would not accept it.
#12 Yunru Feb 15, 2015 9:57:53	Well they require attunement, so there's your limit.
#13 Guigui_le_Yoyome Feb 15, 2015 11:39:29	Yunru wrote:
#14 ShinQuickMan Feb 15, 2015 12:20:44	Yunru wrote:
#15 Kalani Feb 15, 2015 13:05:49	AFAIK, you can only benefit from one focus at a time - as you only cast the spell using a single focus/material component. It doesn't matter how many foci you possess, they do not stack, as your focus acts as a substitute for the spells normal material component(s).
#16 Yunru Feb 15, 2015 13:30:25	Does the spell have verbal components? If not, hold one in your teeth.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Guigui_le_Yoyome

Feb 14, 2015 12:59:36

Hi all,

I am a french D&D player discovering this all new 5th edition. I'm a seasoned player of 3.5 ed. and Pathfinder, but in the 3.5 game I play, the team decided to convert to 5th edition. Then I discovered that my 3.5 halfling 7th level support mage had a lot to lose while going 5th (mostly because of concentration spells and the disappearance of glitterdust, which I used to spam all day), so I wonder building an all new character.

Trying to stay in the same global role of an arcane caster, I've read a lot and focused on the warlock 2 / draconic sorcerer X, which seems to be a quite solid build, especially since damage spells seem to be much more powerful than in previous editions (4th excepted).

Speaking of magic items, the DM allowed us 2 rare, 3 uncommon and 4 common items. I do not have access to the DMG yet, but I've read this very good guide about magic items (it should be added to the guide compilation thread, btw) : http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4179391

The author says that the to-hit bonuses of the rod of the pact keeper and the wand of the war mage do stack, and it seems to be true, but here is my question : if I hold the rod in one hand and the wand in the other, how can I cast spells ? I have no free hand left... Is there something I missed or didn't notice ?

Thanks,

Guigui

PS : sorry for the possible grammatical mistakes... I read english better than I write it... or speak it !

ShinQuickMan

Feb 14, 2015 13:45:00

Warlocks can use Rods or Wands as a Spellcasting Focus, which can both be used in place of Material components without a specified price and can be cast in the same hand with which the Warlock uses their Somatic components. So for a number of spells, that Rod/Wand combo would function, but it won't work if the spell has Somatic components yet no Material components., nor will it work for spells with expensive material components.

Yunru

Feb 14, 2015 14:08:21

Hold both in the same hand. Problem solved.

(Reply to #2)

ZHDarkstar

ShinQuickMan wrote:

Yunru

Feb 14, 2015 16:31:11

Unless you go by logic and the dev's tweets in which just because it lacks material components doesn't mean foci can't be used for somatic components.

ShinQuickMan

Feb 14, 2015 18:21:12

Yunru wrote:

cowleymen

Feb 14, 2015 20:10:51

For my games, foci also take the somatic components, as your channeling your magic through said foci, so you instead point that foci instead of your hand/fingers.

Archon007

Feb 14, 2015 20:33:17

I think this is more of a DM by DM case. By RAW you need an open hand for S casting, but I'd guess a lot of DMs wouldn't care.

(Reply to #6)

Yunru

ShinQuickMan wrote:

#10

Yunru

Feb 15, 2015 1:58:18

Also not that Somatic components don't require a free hand, but free use of a hand:

S o m a t i c (S)
Spellcasting gestures might include a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. If a spell requires a som atic com ponent, the caster must have free use of at least one hand to perform these gestures.

(Reply to #10)

Guigui_le_Yoyome

Well, thank you all, and especially ShinQuinckMan ! It's clearer to me now.

I dislike the idea of holding both items in one hand. Doesn't seem to be the spirit, imho. If you could do this, where is the limit ? How many rods and wands could you hold together ? As the DM, I would not accept it.

#12

Yunru

Feb 15, 2015 9:57:53

Well they require attunement, so there's your limit.

#13

Guigui_le_Yoyome

Feb 15, 2015 11:39:29

Yunru wrote:

#14

ShinQuickMan

Feb 15, 2015 12:20:44

Yunru wrote:

#15

Kalani

Feb 15, 2015 13:05:49

AFAIK, you can only benefit from one focus at a time - as you only cast the spell using a single focus/material component. It doesn't matter how many foci you possess, they do not stack, as your focus acts as a substitute for the spells normal material component(s).

#16

Yunru

Feb 15, 2015 13:30:25

Does the spell have verbal components? If not, hold one in your teeth.