Since the somatic only requirements are cheesy, here is a cheesy solution. Make sure your weapons have a leather strap to your wrist, so it isn't literally dropped/stowed. I can still see some DMs ruling that you lose the use of that item and it's bonuses because it's not being properly wielded for the rest of the round. Which you would resolve on your next turn. This kind of thing bring other question to mind.
What if combat starts before you have drawn your weapon and something provokes an OA? Does the reaction allow you pull your weapon? The RAW say no, only on your turn. If you the take somatic ruling seriously, you would have to imagine that many times when combat starts that the players have weapons sheathed and shields slung at their backs making them inaccessible for the purpose of providing benefits until they can take their turn to draw them.
Throwing stuff out there... the exception should also apply to the worlock that hexblade attunes to their weapons, but not to a rogue that uses a shield and weapon or two weapons to do massive damage on sneak attack (while casting shield) to protect them, without a dip into the classes that bypass the war caster feat or taking the feat itself, or spending the levels to take it (that goes for every build that utilizes two weapon fighting or sword and board style of fighting).
The War Casting feat is a feat that is designed to be taken, if you want to use two hands to do combat (melee weapon and melee weapon, or melee weapon and shield) and you want to cast spells while you do this, then you need to take the War Caster feat. If certain classes or sub classes gain exception to this feat then they need to added to the list, so that certain builds can utilize this benefit or not.
It is clear that you cannot crit with sneak attack with a cantrip or spell with a rogue, but can with melee or physical ranged attack (the cantrip gets about the same for everyone). It is clear that while you can have multiple physical weapon attacks with a fighter, but not one of the attacks cast a damage spell. The general magic casting classes don't have the armor class to defend themselves, but they can do massive spell damage and could do it with shield and weapon (staff, wand, etc).
So in conclusion... if you want take the attack action... to use two weapon fighting, sword and board, or carry a shield and magical weapon in battle, then you should be required to take the War Casting feat if you want to cast spells (unless the spells are cast only from the spells stored in the objects).
I've been running my character with a holy symbol and an emblem, but my character's emblem is on the head of the quarterstaff she wields.
So when casting unless there was a material component with a listed gp cost I've been able to get around these restrictions so far wielding staff and shield.
I've been running my character with a holy symbol and an emblem, but my character's emblem is on the head of the quarterstaff she wields.
So when casting unless there was a material component with a listed gp cost I've been able to get around these restrictions so far wielding staff and shield.
Have I been doing this wrong?
If the spell has a somatic component and no material component, you cannot cast with both hands occupied. You need War Caster for that.
This exact example about a cleric wearing a mace and a shield was used in Sage Advice to explain that it's possible to hold both items to cast a somatic and material spell:
a cleric’s holy symbol is emblazoned on her shield. She likes to wade into melee combat with a mace in one hand and a shield in the other. She uses the holy symbol as her spellcasting focus, so she needs to have the shield in hand when she casts a cleric spell that has a material component. If the spell, such as aid, also has a somatic component, she can perform that component with the shield hand and keep holding the mace in the other.
Also, the same answer from Sage Advice gives us an example of a spell with only the somatic component:
If the same cleric casts cure wounds, she needs to put the mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a material component but does have a somatic component. She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s gestures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this restriction.
Since the somatic only requirements are cheesy, here is a cheesy solution. Make sure your weapons have a leather strap to your wrist, so it isn't literally dropped/stowed. I can still see some DMs ruling that you lose the use of that item and it's bonuses because it's not being properly wielded for the rest of the round. Which you would resolve on your next turn. This kind of thing bring other question to mind.
What if combat starts before you have drawn your weapon and something provokes an OA? Does the reaction allow you pull your weapon? The RAW say no, only on your turn. If you the take somatic ruling seriously, you would have to imagine that many times when combat starts that the players have weapons sheathed and shields slung at their backs making them inaccessible for the purpose of providing benefits until they can take their turn to draw them.
Throwing stuff out there... the exception should also apply to the worlock that hexblade attunes to their weapons, but not to a rogue that uses a shield and weapon or two weapons to do massive damage on sneak attack (while casting shield) to protect them, without a dip into the classes that bypass the war caster feat or taking the feat itself, or spending the levels to take it (that goes for every build that utilizes two weapon fighting or sword and board style of fighting).
The War Casting feat is a feat that is designed to be taken, if you want to use two hands to do combat (melee weapon and melee weapon, or melee weapon and shield) and you want to cast spells while you do this, then you need to take the War Caster feat. If certain classes or sub classes gain exception to this feat then they need to added to the list, so that certain builds can utilize this benefit or not.
It is clear that you cannot crit with sneak attack with a cantrip or spell with a rogue, but can with melee or physical ranged attack (the cantrip gets about the same for everyone). It is clear that while you can have multiple physical weapon attacks with a fighter, but not one of the attacks cast a damage spell. The general magic casting classes don't have the armor class to defend themselves, but they can do massive spell damage and could do it with shield and weapon (staff, wand, etc).
So in conclusion... if you want take the attack action... to use two weapon fighting, sword and board, or carry a shield and magical weapon in battle, then you should be required to take the War Casting feat if you want to cast spells (unless the spells are cast only from the spells stored in the objects).
I've been running my character with a holy symbol and an emblem, but my character's emblem is on the head of the quarterstaff she wields.
So when casting unless there was a material component with a listed gp cost I've been able to get around these restrictions so far wielding staff and shield.
Have I been doing this wrong?
If the spell has a somatic component and no material component, you cannot cast with both hands occupied. You need War Caster for that.
I’m surprised this question hasn’t been asked but we have a cleric with a +1 shield, does this function as a +1 focus for him?
It does not. If it did, it would say as much in the item description.
This exact example about a cleric wearing a mace and a shield was used in Sage Advice to explain that it's possible to hold both items to cast a somatic and material spell:
Also, the same answer from Sage Advice gives us an example of a spell with only the somatic component:
Now, you can remove all the wrong answers 😅😅😅