Certain spells (including spells cast as rituals) require more time to cast: minutes or even hours. When you cast a spell with a casting time longer than a single action or reaction, you must spend your action each turn casting the spell, and you must maintain your concentration while you do so. If your concentration is broken, the spell fails, but you don't expend a spell slot. If you want to try casting the spell again, you must start over.
So my question is, do I need to be stationary for 24 hours in order to be preparing to cast a spell with an extended casting time like Hallow? Other concentration spells, I would be able to perform other actions. So, if I were looking to prepare this for an upcoming battle, could I do other things and make concentration check(s) to see if I can cast it when I am ready? Otherwise it seems to be a limited use spell.
You have to spend your action every 6 seconds as part of the casting, and you have to maintain concentration, but there are things you can do with no penalty:
Anything requiring a bonus action (spells, class abilities)
Anything requiring a reaction (opportunity attacks, class abilities, spells)
Moving using your available speeds
Anything that would not require an action to do (think free object interactions, like opening a door, stuffing food in your mouth, etc per the PHB)
There are things you could not do (would cause the casting to automatically fail):
Anything that would require an action to do (attacking, spells, class abilities, using magic items that require an action, dashing, certain object interactions, ability checks, etc)
Anything that would require concentration to do (using other spells, class abilities, etc)
Anything that would incapacitate you (like sleeping, etc)
There are other things you could not do (would cause a concentration check that, if failed, would cause the casting to fail):
Taking Damage
Being hit by certain environmental effects (if the DM requires a check)
Being hit by any other game effect that would require a concentration check.
You can move around, so long as you remain in range of your target. You must spend one Action on casting, and keep on spending your Action keeping up concentration once you have begun, every single turn until you have finished casting. You cannot take the Attack action, but if you qualify for a Bonus Action or the trigger for a Reaction happens you can take either or both. There are a fair number of spells that can be cast as a bonus action that you could use in a fight. I do not believe you could use a Bonus Action to make a melee attack, but you could make a melee attack as a Reaction. An Attack Of Opportunity.
You have to satisfy the conditions imposed by the Components. If there is a Verbal Component, you have to keep vocalizing. You wouldn't be able to talk to anyone. If there is a Somatic Component, you must have one hand free to perform the gestures. It does not have to be the same hand at all times, and it can amount to just wiggling your fingers, but you have to keep doing so. You must be touching the Material Component at all times. You can use the same hand that is performing the Somatic Component to do so.
You have to concentrate the whole time. This can be pretty limiting. You could defend yourself somewhat, but not really fight back much. You couldn't eat or drink, you couldn't read a book, you might not be able to take a Rest. That would be up to the DM. I tend to think that having to remain constantly active would prevent you from relaxing, but you aren't doing anything strenuous, so other DMs might see it otherwise. Since you are using up your Action I don't see many attribute checks you would be able to make actively. Passive stuff like Perception, Investigation, or Insight would work, maybe even avoiding slipping on something as a passive Dex check.
Keep in mind that Hallow is intended to be the kind of thing one wouldn’t normally cast unless they had a reasonable expectation of an uninterrupted 24 hours to cast it. It’s the spell used to bless a church to make it holy ground. One doesn’t typically attempt to consecrate an are to a deity while stuff’s goin’ down. Knowat’a’mean?
I'd agree with being able to move around, but not much else.
I'd also imagine each different god would have a different set of rites and rituals necessary to complete the spell, so a lot of it would be DM related on how (and if) they want to get into that. So for some gods, as Geann suggested, you might have to be praying intensely and not eat or drink or even really move much. But if it was, say Dionysius, it might be more like going on a 24-hour bender with lots of dancing. In most cases, I'd imagine you saying you want to cast it, the DM maybe making a roll on a random monster chart if they want to mess with you, but otherwise saying, well its tomorrow, you're done (perhaps with more embellishment).
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Basic rules states...
Longer Casting Times
Certain spells (including spells cast as rituals) require more time to cast: minutes or even hours. When you cast a spell with a casting time longer than a single action or reaction, you must spend your action each turn casting the spell, and you must maintain your concentration while you do so. If your concentration is broken, the spell fails, but you don't expend a spell slot. If you want to try casting the spell again, you must start over.
So my question is, do I need to be stationary for 24 hours in order to be preparing to cast a spell with an extended casting time like Hallow? Other concentration spells, I would be able to perform other actions. So, if I were looking to prepare this for an upcoming battle, could I do other things and make concentration check(s) to see if I can cast it when I am ready? Otherwise it seems to be a limited use spell.
You have to spend your action every 6 seconds as part of the casting, and you have to maintain concentration, but there are things you can do with no penalty:
There are things you could not do (would cause the casting to automatically fail):
There are other things you could not do (would cause a concentration check that, if failed, would cause the casting to fail):
Hallow is a pretty limited use spell.
You can move around, so long as you remain in range of your target. You must spend one Action on casting, and keep on spending your Action keeping up concentration once you have begun, every single turn until you have finished casting. You cannot take the Attack action, but if you qualify for a Bonus Action or the trigger for a Reaction happens you can take either or both. There are a fair number of spells that can be cast as a bonus action that you could use in a fight. I do not believe you could use a Bonus Action to make a melee attack, but you could make a melee attack as a Reaction. An Attack Of Opportunity.
You have to satisfy the conditions imposed by the Components. If there is a Verbal Component, you have to keep vocalizing. You wouldn't be able to talk to anyone. If there is a Somatic Component, you must have one hand free to perform the gestures. It does not have to be the same hand at all times, and it can amount to just wiggling your fingers, but you have to keep doing so. You must be touching the Material Component at all times. You can use the same hand that is performing the Somatic Component to do so.
You have to concentrate the whole time. This can be pretty limiting. You could defend yourself somewhat, but not really fight back much. You couldn't eat or drink, you couldn't read a book, you might not be able to take a Rest. That would be up to the DM. I tend to think that having to remain constantly active would prevent you from relaxing, but you aren't doing anything strenuous, so other DMs might see it otherwise. Since you are using up your Action I don't see many attribute checks you would be able to make actively. Passive stuff like Perception, Investigation, or Insight would work, maybe even avoiding slipping on something as a passive Dex check.
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Keep in mind that Hallow is intended to be the kind of thing one wouldn’t normally cast unless they had a reasonable expectation of an uninterrupted 24 hours to cast it. It’s the spell used to bless a church to make it holy ground. One doesn’t typically attempt to consecrate an are to a deity while stuff’s goin’ down. Knowat’a’mean?
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You can move but not much else. Long casting time spells (especially 8+ hours) are pretty much meant to be cast during downtime in a safe location.
I'd agree with being able to move around, but not much else.
I'd also imagine each different god would have a different set of rites and rituals necessary to complete the spell, so a lot of it would be DM related on how (and if) they want to get into that. So for some gods, as Geann suggested, you might have to be praying intensely and not eat or drink or even really move much. But if it was, say Dionysius, it might be more like going on a 24-hour bender with lots of dancing. In most cases, I'd imagine you saying you want to cast it, the DM maybe making a roll on a random monster chart if they want to mess with you, but otherwise saying, well its tomorrow, you're done (perhaps with more embellishment).