Looking at the psychic spells feature it states: "In addition, when you cast a Warlock spell that is an Enchantment or Illusion, you can do so without Verbal or Somatic components." With that feature what happens when you cast a spell that also has a Material component and you have a spell casting focus in hand? Do you still ignore the VS components and it's still basically undetectable? For example, Phantasmal Force is an Illusion spell that has V,S,M components. Would you be able to cast it without the Verbal and Somatic components as long as you have a component pouch or a Rod of the Pactkeeper in your hand.
IMO, a DM should tell if the spell is noticeable in some way even when only the Material component is needed.
If it helps, this is from XGtE, as Psychic Spells feature is similar to the Sorcerer's Subtle Spell feature:
(EDIT: I'm following the advice from XGtE, but at the same time, I believe these situations are DM's territory)
Perceiving a Caster at Work
Many spells create obvious effects: explosions of fire, walls of ice, teleportation, and the like. Other spells, such as charm person, display no visible, audible, or otherwise perceptible sign of their effects, and could easily go unnoticed by someone unaffected by them. As noted in the Player's Handbook, you normally don't know that a spell has been cast unless the spell produces a noticeable effect.
But what about the act of casting a spell? Is it possible for someone to perceive that a spell is being cast in their presence? To be perceptible, the casting of a spell must involve a verbal, somatic, or material component. The form of a material component doesn't matter for the purposes of perception, whether it's an object specified in the spell's description, a component pouch, or a spellcasting focus.
If the need for a spell's components has been removed by a special ability, such as the sorcerer's Subtle Spell feature or the Innate Spellcasting trait possessed by many creatures, the casting of the spell is imperceptible. If an imperceptible casting produces a perceptible effect, it's normally impossible to determine who cast the spell in the absence of other evidence.
Also, there's a difference between the 2014 and 2024 Counterspell spells. The new rules could affect the outcome:
- 2014: Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell - 2024: Casting Time: Reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of yourself casting a spell with Verbal, Somatic, or Material components
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Looking at the psychic spells feature it states: "In addition, when you cast a Warlock spell that is an Enchantment or Illusion, you can do so without Verbal or Somatic components." With that feature what happens when you cast a spell that also has a Material component and you have a spell casting focus in hand? Do you still ignore the VS components and it's still basically undetectable? For example, Phantasmal Force is an Illusion spell that has V,S,M components. Would you be able to cast it without the Verbal and Somatic components as long as you have a component pouch or a Rod of the Pactkeeper in your hand.
IMO, a DM should tell if the spell is noticeable in some way even when only the Material component is needed.
If it helps, this is from XGtE, as Psychic Spells feature is similar to the Sorcerer's Subtle Spell feature:
(EDIT: I'm following the advice from XGtE, but at the same time, I believe these situations are DM's territory)
Also, there's a difference between the 2014 and 2024 Counterspell spells. The new rules could affect the outcome:
- 2014: Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell
- 2024: Casting Time: Reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of yourself casting a spell with Verbal, Somatic, or Material components