There are certain ways to make a weapon a spellcasting focus, including heavy weapons like a greataxe. Would making a weapon with the heavy property your spellcasting focus allow you to hold the weapon while casting a spell without using the War Caster feat?
There are certain ways to make a weapon a spellcasting focus, including heavy weapons like a greataxe. Would making a weapon with the heavy property your spellcasting focus allow you to hold the weapon while casting a spell without using the War Caster feat?
Sort of.
In practice all heavy weapons are also two-handed, which means you simply don't need War Caster or any other tricks to cast while holding the weapon - you can just cast your spell, then use your free Use an Object to re-ready the weapon. The only spells where this flat-out doesn't work are Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade, both of which require you to have a ready weapon during the cast.
So technically, a Heavy weapon which is also a focus lets you perform the S component of a spell that has a costless M component without unreadying the weapon, but this is universally useless.
For BB and GFB, you can't do this trick with a focus, because you can't replace the BB and GFB M components with a focus, as they have a non-zero cost, which disables you from using your focus hand(s) for the S component. That means you need War Caster to cast BB or GFB and use a two-handed, and therefore a heavy, weapon for the attack in the spell.
There are certain ways to make a weapon a spellcasting focus, including heavy weapons like a greataxe. Would making a weapon with the heavy property your spellcasting focus allow you to hold the weapon while casting a spell without using the War Caster feat?
Yes. For example, if you attach a Ruby of the War Mage to a greataxe, you can use it as a focus, without War Caster. It works with any weapon, including 2-handed and heavy ones.
There are certain ways to make a weapon a spellcasting focus, including heavy weapons like a greataxe. Would making a weapon with the heavy property your spellcasting focus allow you to hold the weapon while casting a spell without using the War Caster feat?
Yes. For example, if you attach a Ruby of the War Mage to a greataxe, you can use it as a focus, without War Caster. It works with any weapon, including 2-handed and heavy ones.
War Caster doesn't let you use the weapon as a focus.
War Caster doesn't let you use the weapon as a focus.
No, but it does allow you to perform somatic components without a free hand. You can ~always perform them with a focus, so with a weapon-focus, you don't need war caster to cast somatic spells with a two-handed weapon.
War Caster doesn't let you use the weapon as a focus.
No, but it does allow you to perform somatic components without a free hand. You can ~always perform them with a focus, so with a weapon-focus, you don't need war caster to cast somatic spells with a two-handed weapon.
You use a focus for the Material components, your spellcasting focus has nothing to do with the Somatic component. The only connection a focus has with Somatic components is if you're casting a spell with both Somatic and Material components, you can use the same hand for both. But the focus is only handling the M part. If the spell has a Somatic requirement but not Material, everything I've seen from Crawford & The Gang says the hand must be empty(unless you have War Caster). Which makes sense. If the spell has no Material component, then the focus isn't part of the spell and the "M+S" rule wouldn't apply.
Just a little thing to add about War Caster. You don't need it to perform somatic components if you're using a one-handed weapon and shield. All you need to do is drop your weapon (a completely free action), cast your spell, then pick up your weapon with your once-per-turn Interact With Object action during that same turn. Of course, you'd need Warcaster to cast a spell as a reaction if it needs somatic components and you don't have a free hand. Realistically though, unless you're fighting somewhere where dropping your weapon is a bad idea then the old juggling trick is within RAW for spellcasting when your hands are full.
Just a little thing to add about War Caster. You don't need it to perform somatic components if you're using a one-handed weapon and shield. All you need to do is drop your weapon (a completely free action), cast your spell, then pick up your weapon with your once-per-turn Interact With Object action during that same turn. Of course, you'd need Warcaster to cast a spell as a reaction if it needs somatic components and you don't have a free hand. Realistically though, unless you're fighting somewhere where dropping your weapon is a bad idea then the old juggling trick is within RAW for spellcasting when your hands are full.
Yes, I covered this. As I also covered, it won't work with Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade.
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There are certain ways to make a weapon a spellcasting focus, including heavy weapons like a greataxe. Would making a weapon with the heavy property your spellcasting focus allow you to hold the weapon while casting a spell without using the War Caster feat?
Sort of.
Yes. For example, if you attach a Ruby of the War Mage to a greataxe, you can use it as a focus, without War Caster. It works with any weapon, including 2-handed and heavy ones.
War Caster doesn't let you use the weapon as a focus.
No, but it does allow you to perform somatic components without a free hand. You can ~always perform them with a focus, so with a weapon-focus, you don't need war caster to cast somatic spells with a two-handed weapon.
You use a focus for the Material components, your spellcasting focus has nothing to do with the Somatic component. The only connection a focus has with Somatic components is if you're casting a spell with both Somatic and Material components, you can use the same hand for both. But the focus is only handling the M part. If the spell has a Somatic requirement but not Material, everything I've seen from Crawford & The Gang says the hand must be empty(unless you have War Caster). Which makes sense. If the spell has no Material component, then the focus isn't part of the spell and the "M+S" rule wouldn't apply.
Just a little thing to add about War Caster. You don't need it to perform somatic components if you're using a one-handed weapon and shield. All you need to do is drop your weapon (a completely free action), cast your spell, then pick up your weapon with your once-per-turn Interact With Object action during that same turn. Of course, you'd need Warcaster to cast a spell as a reaction if it needs somatic components and you don't have a free hand. Realistically though, unless you're fighting somewhere where dropping your weapon is a bad idea then the old juggling trick is within RAW for spellcasting when your hands are full.
Yes, I covered this. As I also covered, it won't work with Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade.