I might be over thinking this but I can't find a solid answer in PHB or online one way or the other. I'm a lvl 5 Lore Bard. I am considering multiclassing into Sorcerer next level or the level after that. PHB says I need either a spell casting focus or a pouch for both classes. Bards and Sorcerers have 2 different kinds of focuses. The bard has a musical instrument and the Sorcerer has an arcane focus. My Bard is currently using bagpipes. The PHB says the Arcane focus is "an orb, a crystal, a rod, a specially constructed staff, a wand like length of wood, or some similar item designed to channel the power of arcane spells." I seem to recall that melee classes have to use a full action to put away one weapon and take out another. Is the multiclass caster with two different focus types subject to that same type of rule? Say I'm in a combat encounter. I have my bag pipes in one hand and my rapier sword in the other. I cast a Bard spell. Then I want to cast a Sorcerer spell next round. Would I have burn an action to put my bag pipes or sword away and pull out my wand? Or another option, would I be forced to like drop one item (sword or bagpipes) and then pull out my Sorcerer Arcane focus, leaving either my weapon or Bagpipes on the ground? I feel like it would be a pretty harsh and punishing to do this. It would make me not want to multi class. I feel like the thematic work around would be I could make my the flute part of the bag pipes also "a wand like length of wood" and that would be fine and function as both. I could combine two focuses and meet the requirement that I'm holding a focus in one hand. But again, I'm hoping there is some concrete listing of this in some rules or DND employee tweet. Thanks for any help friends.
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As sure as my name is Rumpus Roo, expect the unexpected cause that's what I do.
This is something you really should talk to your DM about.
That said having to swap out what you have on hand is not something unique to martial characters using weapons. It is simply due to the nature of only having two hands(usually) and needing to use them to do things. While not the easiest rule to find every creature is allowed one "free" object interaction that is part of their movement or action described in a sidebar in the section on movement in combat. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#BeingProne
Of particular note Somatic Components require a free hand to perform them. Material Components require either a free hand to access a Component Pouch, or a hand holding a spellcasting focus. If a spell that requires a Material Component also requires a Somatic Component then, and only then, can the hand satisfying the Material Component can also satisfy the Somatic Component. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/sac/sage-advice-compendium#SA165
If you are frequently in combat with a set of bagpipes (an instrument that takes two hands to play) and a rapier in hand while casting a spell like Cure Wounds with a Somatic Component but no Material Component, then it is safe to say your table isn't being too particular about these rules.
Regardless, all spell casters can use Component Pouches so you can use that for both your Bard spells and Sorcerer spells. With a Component Pouch you can keep one hand free and use whatever you want in the other hand and you will always be good to cast whatever spell you want (so long as it doesn't need costly or consumable material components). You can even use a two handed weapon and simply let go of it with one hand when you need to free a hand up to cast a spell. Two handed weapons only require two hands when actually making attacks with them.
In my first 5e campaign I played a Druid that had a staff and shield equipped at all times and the DM and I didn't realize we were technically not following the rules the whole campaign.
The rule on material components use says the following:
"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
The rule requires a free had to either "access a spell's material components" or "hold a spellcasting focus". It does not require a character to hold a component pouch, they can use the free hand to access any required material components and have a free hand afterward. It also does not indicate that this interaction with the material component is considered an object interaction. It could certainly just be considered part of the spell being cast.
In your case, you could have a material component pouch and a free hand and be able to cast any of your bard or sorcerer spells and nothing changes. You can cast either type of spell, the only difference is saying you have a pouch on your belt vs a musical instrument or arcane focus. Mechanically, they all work the same. So, in your case, just use a component pouch instead.
"A component pouch is a small, watertight leather belt pouch that has compartments to hold all the material components and other special items you need to cast your spells, except for those components that have a specific cost (as indicated in a spell's description)."
However, all that said, I personally don't penalize players if they want to be more stylish and cast bard spells by interacting with a musical instrument or sorcerer ones by pointing a wand or holding up an orb. The ONLY difference between these and a component pouch is that they might look cooler. Fluff is free.I don't consider either as an object interaction - it is instead part of the spell being cast.
So, when I am running I allow a character to interact with a spell focus in the same way they would interact with a component pouch. If they have a free hand, they can hold the focus just while they cast the spell and it doesn't count as an object interaction. The rules don't state how long the focus should be considered "held" ... just that a character needs to be holding it when the spell is cast.
I don't think foci should actually be more onerous to use than a fiddly component pouch but a DM could decide that interacting with material components IS an object interaction in the sense referred to by the rules AND they could decide that "hold" in the context of a focus means held before and after the spell being cast and not just during. So the bottom line is to check with your DM and see if they want component pouches to be better than foci for spellcasting (at least in the case of multiclassing).
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I might be over thinking this but I can't find a solid answer in PHB or online one way or the other. I'm a lvl 5 Lore Bard. I am considering multiclassing into Sorcerer next level or the level after that. PHB says I need either a spell casting focus or a pouch for both classes. Bards and Sorcerers have 2 different kinds of focuses. The bard has a musical instrument and the Sorcerer has an arcane focus. My Bard is currently using bagpipes. The PHB says the Arcane focus is "an orb, a crystal, a rod, a specially constructed staff, a wand like length of wood, or some similar item designed to channel the power of arcane spells." I seem to recall that melee classes have to use a full action to put away one weapon and take out another. Is the multiclass caster with two different focus types subject to that same type of rule? Say I'm in a combat encounter. I have my bag pipes in one hand and my rapier sword in the other. I cast a Bard spell. Then I want to cast a Sorcerer spell next round. Would I have burn an action to put my bag pipes or sword away and pull out my wand? Or another option, would I be forced to like drop one item (sword or bagpipes) and then pull out my Sorcerer Arcane focus, leaving either my weapon or Bagpipes on the ground? I feel like it would be a pretty harsh and punishing to do this. It would make me not want to multi class. I feel like the thematic work around would be I could make my the flute part of the bag pipes also "a wand like length of wood" and that would be fine and function as both. I could combine two focuses and meet the requirement that I'm holding a focus in one hand. But again, I'm hoping there is some concrete listing of this in some rules or DND employee tweet. Thanks for any help friends.
As sure as my name is Rumpus Roo, expect the unexpected cause that's what I do.
This is something you really should talk to your DM about.
That said having to swap out what you have on hand is not something unique to martial characters using weapons. It is simply due to the nature of only having two hands(usually) and needing to use them to do things. While not the easiest rule to find every creature is allowed one "free" object interaction that is part of their movement or action described in a sidebar in the section on movement in combat. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#BeingProne
In addition to needing to have things in hand to use them, spell casters also need their hands and voice to satisfy the spell component requirements of the spell they are casting. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/spellcasting#Components
Of particular note Somatic Components require a free hand to perform them. Material Components require either a free hand to access a Component Pouch, or a hand holding a spellcasting focus. If a spell that requires a Material Component also requires a Somatic Component then, and only then, can the hand satisfying the Material Component can also satisfy the Somatic Component. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/sac/sage-advice-compendium#SA165
If you are frequently in combat with a set of bagpipes (an instrument that takes two hands to play) and a rapier in hand while casting a spell like Cure Wounds with a Somatic Component but no Material Component, then it is safe to say your table isn't being too particular about these rules.
Regardless, all spell casters can use Component Pouches so you can use that for both your Bard spells and Sorcerer spells. With a Component Pouch you can keep one hand free and use whatever you want in the other hand and you will always be good to cast whatever spell you want (so long as it doesn't need costly or consumable material components). You can even use a two handed weapon and simply let go of it with one hand when you need to free a hand up to cast a spell. Two handed weapons only require two hands when actually making attacks with them.
In my first 5e campaign I played a Druid that had a staff and shield equipped at all times and the DM and I didn't realize we were technically not following the rules the whole campaign.
The rule on material components use says the following:
"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
The rule requires a free had to either "access a spell's material components" or "hold a spellcasting focus". It does not require a character to hold a component pouch, they can use the free hand to access any required material components and have a free hand afterward. It also does not indicate that this interaction with the material component is considered an object interaction. It could certainly just be considered part of the spell being cast.
In your case, you could have a material component pouch and a free hand and be able to cast any of your bard or sorcerer spells and nothing changes. You can cast either type of spell, the only difference is saying you have a pouch on your belt vs a musical instrument or arcane focus. Mechanically, they all work the same. So, in your case, just use a component pouch instead.
"A component pouch is a small, watertight leather belt pouch that has compartments to hold all the material components and other special items you need to cast your spells, except for those components that have a specific cost (as indicated in a spell's description)."
However, all that said, I personally don't penalize players if they want to be more stylish and cast bard spells by interacting with a musical instrument or sorcerer ones by pointing a wand or holding up an orb. The ONLY difference between these and a component pouch is that they might look cooler. Fluff is free.I don't consider either as an object interaction - it is instead part of the spell being cast.
So, when I am running I allow a character to interact with a spell focus in the same way they would interact with a component pouch. If they have a free hand, they can hold the focus just while they cast the spell and it doesn't count as an object interaction. The rules don't state how long the focus should be considered "held" ... just that a character needs to be holding it when the spell is cast.
I don't think foci should actually be more onerous to use than a fiddly component pouch but a DM could decide that interacting with material components IS an object interaction in the sense referred to by the rules AND they could decide that "hold" in the context of a focus means held before and after the spell being cast and not just during. So the bottom line is to check with your DM and see if they want component pouches to be better than foci for spellcasting (at least in the case of multiclassing).