Eldritch Knights and casting spells

[tallgeese]

Do Eldritch Knights need a free hand to cast spells? Does this rule out versatile weapons for EKs?

[Xanikk]

EK is not worth it. Just go Battle Master IMO.

[Moonbane]

noone needs a free hand to cast spells.

[Xanikk]

Originally posted by Moonbane:

noone needs a free hand to cast spells.

This. This isn't Skyrim. That's the only game I played where it has that mechanic. Hated it 100% because it's predecessor, Oblivion did not have it. You could wield a weapon, shield or a two-hander and cast spells at the same time.

[tallgeese]

Originally posted by Xanikk:

Originally posted by Moonbane:

noone needs a free hand to cast spells.

This. This isn't Skyrim. That's the only game I played where it has that mechanic. Hated it 100% because it's predecessor, Oblivion did not have it. You could wield a weapon, shield or a two-hander and cast spells at the same time.

Needing a hand to cast a spell is DnD mechanic. Not sure how Skyrim plays into this...??

[Xanikk]

Originally posted by tallgeese:

Originally posted by Xanikk:

This. This isn't Skyrim. That's the only game I played where it has that mechanic. Hated it 100% because it's predecessor, Oblivion did not have it. You could wield a weapon, shield or a two-hander and cast spells at the same time.

Needing a hand to cast a spell is DnD mechanic. Not sure how Skyrim plays into this...??

I didn't need to have a hand available to cast spells in Neverwinter Nights which is another DnD game.

[Moonbane]

Its not in the game i can asure you.

[The1Kobra]

You don't need a free hand to cast spells in BG3.
In standard D&D5 and/or Solasta, Eldritch Knights get a class feature to be able to cast spells without a free hand too.
I would say that the Eldritch Knight subclass is still worth it thought for Weapon Bond for thrown weapons, Shield, and Misty Step. Take the Tavern Brawler Feat with the weapon bond and you have a ranged attack with 2x your STR mod to attack AND damage, which is very strong.

[deadsanta]

Originally posted by Xanikk:

Originally posted by tallgeese:

Needing a hand to cast a spell is DnD mechanic. Not sure how Skyrim plays into this...??

I didn't need to have a hand available to cast spells in Neverwinter Nights which is another DnD game.

It's been too long since I played that but he's right, up until recently all spells had Verbal, Somatic, and Material elements, at least one. Something like Power Word: Stun you could use without gestures so you could use a 2h weapon and such, but others required you to have a hand free to cast, or both hands if it had somatic and material components.

DnD had those rules since the mid-1970s. Not sure when they took them out.

[wendigo211]

EK is only good if you're going for throwing build, and even then there are enough returning throwing weapons that, IMO, it's not worth it.

I don't recall arcane casters requiring a free hand to cast a spell in D&D, i.e. they could cast spells with somatic components with a two-handed staff equipped in earlier editions. Divine Casters needed to have a hand free for their holy symbol, although a shield with a holy symbol would suffice.

[Dante]

Originally posted by wendigo211:

EK is only good if you're going for throwing build, and even then there are enough returning throwing weapons that, IMO, it's not worth it.

I don't recall arcane casters requiring a free hand to cast a spell in D&D, i.e. they could cast spells with somatic components with a two-handed staff equipped in earlier editions. Divine Casters needed to have a hand free for their holy symbol, although a shield with a holy symbol would suffice.

that is the fun of the game, you can be whatever you wanna be without it being THE best

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Dante:

Originally posted by wendigo211:

EK is only good if you're going for throwing build, and even then there are enough returning throwing weapons that, IMO, it's not worth it.

I don't recall arcane casters requiring a free hand to cast a spell in D&D, i.e. they could cast spells with somatic components with a two-handed staff equipped in earlier editions. Divine Casters needed to have a hand free for their holy symbol, although a shield with a holy symbol would suffice.

that is the fun of the game, you can be whatever you wanna be without it being THE best

But I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was.

[jonnin]

BG did not implement a lot of this stuff, like how your monk with a full sized shield can double punch someone with the shield arm or a barbarian can hit someone twice with a 2h axe then throw a rock at someone else (animated 2h as well).