[RPG] Can a Pact of the Blade warlock with Improved Pact Weapon use a reach weapon as a spellcasting focus to deliver touch spells

class-featurednd-5espellswarlockweapons

The warlock's (Pact of the Blade-only) Improved Pact Weapon eldritch invocation (Xanathar's Guide to Everything, p. 57) states that you can use your pact weapon as a spellcasting focus. Using a whip, let's say, would give your weapon a reach of 10 feet.

Using a reach weapon as a spellcasting focus, can you deliver a touch spell through it to a creature 10 feet away from you?

Best Answer

No, a focus does not deliver spells

Page 202 of the Player's Handbook states (emphasis mine):

Material (M)

Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.

If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access these components - or to hold a spellcasting focus - but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.

Normally you would need one empty hand to hold your focus and do somatic components of the spell. Thus, could not hold a weapon and shield while casting. In effect, the Pact of the Blade feature removes this restriction by making your weapon a focus.

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