[RPG] Does an artificer require two hands to cast spells with a costly material component

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An artificer must use an appropriate spellcasting focus when casting artificer spells. And they must use costly material components when applicable. Neither can replace the other.

But can they handle their focus and costly material components with the same hand? I know of spells that contain more than one material component, such as Simulacrum involving both snow and powdered rubies. I am not sure whether that applies when there is both a focus and a material component in use.

Does an artificer require two hands to cast spells with a costly material component?

Best Answer

The November 2020 Errata means only one hand is required.

The Artificer's spellcasting feature now reads (new text in bold):

You must have a spellcasting focus—specifically thieves’ tools or some kind of artisan’s tool—in hand when you cast any spell with this Spellcasting feature (meaning the spell has an ‘M’ component when you cast it).

This suggests that the Artificer's chosen focus is a material component for every spell the Artificer casts. According to the rules for material components, only one free hand is required to access material components:

A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components

Since the usual material components and the chosen focus are material components, it seems that only one free hand is required for casting the spell, and that hand can be the same hand that is holding the spellcasting focus.

Notably, this means that the somatic components of a spell can also be satisfied *by the hand holding the focus:

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.

I will preserve the pre-errata answer below, as it is consistent with older printings of Eberron: Rising from the Last War.

Yes, an artificer requires two hands to cast spells with a costly material component.

A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components. The rules for focuses and costly components state:

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 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.

So the Artificer still needs a free hand to access costly components. If you are holding a focus, that hand is not free, so it could not access material components.

Now, the Artificer's spellcasting feature says:

You must have a spellcasting focus—specifically thieves’ tools or some kind of artisan’s tool—in hand when you cast any spell with this Spellcasting feature.

Therefore, it does indeed require two hands for an Artificer to cast a spell requiring costly components; one hand to handle the components, and one hand to wield the focus.

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