You can use any weapon you summon with your Pact of the Blade feature as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells. In addition, the weapon gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls, unless it is a magic weapon that already has a bonus to those rolls.
Can a Hexblade warlock use a shield?
If a Hexblade takes Pact of the Blade as their Pact Boon at L3, they become eligible for the Improved Pact Weapon invocation and can swap out one of the invocations selected at L2. From that point, they can keep their weapon and shield in hand at all times, using the weapon as a spellcasting focus.
Can a focus prevent somatic components in spellcasting?
A free hand to do somatic components for S (but not M spells) – an occupied hand, even when occupied by a focus, doesn’t meet this requirement (without feats). A free hand to handle components for M (but not S spells) – this hand my be occupied by your focus, which could be a shield, weapon, or instrument depending on class/subclass.
Can you cast a somatic spell with one hand?
You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands. When a hostile creature’s movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack.
Are there four different types of spellcasting components?
It is the same as suggesting that there are actually four distinct spellcasting components: Verbal, Somatic, Somatic* (with focus), and Material. If that were actually true, then the pro-Crawford argument would be valid. It’s not. Does that make me happy, and do I think that’s the way things should be?
Do you need a free hand for somatic components?
If a spell doesn’t have a material component, the rule you quoted for material components doesn’t apply. Therefore you need a free hand, as stated in the rules for somatic components.
