If a fighter multiclasses into sorcerer, when they cast spells do they also replace material components with somatic?

Question

From the Sorcerer class page,

Because you're a sorcerer, you can usually replace material components with somatic components, so you don't need to use a material component pouch.

I interpret this to mean that whenever a sorcerer casts a spell that requires a material component (without a cost), then they can choose to replace that component with a somatic one. From the listing on spell components, this means that the spell would keep the manipulate trait, but one important thing would change: the spell no longer requires you to have a hand free to retrieve and manipulate the material component.

Now, if a fighter takes the sorcerer dedication, then from the dedication page,

You cast spells like a sorcerer.

I interpet this to mean that the fighter also gains the ability to replace any material component with a somatic component, and that as a consequence the fighter can cast sorcerer spells without needing a hand free.

Is my interpretation correct?

Answer 1

No further guidance is given, but it seems most likely yes

like preposition

having the same characteristics or qualities as; similar to.

The rules on spellcasting archetypes offer no help for this question, so we are left with the rules you quote from Sorcerer and their archetype. Unfortunately, the phrase "cast spells like a sorcerer" is a bit ambiguous, but the result seems to be that you can use Cast a Spell action using the "characteristics [and/]or qualities" of the Sorcerer spellcasting feature*.

Because not needing a spell component pouch is characteristic to Sorcerer spellcasting, that a quality of the rules is "usually replac[ing] material components with somatic components", it would seem that you have this benefit.

This makes sense, as, in-world, you are also a sorcerer, not "kind of" a sorcerer. You have a bloodline (although maybe watered down, depending on how your character is written) and otherwise could be mistaken for a sorcerer if not for running around in heavy (if you want) armor swinging a greatsword (or other weapon of choice).

• Oddly, you are not considered to have the "spellcasting" class feature until you take Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting, per the rules on spellcaster archetypes. This does not affect that you are Casting a Spell "like" a sorcerer.