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Warlock with Wand +1 and shield (hexblade, he has proficiency in shields)

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 (PHB p.203)

Can he cast spells that need S component but not M? (without warcaster feat)

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RAW. It would appear not.

According to the Sage Advice Compendium referenced in this answer state that you can only use the hand holding your focus if the spell requires a non-costly material component.

This seems to make no sense and is likely one of those rulings from the devs that I will ignore as illogical. There is seemingly no difference between somatic components between a spell that requires material components and one that doesn't. There is nothing breaking in this decision at all. Most of us hand waive over the free hand to a certain extent anyway. The SA ruling seems to be overly punishing.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. \$\endgroup\$
    – mxyzplk
    Jan 4, 2019 at 22:14
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In short: No you can't, you still need that free hand

When casting spells you typically need 1, 2 or all 3 types of component: Material, Somatic, and Verbal. Spells that require a verbal component only require the use of your mouth, however Somatic and Material components require a free hand:

PHB 203

Somatic (S)

Spellcasting gestures might include a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. If a spell requires a somatic component, the caster must have free use of at least one hand to perform these gestures.

Material (M)

….. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access these components, but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.

A shield does take the use of one of your hands as does the Hexblade. For Hexblade Warlocks, the Hexblade can't be used a spellcasting focus nor is any indication given that you can perform Somatic components while holding the Hexblade in your hand. Looking into Warlocks further I found no evocations or class abilities that would allow any similar effect to what you are looking for.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 8, 2019 at 18:48

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