D&D 5E Material Components: How Hard to Find in Your Games?

[Monayuris]

I don't worry too much about the mundane items of value (50gp of gold powder, etc) I assume they have whatever they need and just have them mark of the gold for each casting.

Gems are a little more of a mini game, though... I think there is a reason they are on the random treasure table in the DMG. Finding a 100gp value Pearl in a hoard should perk the interest of a spell caster. They can buy such items in a big enough city, but there has to be a market big enough for the larger value items, and they will probably pay more than 'face' value from a gem cutter.

Other interesting components have to be accumulated, found on adventure or crafted/commissioned. If you need a red dragon scale to cast a certain spell, it's going to be an adventure to figure out how to get one.

 

[mikal768]

I would disagree that the game was set up to keep track of such things. The default 5e has you pick a focus or component pouch and forget about it, except for expensive components. It provides components for spells as fluff only to please the grognards. Same with supplies and encumbrance. That's why there are VARIANT rules for encumbrance if you want to actually track such things. Default 5e is less bookkeeping (hence why AL doesn't bother with any of it, either).

Sent from my SM-G900P using EN World mobile app

You can disagree but you're wrong (as in factually incorrect).
If it wasn't set up to keep track of it, then you wouldn't have the ability to purchase, store, and see how many of each type of component you have.

Foci and component pouches do exist, and can be used to simplify things, but that doesn't mean the game isn't set up to allow a person to keep track of mundane spell components if they wish to.

And regardless of mundane components, components with a value cost are meant to be kept track of, since foci and pouches don't cover those.

In addition, the rules clearly state when a component is consumed and when it is not, further helping you to keep track of said components.

And regarding encumbrance, yes this is a variant. However, carrying capacity is not. All encumbrance does is provide ready made rules for a DM to use to show the effects of carrying too much. Carrying capacity still provides you a raw number of what you can lift and carry and not "usually worry about it".

Regardless, inventory of items is not an encumbrance talk, it's about having an inventory of items you may or may not need.

Material components have never worked well in the game. There have been some ridiculous ones over the years. Also, they never felt they were taken into consideration when balancing classes. Some components are easy to come by, others not so much, and it doesn't always relate to the strength of the spell.

So in other words, because it was sometimes hard to get something, and you didn't like to put the effort in, that means it didn't work in the game? Funny, I know lots of players who feel differently.

Besides, warriors don't have to worry about keeping their weapons sharp, or replacing shields or maintaining their armour.

Archers, slingers, and crossbowmen do have to worry about having ammunition though, and that's an actual comparison, since you don't sharpen spell components, but do (sometimes) expend them.

Realistically, how do all those components fit in a pouch? How does the wizard pull out the right one so quickly? Just imagine, the wizard sticking her hand in a pouch full of gems, sand, spiders, vials of blood, tiny tarts, feathers, bones, etc., and getting the right one out quickly enough to get the spell off in the time frame listed under the spell description.

Material components for rituals? Sure. Down and dirty casting in middle of combat? Not so much...

Realistically (as much as can be discussed about a discussion of magic..?)? Each individual component is labeled and in its own pouch and vial, and is labeled and noted as such. If that's too hard for a caster to do, then they use a focus. Why else would a pouch of bat crap, fur, etc. cost what it does?

 

[KahlessNestor]

You can disagree but you're wrong (as in factually incorrect).
If it wasn't set up to keep track of it, then you wouldn't have the ability to purchase, store, and see how many of each type of component you have.

Foci and component pouches do exist, and can be used to simplify things, but that doesn't mean the game isn't set up to allow a person to keep track of mundane spell components if they wish to.

And regardless of mundane components, components with a value cost are meant to be kept track of, since foci and pouches don't cover those.

In addition, the rules clearly state when a component is consumed and when it is not, further helping you to keep track of said components.

And regarding encumbrance, yes this is a variant. However, carrying capacity is not. All encumbrance does is provide ready made rules for a DM to use to show the effects of carrying too much. Carrying capacity still provides you a raw number of what you can lift and carry and not "usually worry about it".

Regardless, inventory of items is not an encumbrance talk, it's about having an inventory of items you may or may not need.



So in other words, because it was sometimes hard to get something, and you didn't like to put the effort in, that means it didn't work in the game? Funny, I know lots of players who feel differently.



Archers, slingers, and crossbowmen do have to worry about having ammunition though, and that's an actual comparison, since you don't sharpen spell components, but do (sometimes) expend them.



Realistically (as much as can be discussed about a discussion of magic..?)? Each individual component is labeled and in its own pouch and vial, and is labeled and noted as such. If that's too hard for a caster to do, then they use a focus. Why else would a pouch of bat crap, fur, etc. cost what it does?

I am not factually incorrect. Show me in the text where it says you must track components (outside of particularly priced ones, like a diamond for Revivify). It doesn't. There isn't even a place on the character sheet to track it. As I said, the DEFAULT 5e is to arcane focus or component pouch and then ignore. AL doesn't require tracking of such things, and they are as RAW as you get.

Sent from my SM-G900P using EN World mobile app

 

[mikal768]

I am not factually incorrect. Show me in the text where it says you must track components (outside of particularly priced ones, like a diamond for Revivify). It doesn't. As I said, the DEFAULT 5e is to arcane focus or component pouch and then ignore. AL doesn't require tracking of such things, and they are as RAW as you get.

Sent from my SM-G900P using EN World mobile app

I won't show you that, because that's not what you originally stated. I will however show the text where you stated...

I would disagree that the game was set up to keep track of such things.

The game being set up to do something does not equal the game saying you must do something.


Anyway, even if the default was foci/pouches (which it's not. You can choose not to take one if you want for whatever reason), those can still be lost or destroyed. If they are lost or destroyed, you need to get those components somehow until you can get a replacement.

 

[5ekyu]

Material components have never worked well in the game. There have been some ridiculous ones over the years. Also, they never felt they were taken into consideration when balancing classes. Some components are easy to come by, others not so much, and it doesn't always relate to the strength of the spell.

Besides, warriors don't have to worry about keeping their weapons sharp, or replacing shields or maintaining their armour.

Realistically, how do all those components fit in a pouch? How does the wizard pull out the right one so quickly? Just imagine, the wizard sticking her hand in a pouch full of gems, sand, spiders, vials of blood, tiny tarts, feathers, bones, etc., and getting the right one out quickly enough to get the spell off in the time frame listed under the spell description.

Material components for rituals? Sure. Down and dirty casting in middle of combat? Not so much...

Absolutely did not want to imply any sort of tactical in media opera elements for this. (yeah likely faulty latin there.)

 

[5ekyu]

Archers, slingers, and crossbowmen do have to worry about having ammunition though, and that's an actual comparison, since you don't sharpen spell components, but do (sometimes) expend them.

So, if i read your analogy correctly - the armor shield sword bow would be more akin to all the various spells with no material components listed while the arrows, bullets, bolts would be the more correct comparison for material components especially those with cost or expended on use - giving both the fighter and the spellcaster some "dont need to track ongoing changes" and some where they do?

It might indeed be of interest to see how campaigns tend to correlate as far as "count/track arrows, bolts and bullets" and "count/track materials for components - based on cost or rarity/circumstance beyond cost" and maybe most interesting the campaigns where those do not correlate - one is tracked and the other is hand waved.

 

[schnee]

The material component for Gust of Wind is... beans.

Message is... a copper (telephone) wire.

Chain Lighting is...fur, a glass rod, and metal pins - so I assume you rub the fur against the glass until you are filled with a static charge until you touch a pin and shock yourself.

The material components are just Dad Jokes. Bad ones, in the best way.

IMO treating those as serious kind of defeats the purpose, they're meant purely for flavor or fun when they're free, or for mechanical control of power through spending wealth (like someone else also said).

If you want to have them matter, I'd ask the players. In our campaign, I did, and they all went, 'meh, we want to be heroes, not garage sale scavengers.' Same thing with encumbrance - they want a heroic fantasy, not a logistical wargame.

 

[mikal768]

So, if i read your analogy correctly - the armor shield sword bow would be more akin to all the various spells with no material components listed while the arrows, bullets, bolts would be the more correct comparison for material components especially those with cost or expended on use - giving both the fighter and the spellcaster some "dont need to track ongoing changes" and some where they do?

It might indeed be of interest to see how campaigns tend to correlate as far as "count/track arrows, bolts and bullets" and "count/track materials for components - based on cost or rarity/circumstance beyond cost" and maybe most interesting the campaigns where those do not correlate - one is tracked and the other is hand waved.

Essentially.

The material component for Gust of Wind is... beans.

Message is... a copper (telephone) wire.

Chain Lighting is...fur, a glass rod, and metal pins - so I assume you rub the fur against the glass until you are filled with a static charge until you touch a pin and shock yourself.

The material components are just Dad Jokes. Bad ones, in the best way.

IMO treating those as serious kind of defeats the purpose, they're meant purely for flavor or fun when they're free, or for mechanical control of power through spending wealth (like someone else also said).

If you want to have them matter, I'd ask the players. In our campaign, I did, and they all went, 'meh, we want to be heroes, not garage sale scavengers.' Same thing with encumbrance - they want a heroic fantasy, not a logistical wargame.

Well you can have that opinion, but those spells have had components similar to that for years, so while they may sound jokey, that doesn't change the fact you were supposed to keep track of them back then... or now, if you do not have a component pouch or focus.

Regardless, they aren't just for flavor or focus- they're there to represent what's needed to cast the spell, the mundane items that have some sort of tie to the magic you're channeling through your body. And while it's easier than ever to do so thanks to the equipment available in 5e with regards to 0 gp cost components, that doesn't mean they're just flavor.

For example, say you get beaten to 0 hp and captured, thrown in jail. All your spells require physical components of some sort. Are you going to say to your DM "But that's just for flavor and fun!"?

Heroic fantasy is rife with examples of not having what you need at times, or being low on food and water, or not being able to take everything you want that isn't nailed down.

If that's how your game works, more power to you. That's not how mine go, and that's not how the default game goes. I prefer games where player's actually have to make choices and pay attention. Otherwise I'd just do MMOs all day where no one cares about stuff like that.

 

[Charlaquin]

Material components with no listed cost I don’t worry about. If you use a spellcasting focus it replaces the need for them, and if you use a component pouch I assume it has enough of whatever you need to get you through uptime and you restock as part of downtime; the cost is included in your lifestyle expenses.

For material components that do include a cost, their rarity generally depends on their value. A 5gp artistic representation of yourself for Project Image can be bought from any boardwalk caricature artist, or even done yourself if you buy the canvas, brushes, paint, etc. for 5gp. On the other hand, a 500 gp per hit die artistic representation of the target for Imprisonment is much harder to come by. Apparently the work must need to be damn near photorealistic to demand such a cost, and will need to be commissioned by an exquisite artist, who’s work is probably in very high demand. 10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs for Find Familiar will probably be available at pretty much any herbalist’s shop, but 50 gp worth of chalk infused with precious gems for Teleportation Circle will probably need to be bought from a specialty store; you can find one in most mid-sized or larger settlements, but small towns just don’t have a market for such things.

The one thing I heavily restrict is diamonds. Because they are used in resurrection spells, I want high-value diamonds to feel like 1-ups; something you’re thrilled to find in a missable secret room in the dungeon, or as a reward for a side-quest, not something you can just buy in a shop. In my setting, the church of the Raven Queen has a pretty tight hold on the diamond trade, so you might be able to purchase one from the Raven Priest you go to for a Revivify, but they’re probably going to want something besides just money for it, likely a service of some sort that might create an adventure hook.

 

[5ekyu]

Material components with no listed cost I don’t worry about. If you use a spellcasting focus it replaces the need for them, and if you use a component pouch I assume it has enough of whatever you need to get you through uptime and you restock as part of downtime; the cost is included in your lifestyle expenses.

For material components that do include a cost, their rarity generally depends on their value. A 5gp artistic representation of yourself for Project Image can be bought from any boardwalk caricature artist, or even done yourself if you buy the canvas, brushes, paint, etc. for 5gp. On the other hand, a 500 gp per hit die artistic representation of the target for Imprisonment is much harder to come by. Apparently the work must need to be damn near photorealistic to demand such a cost, and will need to be commissioned by an exquisite artist, who’s work is probably in very high demand. 10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs for Find Familiar will probably be available at pretty much any herbalist’s shop, but 50 gp worth of chalk infused with precious gems for Teleportation Circle will probably need to be bought from a specialty store; you can find one in most mid-sized or larger settlements, but small towns just don’t have a market for such things.

The one thing I heavily restrict is diamonds. Because they are used in resurrection spells, I want high-value diamonds to feel like 1-ups; something you’re thrilled to find in a missable secret room in the dungeon, or as a reward for a side-quest, not something you can just buy in a shop. In my setting, the church of the Raven Queen has a pretty tight hold on the diamond trade, so you might be able to purchase one from the Raven Priest you go to for a Revivify, but they’re probably going to want something besides just money for it, likely a service of some sort that might create an adventure hook.

Veey interesting. Thanks.

Sent from my VS995 using EN World mobile app