Rare Material Components

[Aestolia]

I've not finished working out the specifics on this idea, it's still in the concept phase of design.

What are your opinions of granting caster level bonuses for rare / unique sources. For example:

Fireball - bat guano and a pinch of sulfur.

What if you had sulfur from the elemental plane of fire.
What if you had droppings from a bat with the fire sub-type?

This alternate rule requires more book keeping for the caster, if they choose to use it, which is of course always optional, but offering a +1-+5 caster level bonus on the spell depending on the rarity of the components used.

 

[cmrscorpio]

One of the things I like from Unearthed Arcana and several issues of Dragon was using special material components to add metamagic feats to spells without increasing the level of the spell slot.

 

[Aestolia]

*nods* I do like those, but they can be quite costly in a lot of cases. This was something that i kind of thought of because of that.

They're "Add component X to gain Metamagic feat"

I'm not talking about adding more components to the spells so much as using hard to get ones.

Should the scale of a baby dragon, have the same effect as an ancient dragon when used as a spell component?

 

[Claudius Gaius]

This works and is flavorful, but usually has unexpected consequences.

Rare ingredients derived from creatures tend to lead to the party dissecting everything they kill, keeping the parts their casters can use, and selling the rest - effectively gaining both extra treasure and a slight power boost from their encounters.

It's a bookkeeping nightmare unless the "components" are very generic, in whch case a general market is sure to spring up and much of the flavor is lost. If they're very specific, they'll only get used on major offensive spells and such unless they can be acquired very very cheaply.

Trying to sort out the list of ingredients - how every possible variation might interact with each spell - is a very big job. After all, if a bat with the fire subtype is good, is one with the fire subtype and the infernal template better? What if we stack the half-elemental and half-fiend templates on the bats? (And won't it be fun when our experimental creatures escape - or if someone starts farming them). What if we have the sulfur from the elemental plane blessed by a priest of a fire god?

Location-derived components work better, since there are fewer combinations of locations to worry about - most can be assumed to be magically average at best - but also tend to lead to the party picking up a couple of extra bags of holding and trying to sell the landscape from wherever they go.

Still, if you feel up for it, it does add a lot of flavor. The simplest way is probably to require a feat, a dramatic statement about what exotic component is being used and where it was obtained, a spellcraft skill check, and (possibly) a very modest cost of some type to keep it from being overused. The better the check, the bigger the casting level bonus. That way you can skip the bookkeeping entirely. Call it "Spiritual Alchemy" or something.

 

[Aestolia]

Thanks for your feedback on this.

Yeah I know it would be a bookkeeping nightmare, which is why i opted more for a 'if you choose to' feat wise makes sense as well, and adding a skill check is a good idea.

As for dissecting... I know when I play a caster, if we down a dragon, I always mention taking parts for spells, as does most people in our group (trophies, and for selling as well). So, with our group, this is somewhat a moot point.

In terms of Market cost and availability, the beauty of this is that it is GM side... Sure the Major temple / Mage guild has Sulfur from the elemental plane of fire, blessed by the nine gods of fire. Are they really willing to part with it / sell it?

Really as the DM putting it in play I'd be moderating it to be sure it didn't get out of hand. And I'd suggest anyone who would like to do similar, to do the same.

The last thing you want is a bit of flavour to become overpowering. it can ruin a dish. So trust the chef to cook it right. *grins*

 

[Claudius Gaius]

Hmm...

For consideration:

Alchemic Spellcraft

Requires Spellcraft 6+, Ability to cast first level arcane spells, being in possession of a spell component pouch or similar.

When casting an arcane spell the user may opt to dramatically announce an exotic material component or focus appropriate to the spell by name and origin ("By the power of this rowan wand, a gift from the seven secret masters of the wind atop mount Eterinus!") up to (Int Mod + 1) times per day and roll Spellcraft: on a result of (Spell Level x2) or more the spell is cast at +2 effective caster levels. For each 5 additional points by which the roll is made, the caster level increases by an additional +1 up to a maximum of +5.

This Feat may be taken more than once, each time adding another (Int Mod + 1) uses of this ability.

Optional: If the user states a component to which he or she has actually had access, he or she receives a +5 bonus on the required Spellcraft check.

Optional: Additional uses may also be purchased by actually buying exotic ingredients at a net cost of 25 GP per additional use. If the user ever loses his spell component pouch, any additional purchased uses are lost with it.

There's a couple of sections in The Practical Enchanter (shareware version linked in the signature) that deal with this topic: the Enhancement (Effective Level) and Applied Spellcraft sections might also be helpful.

Now this version might be a bit generic, but it also neatly puts all the burden of coming up with relevant components on the players...

 

[Slapzilla]

Been running this idea for three years without a hitch. Blessed/Refined components (calcinated silver powder) equal a '+1' feat, caster level, or level check. Enhanced 'easy' components (half-fire elemental bat guano, eye of Hadean newt) are equal to a '+2' feat, caster level or level check. Enhanced 'hard' components (Bytopian emeralds, eye of Hadean Nighthag) are a '+3'. Crazy stuff that would be unique, (the mercy of a demon) legendary (the tears of a troll) or tremendously dangerous just to have (a scale from the Avatar of Tiamat) are a '+4'.

It requires an adjustment period of defining 'easy' and 'hard' and deciding if Refined + 'easy' = '+3' or not. The bookkeeping burden is entirely on the player.

I also allow using these components when Crafting items. I play with rituals, places (Druid's groves are sacred for a reason) and times (solstices, day of the dead, etc.) of power too.

I say, skip the feat and just let them do it. Figure out some guidelines beforehand so you can be on the same page to start with and let it run.

 

[Claudius Gaius]

Ah well, I was trying to avoid bookkeeping, liss of definitions, and coming up with a special components market totally; thats why it limits usage and requires that the player come up with something interesting to announce, rather than actualy requiring that the character have a bag of holding full of bits and pieces.

 

[Aestolia]

Thanks Slap, and Claudius,

Slap - Thanks for the info on how you've been running it, it sounds as though you've pretty much broken down what i was thinking of in a simple matter.

Claudius - I do like the idea of having some kind of skill check, but i'm not sure about the variable power from an awesome success.

I also like the idea of the bookkeeping falling to the player. "If you want to bother with keeping track of it, you can benefit from it, if not, your loss."

 

[Claudius Gaius]

Well, it would work just as well with a fixed bonus or two-tier fixed bonus for characters who come up with a component they can actually account for.

It's just that doing it with a player-announcement system needed some limitations, since it presumed that interested mages were collecting exotic spell components in the background while the player only had to come up with something interesting to say: if they did, the character presumably had it available to use up in the casting.