Spell failure?

[Egres]

What do you think would happen if a spellcaster tries to cast a spell with a material component that has not the right value?

For example, a cleric that tries to cast Resurrection with a diamond that isn't worth a total of at least 10,000 gp?

 

[RigaMortus2]

The spell would fail, for one...

I don't know if you would lose the component or the spell slot, but I am inclined to think you would. It doesn't specify what you do with the components, just that you have them. So maybe the component gets "absorbed" into the spell, once the spell is completed, in which case you wouldn't lose the component since the spell never went off... Or maybe you need to "destroy" the component in the process of casting the spell, in which case, the component would be lost whether the spell works or not. Of course, how you are going to physically destroy a diamond within 6 seconds is beyond me

 

[Infiniti2000]

What do you think would happen if a spellcaster tries to cast a spell with a material component that has not the right value?

For example, a cleric that tries to cast Resurrection with a diamond that isn't worth a total of at least 10,000 gp?

The same thing that would happen if he tried to cast the spell without the verbal components.

 

[shilsen]

The same thing that would happen if he tried to cast the spell without the verbal components.

What he said. The spell doesn't get cast and nothing is lost.

 

[Egres]

What he said. The spell doesn't get cast and nothing is lost.

That's my opinion too, but some feedback is always appreciated, especially when you have some nasty rulelawyers-spellcasters among your PCs.

 

[Egres]

Ok, my PC doesn't agree.

He states that the material component could work just like the verbal component.

He says that you could cast the spell and have it fizzle, just like when you try to cast a spell with a gag.

He doesn't state that his interpretation is the right one, but a good one, just like yours.

Opinions?

 

[Peter Gibbons]

Ok, my PC doesn't agree.

He states that the material component could work just like the verbal component.

He says that you could cast the spell and have it fizzle, just like when you try to cast a spell with a gag.

He doesn't state that his interpretation is the right one, but a good one, just like yours.

Opinions?

I don't understand. He doesn't agree with what? Are you differentiating between a spell that "fizzles" and a spell that "fails"? Because to me, those terms are interchangeable.

So far, everyone here has said basically the same thing. The only question I see is whether the material component is consumed by the failed attempt at spellcasting. (I think the better rule is that it is not, by the way.)

 

[Jack Simth]

Unspecified in RAW (as far as I'm aware, anyway) and thus DM judgement call. Some things would fairly clearly be gone (e.g., the 100 gp pearl for Identify - it's crushed, mixed into a drink, and consumed - if you find out the hard way it was only worth 90 gp, it's still pretty much beyond recovery) but with others, (such as the 9k diamond for True Ressurection example) it's unspecified what happens to it, and thus is pure DM judgement call.

 

[Alzrius]

I don't understand. He doesn't agree with what? Are you differentiating between a spell that "fizzles" and a spell that "fails"? Because to me, those terms are interchangeable.

I think he's referring to Shilsen's answer, which is that the spell doesn't get cast, and is still prepared (or that spell slot is still viable), as opposed to the spell failing and that spell slot/prepared spell being wasted.

 

[Peter Gibbons]

I think he's referring to Shilsen's answer, which is that the spell doesn't get cast, and is still prepared (or that spell slot is still viable), as opposed to the spell failing and that spell slot/prepared spell being wasted.

Ah. I didn't realize that was what Shilsen was implying when he said the spell "doesn't get cast and nothing is lost." I thought he was referring just to the material components.

The clearest answer I know of is on page 171 of the PHB, under "Spell Failure." Based on that, it seems clear to me that if you try to cast a spell without one of the necessary components, the casting fails and the spell is wasted.