Alternative to Ritual Components

[Tyrias]

My dnd group has expressed their groans about having to buy regents for their rituals. So as a DM, I'm taking their request into consideration, and attempting to find an alternative to component cost. I'd rather not use Ritual Points, mainly because I have trouble visualizing something like that.

Anyone got a different alternative?

 

[Mort_Q]

Why not just have residuum, or actual components, in the treasure parcels?

 

[Myn]

Here's a feat for ritualists we use at my table, so far it seems pretty fair.

Harness Lifeforce
Prerequisites: Ritual Casting
Benefit: When preforming a ritual, you may choose to reduce the component cost by spending a number of healing surges. For every surge you lose, reduce the component cost by 20% (100% reduction at 5 surges). This cannot be used on a ritual with a variable component cost.

 

[Tyrias]

Here's a feat for ritualists we use at my table, so far it seems pretty fair.

Harness Lifeforce
Prerequisites: Ritual Casting
Benefit: When preforming a ritual, you may choose to reduce the component cost by spending a number of healing surges. For every surge you lose, reduce the component cost by 20% (100% reduction at 5 surges). This cannot be used on a ritual with a variable component cost.

Issue with that is it brings me back to my RP complaint. I can't really see how that would work visually. I can't roleplay someone using healing surges to power a ritual. Visualization is a big thing i'm looking for.

 

[Rechan]

Issue with that is it brings me back to my RP complaint. I can't really see how that would work visually. I can't roleplay someone using healing surges to power a ritual. Visualization is a big thing i'm looking for.

There is lots of sources of magic sapping fatigue. Some systems even have it set up where the mage gets exhausted with each spell/passes out when he reaches a limit.

There are various powers (particularly Invoker powers) that do damage to the character. How would you visualize those powers? Same idea; the character is spending their own vitality as fuel for the spell. Instead of having a human (or animal) sacrifice, they're using themselves. How would you describe someone being targeted by a Ray of Enfeeblement? Same idea; the character is being sapped or weakened by a source.

If you actually need a visualization, then the ritual caster grows pale and sweats terribly, swaying as he casts the ritual, because he's using his own current health to fuel the spell. Some hair might fall out, or he visibly loses weight if he uses the 100% method.

He could even use his own blood as a material component. And the loss of blood is represented by the healing surges - to the point the caster might faint if he goes all the way to 100%.

 

[Tyrias]

There is lots of sources of magic sapping fatigue. Some systems even have it set up where the mage gets exhausted with each spell/passes out when he reaches a limit.

There are various powers (particularly Invoker powers) that do damage to the character. How would you visualize those powers? Same idea; the character is spending their own vitality as fuel for the spell. Instead of having a human (or animal) sacrifice, they're using themselves. How would you describe someone being targeted by a Ray of Enfeeblement? Same idea; the character is being sapped or weakened by a source.

If you actually need a visualization, then the ritual caster grows pale and sweats terribly, swaying as he casts the ritual, because he's using his own current health to fuel the spell. Some hair might fall out, or he visibly loses weight if he uses the 100% method.

He could even use his own blood as a material component. And the loss of blood is represented by the healing surges - to the point the caster might faint if he goes all the way to 100%.

That actually makes more sense, but would probably be health-to-regent transfer instead of healing surges. Like spending his health points as regents.

 

[Myn]

There is lots of sources of magic sapping fatigue. Some systems even have it set up where the mage gets exhausted with each spell/passes out when he reaches a limit.

There are various powers (particularly Invoker powers) that do damage to the character. How would you visualize those powers? Same idea; the character is spending their own vitality as fuel for the spell. Instead of having a human (or animal) sacrifice, they're using themselves. How would you describe someone being targeted by a Ray of Enfeeblement? Same idea; the character is being sapped or weakened by a source.

If you actually need a visualization, then the ritual caster grows pale and sweats terribly, swaying as he casts the ritual, because he's using his own current health to fuel the spell. Some hair might fall out, or he visibly loses weight if he uses the 100% method.

He could even use his own blood as a material component. And the loss of blood is represented by the healing surges - to the point the caster might faint if he goes all the way to 100%.

Exactly. In my campaign, all magic is fundamentally the same. Divine, primal, arcane, are all just different flavors of the same thing. As such if you're properly trained you can use your own vitality to power your spells. I also have homebrew feats Arcane Conduit and Blood in the Flow that let you channel your power to your allies, but that is for a different discussion. Wouldn't be too difficult to refluff it to fit your campaign if you're interested. If not then giving them components liberally in treasure would be my recommendation.

 

[Rechan]

That actually makes more sense, but would probably be health-to-regent transfer instead of healing surges. Like spending his health points as regents.

That just sounds like a lot of semantics to me.

Really, healing surges are the true HP of 4e. Because once you're out of HS, you're OUT. They're how much juice you have in the day and when you're tapped out, you're pretty close to death.

 

[Rechan]

If not then giving them components liberally in treasure would be my recommendation.

Also what I do. It also lets you turn things you wouldn't expect into treasure parcels. "The heart of the dragon you just slew is chocked full of residuum." "That demon ichor functions as this much residuum". So you don't even need to have silver magicdust in a bottle next to loot, you can just turn monsters into loot. (This is much easier to me, since players in my group often are battling more MONSTER monsters than humanoids or other entities that would be carrying around treasure).

 

[Myn]

Also what I do. It also lets you turn things you wouldn't expect into treasure parcels. "The heart of the dragon you just slew is chocked full of residuum." "That demon ichor functions as this much residuum". So you don't even need to have silver magicdust in a bottle next to loot, you can just turn monsters into loot. (This is much easier to me, since players in my group often are battling more MONSTER monsters than humanoids or other entities that would be carrying around treasure).

That's a good idea, would make loot feel less contrived. I also give them alot of Residuum instead of items on a wish list. Instead of having exactally what they wanted lying where they just happened to be looking at just the right level, I give them a bit of freedom to enchant their own items. Then again I'm not a fan of wish lists, so everyone wins. Also, it doesn't hurt that Residuum is a powerful narcotic in my world, so there's a thriving market for it, if an underground one.