Components: A popular subject

[Psion]

I'm just wondering. There are a few products out there from the likes of Mongoose and Ronin arts on spell compenents.

Is this really a popular enough topic that people out there are actually interested in buy products expanding on it? If so, can you explain to me the appeal? Just curious.

 

[Crothian]

I like it for my gritty campaigns and campaiogns were magic is hard to come by. It gives something the magic folk can seek out to improve them selves, but since it is in limited supply, they have to use it wisely.

But I normally only bother with it if the PCs want to worry about it. And that's rare.

 

[Flyspeck23]

I'm more or less with Crothian here.
Additionally, spell components are a much overlooked aspect of D&D, at least in my group, where in fact even the standard components can be fun - in theory these special components should be more fun.

And: books on spell components aren't another collection of PrCs or feats. Not that there's anything bad about that, but there are plenty of those. I prefer my books a little more on the original side.

(Plus, I like these 101 books ).

 

[Guilberwood]

Well, I like spell components a lot!
Gives magic a little something more, and it can be used in a lot of ways.

Imagine a big adventure where the mage run out of the spell components for some very useful spell.

Or an entire adventure based on finding the right spell components for a powerful spell, and stuff like that

Besides, it's a way to "restrict" magic in low magic settings and make the group spend some gold

This is why I like spell components so much, and, in fact, in the next campaing I start they'll get a lot of attention

 

[EricNoah]

I like the idea that there might be different ways to cast a spell, and if you have some extra-nifty materials you might be able to squeeze out a slightly better spell than normal. I think it adds flavor and it also adds one more type of treasure you can give out.

In addition to material components, the circumstances in which one casts a spell, I think, could have a great effect on it as well. Examples of some possibilities:

* a "naked" wizard (i.e. no component bag, no spellbook), trying to escape captivity, could be able to eke out a minor spell. Maybe to substitute for a component the wizard suffers fatigue or exhaustion or hit point loss; and maybe he suffers temporary Wisdom damage as he wracks his brain trying to recall a spell from memory.

* a wizard who has the luxury of spending extra time and maybe extra resources could have his spells empowered or maximized.

* a wizard who has the luxury of casting a spell within his own sanctuary/lab could be able to reshape it or maybe even "hang" the spell as a suspended rune or glowing sigil, ready to activate with a touch (a move-equivalent action instead of a standard action).

I think there are feats or other abilities that probably provide equivalent abilties in the current rules. Unfortunately sometimes these more flavorful options take a back seat to power because of the nature of adventuring. Maybe the wizard class (to use an example) could be redesigned so that the Scribe Scroll freebie feat could be, instead, a choice of a few different more flavorful feats (Eschew components, Spell Mastery, etc.).

 

[Macbeth]

For the most part, I only use spell components when it makes a difference. i.e, when a mage is without his materiel components, he has to make due with whats around him, making his spells weaker. Spell components also make a good way to make more powerfull spells. Beyond that, in my campaign they are just flavor.

 

[Wormwood]

They barely even rank as flavor IMC.

As long as a spell component pouch or divine focus is handy, we don't bother to think about it.

Naturally, I do insist that valuable components (diamond dust, miscellaneous gems) are purchased beforehand.

 

[TiQuinn]

I'm just wondering. There are a few products out there from the likes of Mongoose and Ronin arts on spell compenents.

Is this really a popular enough topic that people out there are actually interested in buy products expanding on it? If so, can you explain to me the appeal? Just curious.

A while back, I had a side quest where the fighter/thief (yes, 2nd edition) in the party wanted to get a cloak of displacement. I upped the stats a bit on a displacer beast and sent the party on a hunt across a rocky mountside that was its lair and hunting ground. In the end, they killed the monster (but not before I mauled the party's wizard), and the PC skinned the beast's hide to use as the primary component.

Anyways, it was a fun, diverting side quest, and since then, I've always often exotic components in my game that can only be found in dangerous locales or dangerous monsters.

 

[hong]

Personally, I think there are so many mysteries to bat guano, you could spend a lifetime wading in it.


Hong "I always do" Ooi

 

[JoeGKushner]

One of my favorite articles in Dragon talked about substituting standard spell components for fantastical versions with minor bonuses to the spells using them.

I think that Ronin Arts went a little overboard in terms of power.

Overall I don't like the whole 'harvest' aspect either.

On the other hand, I am waiting for someone to come out with some fantasy materials, like Freeport has Coral, that reduces the amount of experience points needed to craft items. Power components as the DMG refers to them, would make a great expansion.