D&D 5E Disarming a caster's component pouch to prevent him from casting spells

[Satyrn]

If my player wanted to shoot the pouch on the caster's hip, I wouldn't look up any rules.

I'd just have him make an attack against the caster's AC, with disadvantage, and if it's a hit the pouch would be shot right off his belt and hanging from the arrow, stuck in a nearby wall or tree.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

If my player wanted to shoot the pouch on the caster's hip, I wouldn't look up any rules.

I'd just have him make an attack against the caster's AC, with disadvantage, and if it's a hit the pouch would be shot right off his belt and hanging from the arrow, stuck in a nearby wall or tree.

Look it is someone that actually "gets it".

 

[Saeviomagy]

An archer can't even hit someone with an arrow to injure them reliably.

If I was feeling generous, then disarming someone of a component would be "Call it, then roll me a natural 20".

Typically however I'll run with "when the target is out of hit points, your attacks can do anything you choose, from killing him to pinning him to a tree to disarming him".

Otherwise you're just creating a shortcut to end a combat, which will suddenly turn out to be the way that every single combat ends, because rolling a hit with disadvantage is way, way easier than depleting all of a caster's hit points.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

I'd turn it around first. Are the player's OK if a ranged attacker can make one roll to shut down a spellcaster for the rest of the battle?

If the answer is "yes" then work out some rules (but make it difficult - a component pouch is described as being attached to a belt). After all, cool ideas should be rewarded.

Also, once word has got around that there are a group of adventurers doing this, I imagine spellcasters will just start carrying two component pouches.

After all, a cool idea won't work forever. Time for the players to be creative again and have their next cool idea.

 

[5ekyu]

If my player wanted to shoot the pouch on the caster's hip, I wouldn't look up any rules.

I'd just have him make an attack against the caster's AC, with disadvantage, and if it's a hit the pouch would be shot right off his belt and hanging from the arrow, stuck in a nearby wall or tree.

So if i had advantage that washes and i get a pretty straight shot at removing a lot of the spellcaster's power in one shot? Especially if a nearby ally goes next in the round order?

And this has been going on forever in your campaign an no spellcaster came up with a less "gonna get got" way around that? How in the world do they get to 4th level for the feats to try and mitigate the need for materials? Multiple spell pouches in every belt loop. Guano scattered thru all my pocketses?

Can i shoot an arrow and take away the fighter's heavy armor too?

 

[5ekyu]

I'd turn it around first. Are the player's OK if a ranged attacker can make one roll to shut down a spellcaster for the rest of the battle?

If the answer is "yes" then work out some rules (but make it difficult - a component pouch is described as being attached to a belt). After all, cool ideas should be rewarded.

Also, once word has got around that there are a group of adventurers doing this, I imagine spellcasters will just start carrying two component pouches.

After all, a cool idea won't work forever. Time for the players to be creative again and have their next cool idea.

Why does it take time for word to get around? Haven't folks been disarming for ages and haven't others disarmed spell pouches before now?

 

[Ristamar]

Players will take the path of least resistance. If you allow a ranged disarm of a spell pouch, it will likely become the default tactic for dealing with all high level casters. Even if they carry a focus as a backup, those can be disarmed, as well.

Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of the optional disarm rules as written in the DMG. It's a save-or-suck check for most weapon wielding humanoids that's far too easy to abuse.

 

[5ekyu]

Players will take the path of least resistance. If you allow a ranged disarm of a spell pouch, it will likely become the default tactic for dealing with all high level casters. Even if they carry a focus as a backup, those can be disarmed, as well.

Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of the optional disarm rules as written in the DMG. It's a save-or-suck check for most weapon wielding humanoids that's far too easy to abuse.

i tend to agree. Especially if they are taken to be ranged as well. i think mechanics that easy will be very disruptive to scenes and player fun.

What i feel may be closer to in keeping with the goals is making disarm a grapple consequence. First you get a grapple and then you can try a disarm next turn. think of it as more a "weapons bind" kind of deal. grapple-then-prone vs grapple-then-disarm does not seem really too far off.

As for magery stuff, unless you want pages of "how i hid my components" best to have magical means to counter spell pouch disarm.

its just a tactic if you assume "it hasn't ever been done" cuz if it has every speller will be overstuffed like flimflam rollex salesmen

 

[Li Shenron]

Usually a caster uses a component pouch (at least in our games). So, would you allow e.g. a ranged attacker to target the component pouch of a caster to shoot it off his grasp, then pick it up himself to prevent the caster from further spells?

I would probably not.

The Disarm rule is meant to be used against weapons, but the "other item" clause leaves it open for special cases when someone is holding something important for the story, and the PCs might want to try and knock it off their hands, like a magic item that isn't technically a weapon, or the proverbial McGuffin.

In general I don't think a component pouch is held in hand, but rather attached to someone's belt or sewed into someone's clothes, and the spellcaster interacts with it by pulling out an ingredient.

And in even more general terms, what we call the component pouch is actually a huge abstraction. If you start wondering what it is exactly, you'd have to explain how can it possibly contain enough doses for all your daily spells and how can the spellcaster pick exactly the right material for the needed spell at the right time.

Personally I regard the component pouch / material components as one of those "don't ask, don't tell" rules that are better left unspecified or it will lead the gaming group to endless useless discussions.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Personally I regard the component pouch / material components as one of those "don't ask, don't tell" rules that are better left unspecified or it will lead the gaming group to endless useless discussions.

My players tend to prefer the spellcasting focus option for precisely this reason.

And spellcasting focuses can definitely be disarmed.

So, for fairness' sake, I would assume that any material component pouch a character did use would have to be used in such a manner that it could be disarmed.