Epic power components?

[Three_Haligonians]

I've always liked the variant "power component" rules that exist to metamagic spells "for free" and to offset XP costs and the like but I was wondering, do you think it could apply to epic spells that also require XP?

On the one hand, why not? As long as you increase the value and rarity of such components it would fit right in line with the variant rule, but at that level could the components be too rare to be worthwhile? Or maybe it would just make epic spells too easy.

Thoughts?

J from Three Haligonians

 

[Jack Simth]

The trick is to make sure the epic-level power components aren't available for purchase. Perhaps the entire hide of a Force Dragon is what's needed for your epic spell. Not many people sell those; you have to go find one. Of course, the last recorded sighting of a force dragon is buried in a forgotten tome on the other side of a poral at the bottom of the Dungeon of Outsider's Music (DoOM), and the only reference where you will find a map to said location held by a quiet illithid librarian who is looking for a good translation of a book entitled "To Serve Man" so he can make a tasty treat to entice his uncle to wake up from the good smell....