Eschew Materials??

[TheBadElf]

I love eschew materials. This is strictly hosuerule territory, but I dislike material components, so I let all casters get cheap access to equipment that duplicates the effects of this feat:

Magic wands. Not like the kind you can craft, but the classical kinds of magic wands, that wizards use to focus their powers. In game terms, call it a Metamagic Rod of Eschew Materials, with unlimited uses per day, the large cost of this is mitigated by special materials that make this (and ONLY this) magic item very cheap to craft. Cheap enough that Master Wizards often buy or make one for their students. They don't HAVE to be wands. Clerics can have a kind of scepter with their holy symbol on it. Druids can have a Hawthorne branch twined with dried holly berries. Whatever, as long as it means I don't have to deal with a diligent player taking time out of an adventure to replenish his guano supply.

You can still use components if you like them. Expensive components and foci still need to be obtained. And you can still get the drama of having a caster cut off from his spellcasting tools and "helpless", if that kind of thing floats your boat. But it seems a lot less silly to me than having a mighty wizard rooting around in a bag for a ball of twine and a black feather (or whatever).

I really like this idea, and plan to steal it next time I'm running a campaign. It's useful mechanically, and very flavorful.

 

[The Edge]

After reading this I've decided that I am going to change the role of components, by adding in the 'wand' system discussed here. My current campain isn't too far in yet to add them, especialy as the PCs are mostly forgieners, so things being different in this new land might not be too weird. I'll have to decide on cost, but that shouldn't be to hard.

Good stuff.

 

[Li Shenron]

In the average campaign, EM is a mediocre feat, but true that it depends on the DM's style. IMO it's the kind of feat that players take just to have one less thing to worry about, and it's not too bad if at the end of the campaign you've used it once or twice only, or perhaps not even once: it gives a small sense of security. If there was a feat which allowed the wizard to stop bothering about having a spellbook (I mean, without saving any cost), it would be popular as well.

 

[JoeBlank]

Another "thumbs up" to F5's wand idea. This will especially please Harry Potter fans, and in fact appears to be a rule in HP's world.

I like Eschew Materials, but have not played a character with the feat yet. But I also have not played a character that originated under 3.5 rules (and in 3.0 EM was a metamagic feat). I'm keeping it in mind, especially for the next idea I have for a human sorcerer, since they have the extra feat to burn.

Of course, the feat has such little consequence in most games that I am in favor of giving it to sorcs for free. That at least makes them a little different from wizards, without any real power boost.