D&D 5E Is the only purpose of a spellcasting focus to eschew common material components?

[Nagol]

Interestingly enough, Spells like "Globe of Invulnerability" have a material component that is consumed (glass bead). If you use your Arcane Focus, I suppose that would be consumed as well - bye bye focus. Note, this is not like Raise Dead that uses a 500gp diamond (ie you MUST have a 500gp diamond).

Of course, I think the intent is: Use whatever floats your boat. (levitate, nyuk nyuk)

A strict reading would destroy the pouch or focus when a spell consumes its material components though I suspect strongly that wasn't the intent.

Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry.

A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.

If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell.

A spellcaster must have a hand free to access these components, but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.

(emphasis and whitespacing added by me)

 

[Tormyr]

A strict reading would destroy the pouch or focus when a spell consumes its material components though I suspect strongly that wasn't the intent.



(emphasis and whitespacing added by me)

I would read that as the focus replacing the material component requirement comes first. Therefore, you do not need the material component. So there is nothing to consume.

 

[Xodis]

A strict reading would destroy the pouch or focus when a spell consumes its material components though I suspect strongly that wasn't the intent.

I agree, I think the option is either use your focus, or carry around a bunch of small piddly crap that most people forget except when it comes to diamonds and diamond dust usually. Plus how many individual components are listed amongst all the spells, maybe 10? To carry all of that and be able to grab it in the middle of combat efficiently is a little crazy. I think Foci (and magical Foci that either enhance certain spells or give that generic +X) will be the main source of magic, and components will be that back up that wizards remember in a pinch to get out of a jam. Like Gandolf without his staff using the sending spell to catch a ride off of the Tower.

 

[seebs]

For some reason, I was convinced that there was a time when the focus was necessary to get your proficiency bonus, but I can find no evidence of this now.

 

[MarkB]

I actually do not believe we will get +X foci or holy symbols, but will instead get the latter; extra/special abilities attached to said items. I would like that.

I hope so too. Although 4e did use +x spellcasting implements, it also provided them with a wide range of flavourful effects and properties, and it's those that I'd very much like to see carry over into 5e.

 

[Henrix]

I must say that removing the material components just like that is extremely boring, and makes me wonder why there are material components in the first place.

Requiring a spider to cast Spider Climb is awesome, and adds a lot of flavour*. Just whipping out a wand instead does not.

What is a witch without dried frogs?

Letting an arcane focus be a another material component is much better.
Or perhaps even requiring one to get the proficiency bonus.


(And they could easily mention letting a focus skip the components, or eschewing them altogether, as a house rule.)


* Not as much as in earlier edition where you had to eat a live spider. That was flavourful. And suddenly made magic a little bit more special and grimmer.

 

[Rune]

I think I'm going to houserule that normal casting uses a focus and ritual casting requires components.

 

[Mirtek]

By the same token, depending on a focus instead of using/carrying components means that when your focus is dropped, lost, stolen, wrested from your grip, say goodbye to any of your spells that need material components. LOVE it! bwahahaha.

You mean exactly like when you lose your component pouch?

Interestingly enough, Spells like "Globe of Invulnerability" have a material component that is consumed (glass bead). If you use your Arcane Focus, I suppose that would be consumed as well - bye bye focus. Note, this is not like Raise Dead that uses a 500gp diamond (ie you MUST have a 500gp diamond).

A strict reading would destroy the pouch or focus when a spell consumes its material components though I suspect strongly that wasn't the intent.

I would read that as the focus replacing the material component requirement comes first. Therefore, you do not need the material component. So there is nothing to consume.

In such cases you need to provide the component to be consumed in ADDITION to the focus, the focus is only replacing components that have NO LISTED COST (aka the infamous bat guano). You can not cast any spell that has a component with a listed cost with your arcane focus

Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry.

A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.

 

[steeldragons]

You mean exactly like when you lose your component pouch?

Well, yeah, if you use such a thing as "a component pouch" that miraculously has spaces for all of your various and sundries to be in the same single bag without getting crushed, tainted, wet, mushing all up together and becoming worthless.

I'm from the era where your material components were kept in pouches...on your belt, up your sleeve, in a pocket inside your cloak, the bottom of your shoe...Maybe a feather tucked into your hat was usable as a component, the fur lining of your robe sleeves, the little pieces of amethyst tied into the knots of your shirt laces, and, yes, a small sack of sand, a sack of bat guano, a sack with pearls and amber rods wrapped in fur. Their purchase and replenishment were not really a part of our play. It was assumed, for the small stuff, as you moved through the wilderness, the mage was gathering up bits and bobs as they found them and stashing them somewhere. Same for druids and their plants, acorns and berries.

So the idea of easily taking away the material components wasn't really ever had...Divesting a mage of their 'wizardly things" was something that could be done upon capture/imprisonment (if the captors were savy enough to know what to take), but that basically meant you were stripped to all but naked. Don't get me wrong, thwarting a mage was common. Casting interruption/"losing the spell" happened all the time...it just didn't depend on material components.

 

[Brainwatch]

Having a magical focus do something other than just a +1 would be a great way to add magical flavor without starting a dreaded bonus war. Some quick ideas off the top of my head

Minor Focus of Elemental X (Fire/ice/etc)
N (3?) times per long rest a spell caster may switch the damage type of the spell cast from the listed elemental damage (fire/cold/etc) to X (fire/cold/etc).

So for example with a Minor Focus of Elemental Cold, I could switch out the damage from Burning hands from fire to cold.


Minor Focus of Evocation Enhancement
N (2?) times per long rest a spell caster may cast a Evocation spell using a spell slot 1 lower than the desired spell level (minimum level 1). A Spell caster must have spell slots available at the desired lowered level for this ability to work. A spell caster may not use the focus to cast a spell at a higher level than they are currently able.

So for example with a Minor Focus of Evocation I could cast my Flaming Sphere as a third level spell using one of my second level spell slots (Assuming I was able to cast third level spell and I had a second level slot still available).