Magic negation through market manipulation

[BVB]

Looking at the Eschew Materials magic use feat, I couldn't help but wonder: Suppose the local villain knows that he's about to face a particular wizard who has been known to cast spells without minor material components -- Wouldn't it behoove him to drive up the cost of those particular spell components?

Feat description: "You can cast any spell that has a material component costing 1 gp or less without needing that component." ... So he could effectively negate, for example, such modified Sleep spells by creating a market and controlling the price for all roses and their petals within 15 miles or so. ((And isn't that pretty much the way our own florists work anyway?))

 

[Buttercup]

This idea makes my head hurt.

Seriously though, it's an interesting concept, but I gotta tell ya, if a DM did that to my wizard character, I'd be right pissed. I mean, just disallow the use of the feat if you want to, but don't jerk the player around like that!

 

[LrdApoc]

That's exactly why they needed to revise that feat so the GP limit is not stated. I personally understand why they had to set a baseline, but the current market value would not impact the way I allowed or disallowed that feat to function.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

What you seem to be saying:

Evil wizard knows that hero has Eschew Materials. So he starts buying up the live spiders in the area, changing their cost from 0gp to 2gp. Voila! The hero suddenly starts needing live spiders again, because the feat only allows him to negate 0gp components.

If I understand you correctly, the following:

IMO, this is ridiculous, and I'd thwap my DM hard for trying something like this. Eschew Materials merely uses the costs listed in the PH to determine which spells can be cast free of components. It doesn't fluctuate depending on the local economy the wizard finds himself in. So no matter how rare live spiders are in the Arctic Wastes, the wizard still doesn't need one to cast Spider Climb. And no matter how cheap diamonds are on the Elemental Plane of Earth, he still needs some diamond dust in his hand to cast Stoneskin.

If I don't understand you correctly, what the heck are you talking about?

 

[BVB]

You have to admit, it's a beautiful ploy to use in a Hackmaster-like campaign. I can imagine my good buddy Brian Verhoose applying it himself when his DM's attention wanders...

 

[Mark]

I like the idea of a wizard murdering a whole generation of masterwork tradesmen within a kingdom to lessen the likelihood a powerful fighter usurping his throne...