Material Components...do you use them?

[officeronin]

As a player, I keep close tabs -- just for flavor and roleplaying. As a DM, I don't really keep tabs, just assuming that they make efforts to gather their stuff. I might even give a small xp bonus for good roleplaying if they grab an innocuous item that happens to be a component -- especially if I forgot it was a component.

OfficeRonin

 

[IceBear]

So it looks like 55 people out of 66 do it by the book (as tracking only unusual or expensive components is by the book)

IceBear

 

[Spatzimaus]

My answer is more complex. IMC, we've redesigned the core rules quite a bit, and one of the things we did was to combine the Wizard and Sorcerer into one class. Since we also added the psionic classes, this doesn't weaken casters any.

The new Sorcerer, among other things, gets Eschew Materials at 1. Also, they have a new rule (that we had previously allowed as a house rule): you can use a spell-known-slot to learn a metamagicked spell, assuming you have the appropriate metamagic feat. You don't need to already know the spell in question, though.
So, you could use a level 5 slot to learn Empowered Fireball; casting it would take 1 action (instead of 1 full round) because you learned it that way, but the downside is you can't cast a non-Empowered Fireball, and it's still only a level 3 spell for save DCs and such.
Anyway, combine those two rules together, and it's assumed every Sorcerer learns every spell as if the Eschew Materials was applied. You'll still need expensive components, but not the cheap stuff.
Bards, on the other hand, still need component pouches, but at least they don't have to harvest bat guano.

 

[Plane Sailing]

In the new capaign I want to start I will try something else.

Wizards are using a focus for all their spells, this can be a staff, a torc or special gloves or something else.

I used something very similar in my previous campaign. All wizards, as part of their apprenticeship, crafted their focus which must be available for casting all spells with a M component. The focus was normally a wand, an amulet, a staff or a ring. It is nearly indestructible, starting off with hardness 10 and 20hp, and it gains 1 hardness and 2 hp per level of the caster.

The focus cannot be replaced if it is lost, and a wizard without his focus cannot cast any spells marked with a material component.

Inspired by LotR in my case. I really liked the flavour it gave to the world.

Cheers

 

[Allanon]

Pricy components you have to find/buy to use.
Normal components free when having a spell component pouch. The focuses are replaced by the optional rule below.
Wizards without a spell component pouch (cause it's been stolen/taken from them) can't cast spells, except if they only need a focus or pricy component already grafted in their staff and still have their staff.

Optional rule we use is that (taken from the quintessetial wizard) all wizards can craft a wand they use as a normal spellfocus (meaning spellfocuses without a given cost) all other components with costs and spellfocuses with costs can be grafted on the wand by magicaly introducing them into it. This uses up the normal component or focus and costs 10 times they're value in XP to do.

Edit: Just saw that Plane Sailing already introduced a similar system

 

[Kae'Yoss]

The focus cannot be replaced if it is lost, and a wizard without his focus cannot cast any spells marked with a material component.

That sounds harsh. To harsh, IMO. You just have to steal that focus (there's always a thief good enough to do it around) and take your time destroying it, and the wizard is permanently weakened!

 

[Apok]

I don't really keep track at all. None of my DM's have ever enforced the Material Components rule and I don't either when I DM. There's way too much stuff to keep track of already without adding spell components on top of it all. The only time the issue ever comes up is if the Wizard in question has been stripped of all his possessions. Then I just assume he can't cast spells with the M component since he doesn't have his spell-component pouch, unless he has informed be beforehand that he had one cleverly stashed away on his person somewhere (and noone ever does).

 

[Plane Sailing]

That sounds harsh. To harsh, IMO. You just have to steal that focus (there's always a thief good enough to do it around) and take your time destroying it, and the wizard is permanently weakened!

In my 1e game they were effectively indestructable. It would still be theoretically possible for them to be stolen and hidden very well, or thrown into a pit of lava - but the wizard still has all his non M spells available.

If it had ever come to that, I would probably allow the caster to create a new focus, at tremendous cost in time, effort and exp.

I probably wouldn't be able to do things the same way in 3e, and there is less need for it - but if you remember back in 1e the wizards were godlike once they got to about 11th level, and nobody could stand against them. This was a useful balancing vulnerability.

Cheers

 

[Nail]

When we've actually kept track of components, we usually only did it at low levels, and if/when the mage got captured. After 3 rd level or so, we all knew the routine...so only "hassle" was added if we made the mage get common components.

Expensive Components? Hey, that's part of spell balance. That has to be kept track of.