Rare Material Components

[Slapzilla]

Also, it's fun to have players get into it like that. Engages them and makes it more fun for all.

As far a breaking it down... I guess I thought it was a simple matter. (Am I reading you right... hope so.) I ain't into specialty markets and rigid tiers either, I just make the judgment on the fly based on how hard it is to get. Eye of Hadean Nighthag would be quite the trip! Half fire elemental bats... could theoretically be bred in captivity... theoretically. Guano blessed at the temple of the fire goddess should be easy. Easier than a bit of wool from the Golden Fleece... jeepers.

Trust your instincts and you shouldn't have to worry about being fair across the board. Make them do the bookkeeping and check out their list before each session to reduce the impulse of fudging it. I put a rentable Alchemy lab in a city once and they didn't leave for nearly a month they were so busy refining components. I was going to burn it down on them just to make them get their own somewhere, but the Kobold incursions grabbed their interest long enough to put all their refined components to good use! I found they had a lot of '+1' components and not too many '+2's about. Until they took down the Half-fiend Troll Barbarian. Jack the Ripper couldn't have done more.

 

[Claudius Gaius]

Ah the good old days... "That fits into one of your fields of study. It's about L4 and well within your limits. Whats your ritual going to be? What entities are you calling on and what's your invocation? Conditions under the glacier are poor for fire magic, but you have waited for the conjunction of fire, so that cancels the local conditions penalty. It'll cost 3 points, go ahead and give it a try"

The players used to love that system: the fields of study kept every mage unique and they could come up with their own spells - quick, dirty, and expensive when they were in a rush, complex, finely-tuned, and cheaper to cast when they had a few minutes to spend on describing what they were doing.

Just for amusement, this fellow has a detailed list of what's in his "Magician's Pouch", but it's a ways down the page.