Sacred Cow Death Watch: Do you use material components?

[coyote6]

I voted "as written" -- which means that players write down "Spell component pouch" on their character's gear list, and then don't worry about non-expensive material components until they lose said pouch, or get grappled & can't grab components.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I don't know, I like them and I find they add a dimension to the game that jives with my simulationist leanings.

When the Keepers of the Gate were going to leave on an overland journey that would take 2 to 3 weeks and the wizard Martin the Green was planning on casting detect scrying everyday, he had to figure out where he was going to get 14 to 21 minature brass hearing trumpets in the time before they left.

When you fall thirty feet and your a handful of your glass rods break limiting the number of time you can cast lightning bolt.

Gum Arabic (or Thrician Gum as we call it in Aquerra ) is not all the common a thing in certain places in the world - so maybe invisibility is not so common a tactic in the Northern Reaches, or how cool and flavorful is a scene where the party wizard casts his spell and reaches out and rips off the top of a reed before casting his water-breathing spell.

Playing a wizard, I love having a list of crazy items on my sheet and going through them and thinking about how I keep them all, from a jar of molasses for slow or wrapped up slices of giant squid tentacle for Evard's.

I love you man.

I'd love to play it that way, but usually I just require the party to at least pay the cost of expensive components in gold, and assume they bought the stuff last time in town. If it requires a 500gp diamond though, they need to at least pay the cost out of thier gold. Balance shmalance. It's excellent flavor to the casting. Of course I'd like to go further and have negative side effects from tampering with reality that way but that may be a bit too Cthulhu for most...

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Sorcerers get Eschew Material Components as a bonus feat. I just think that it fits with their flavour. Wizards still have to either get the feat or use material components as per the rules. Sorcerers still have to obtain and use the expensive material components as per the rules for the Eschew Material Components feat.

Personally I like the concept of a PC finding out ways to make their spells more powerful by using different material components. Obviously these spell components should be a little harder (or more expensive) than normal to obtain. I like Phil Reed's little PDF on material components (it's part of the 101 Collection). When the PC's get a little higher in level I might throw some components out there (or hints of what would happen if they did find said components) and see if my players are interested.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I don't know, I like them and I find they add a dimension to the game that jives with my simulationist leanings.

When the Keepers of the Gate were going to leave on an overland journey that would take 2 to 3 weeks and the wizard Martin the Green was planning on casting detect scrying everyday, he had to figure out where he was going to get 14 to 21 minature brass hearing trumpets in the time before they left.

When you fall thirty feet and your a handful of your glass rods break limiting the number of time you can cast lightning bolt.

Gum Arabic (or Thrician Gum as we call it in Aquerra ) is not all the common a thing in certain places in the world - so maybe invisibility is not so common a tactic in the Northern Reaches, or how cool and flavorful is a scene where the party wizard casts his spell and reaches out and rips off the top of a reed before casting his water-breathing spell.

Playing a wizard, I love having a list of crazy items on my sheet and going through them and thinking about how I keep them all, from a jar of molasses for slow or wrapped up slices of giant squid tentacle for Evard's.

I love that sort of thing. For it to work though your players have to be on board with it as well. If they are then a lot of fun can be had with material components. Some players just think of it as extra bookwork though.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Mokona]

Technically no one should be carrying around an inventory of specific material components in Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 because one item, the Spell Component Pouch, covers all the non-expensive items. The difference between having Eschew Components and not is that if you're naked or robbed of your spell component pouch you can still cast spells. Eschew Components is actually a very weak feat given the narrow situations where it applies (or at least would be required).

 

[TheAuldGrump]

For wizards, yes. For sorcerers, no.

The Auld Grump

 

[Agent Oracle]

I kind of hand wave it.. See, in my games, all spell casters have a pouch of spell ingredients which (presumably) contains sufficient material to keep their magic working. If the pouch gets stolen (which has happened) spells with Material components cannot be cast until they either resupply (any hedge caster can resupply basic 0 cost material components).

I always use expensive components.

 

[3d6]

I run M components by the RAW. If you have a spell component pouch, you have everything you need without a listed price; everything else has to be purchased specifically.

 

[Sejs]

I use material components, with a few modifications.

If it's not costly or rare, you're assumed to have what you need in a spell component pouch in sufficient amounts. So that's as written with the addition of the 'rare' criteria to cover things that are off the wall, but don't have a listed monetary value.. like black dragon blood or a celestial's tears.

Certain spells have their costly material components altered. Identify doesn't require the pearl. The various raise dead spells don't require a fistfull of diamonds, but they do require that the spell be cast on holy ground appropriate to the caster's faith, and returning the soul to life imposes a price on those involved... usually a quest or service of some kind. Making holy or unholy water does not consume 5 lbs(!) of powdered silver to imbue 1 pint of water, but it does require you to expend one of your daily turn/rebuke attempts.

Sorcerers get the Eschew Material Components feat for free at 1st level.

Edit: Oh right, almost forgot - and I do use power components. Opt to use a better than normal material component and you can milk some extra juice out of your spell

 

[vulcan_idic]

I generally only use the pricey components, but I voted other because I will sometimes use all components if I want to run a different kind of campaign.