D&D 5E Spell components. Anyone have a DM actually enforce them?

[wicked cool]

Hi

I've been a gamer for 30+ years and in my experience I've never had a DM ask about components and half the time I laugh at some of the requirements needed for certain spells. Has anyone role played them into a game/been forced to roleplay them. Have you run out of components?

Don't get me wrong I like them but chances are good that a good portion wouldn't even be carried by a traveling spellcaster

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

The only components my DM enforces are those that have gold prices listed. This is to keep the cleric from having limitless revivifies and such. Using these spells have consequences so that we still try our hardest to avoid dying. Some spells also have components that aren't consumed that we still abide by as an up front cost of accessing the spell.

Other components are pretty much abstracted away and are assumed to always be in my component pouch. Sometimes the DM will narrate how I set up chalk circles and light incense when casting a ritual, but I'm never expected to keep track of such things.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Not in a very long time. Back in the 80s, playing 1e AD&D, sure, at first. Since 3.0 introduced the Spell Component Pouch hand-wave, not so much. One time, in Heart of Nightfang Spire, the party had to scrounge together and carefully ration diamond dust. Nothing since then that I recall.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Two cases come to mind. Expensive components (require a per-casting cost of a non-trivial cost component) and wizard has been disarmed.

Expensive components have nearly always been handled by just spending the required amount. I've been in a couple of games where we needed to buy exact expensive components up front and keep track of them.

Disarmed wizards are ones that have no component pouch nearby and hence don't have ready access to common components.

 

[Mercule]

Not in a very long time. Back in the 80s, playing 1e AD&D, sure, at first. Since 3.0 introduced the Spell Component Pouch hand-wave, not so much. One time, in Heart of Nightfang Spire, the party had to scrounge together and carefully ration diamond dust. Nothing since then that I recall.

Pretty much this. The few times I played a caster in AD&D, I was meticulous about my components and really enjoyed that aspect. That applies to no one else I've ever gamed with. While the component pouch initially annoyed me, it's actually been a good thing. I like the 5E foci even more and actively encourage those. We only worry about components with a real cost. Even then, we sometimes just assume that the PCs are carrying a couple instances of moderately expensive components or otherwise can come up with them -- I believe the Wizard has actually written down that he carries a file to make gold dust out of loot for arcane lock.

 

[pukunui]

To echo the previous posters, I generally only enforce components with a material cost. Otherwise, they'd only come up if the caster didn't have a component pouch or focus they can use as a substitute.

 

[Sunseeker]

With expensive components, yes. With common ones? No.

 

[pdzoch]

Back in 1st Edition, our group often ignored the components because we really did not know how to handle them. Once we had a 1e DM mention that some spell components were for sale (mercury, bitumen, bit of gossamer, etc) but the micro transaction nature of the purchases were annoying and tedious. So, it did not last long.

Since 3.5, the spell component pouch was the panacea to solve those micro transaction. Unless the spell had a GP value listed item in the spell materials list, the spell component pouch contained whatever was necessary. It seems that the spell component pouch was a materials bag of holding as it never seemed to run out. Because of that, the spell components pouch still feels like a hand-waved solution. It is not helpful when the spell often list specific material items that are not really relevant to the mechanics : a spell lists "a bit of spiderweb" as a material item needed, but there is no expectation to actually have the item -- it is in the spell components pouch. And the variety of spells listed various material components seems to be just different ways of saying "spell component pouch." So, there are more for flavor than actual rules mechanics.

When I created my own spell cards, I did not transcribe any of the spell material components word for word. Instead, if the materials were assumed to be part of the spell components pouch, it read "spell components pouch" instead of whatever the item actually was. This saved lots of confusion for my players. If it had a cost, then it was cited specifically as a special purchase.

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=80982]pdzoch[/MENTION]: The spell component pouch can come across as a bit handwavey, yes, but I guess the idea is that the wizard (or whoever) is going around gathering up components during their downtime. Need a bit more spiderweb? There's some over in that corner of the room you're resting in. Need some bat guano? Well, there's a cave not far from town with some bats in it ... and so on.

I wonder if it would feel less handwavey if spell component pouches had limited uses, like a healer's kit. That would imply that the supplies in the pouch are limited and need to be replaced / topped up every so often.

 

[pdzoch]

[MENTION=54629]pukunui[/MENTION]: I agree. I understand the intent of the spell pouch was that the wizard "maintained" it on his own. I've never seen a wizard role play that action though (though I do recall many a gaming session where the players asked if some slain part of a slain monster could be used for a spell, potion or other use). In fairness, I've also never seen a fighter role play sharpening his sword either. The 5gp cost for the spell components pouch seems to be a bit much for just the leather purse, but at 2lb of weight, it sill seems pricey for a bunch of common items. I thought about the limited uses aspect, but the management of that seems very tedious, especially as it may take many adventures before a component pouch would be expended, especially as some wizards may hardly fire off a spell during a session.
In a way, the spell component pouch is just a different themed spell focus.