The Curse of the 100gp Pearl

[Zurai]

The complaints about "material components are just lame inside jokes having to do with technology" (not pointing anyone in particular out with this - I've seen it a lot) are kind of missing the point. One whole mythological branch of magic is sympathetic magic - you do something to one object and magic causes a similar but greater effect on another object. Thus, you make a little static electricity with a fur and a glass rod to cast a lightning bolt, or rub a little butter on your fingers to cast grease.

 

[Merlin the Tuna]

The complaints about "material components are just lame inside jokes having to do with technology" (not pointing anyone in particular out with this - I've seen it a lot) are kind of missing the point. One whole mythological branch of magic is sympathetic magic - you do something to one object and magic causes a similar but greater effect on another object. Thus, you make a little static electricity with a fur and a glass rod to cast a lightning bolt, or rub a little butter on your fingers to cast grease.

Pseudo-science isn't sympathetic magic. True Strike's voodoo-archery-target is sympathetic magic. Haste requiring you to eat a laxative is a dumb joke. (Congratulations, you've got "the runs.")

 

[Zurai]

Pseudo-science isn't sympathetic magic. True Strike's voodoo-archery-target is sympathetic magic. Haste requiring you to eat a laxative is a dumb joke. (Congratulations, you've got "the runs.")

Please show me where I used haste as an example of what I was talking about. I could have sworn I used lightning bolt, which does have a sympathetic magic-like material component. So do about 90% of the other examples people give of "stupid science jokes" for material components.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Add me as another gamer who wants to get rid of the material components (for the most part). Having to buy or otherwise acquire expensive components for an elaborate ritual (ie. high-level spell with a long casting time and lots of power), yes, that's interesting and atmospheric; having to tote around a sack full of assorted (and punny) junk is not.

With the spell component pouch available in 3.*e, it makes no sense to worry about any material components which do not cost extra or aren't particularly rare; why not get rid of them entirely, and go with wizards' implements and/or foci?

 

[Deset Gled]

It seems that most of the people who dislike the cost of Identify feel that way it because either A) They find that there are too many magic items to identify. As magic items are almost everything you see as treasure, and because players are equipped with hundreds of items, needing time and money to ID everything is too cumbersome. Or B) dislike the concept of material components in general.

I won't comment on B, because it means sweeping changes to the system that have far greater consequences to consider than just Identify, but A seems like it's a problem that has been removed. We've heard design articles that players are supposed to have less magic items, and that items in general will be rarer and more interesting in 4e. Since magic items are more "special", it follows that identifying them would be at least a little bit of a challenge. Does anyone who disliked Identify in 3.x think that this is a suitable solution to the problem?