D&D 5E What is the point of material components when Wish exists?

[DeanP]

Ghost, if the wish casting character is not in the middle of an adventure, he could spend the time he needs saving on material components and resorting to the most powerful magic he knows to duplicate lesser (some by a degree) spells. If he's on a epic quest against equally dangerous foes, it may not be in his best interest or the interest of his fellows to cast wish for a lesser spell and then take a long rest. It's rather situational.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

Yes, you... and sleeping for 8 hours is somehow worth more than 1500gp how exactly?

You can't always just sleep for 8 hours and get the spell slot back, since you can only benefit from one long rest in a 24 hour period.

 

[Prism]

When you are a 17th level wizard and not currently adventuring then sure you can use wish to cast any lower level spell and not worry about cost. Good use of a spell for such an epic arcane caster.

When adventuring there are probably better choices

 

[Lehrbuch]

Yes, you... and sleeping for 8 hours is somehow worth more than 1500gp how exactly?

Using Wish to duplicate a lower level spell is really only a good idea if you a) want the lower level effect, and b) can't cast the lower level effect.

The reasons for not being able to cast the lower level effect include i) wrong class, ii) not having memorised the spell, iii) not having the spell in your spell book, iv) not having the material components, v) not being able to manage the somantic component for some reason (Wish is Verbal only), vi) out of casting slots.

Of these reasons preventing casting, not having the material components is usually the easiest to overcome. High level characters with access to Wish typically have access to money and/or other resources.

So, there are certainly circumstances when using Wish is a great idea. Just using it to save spell component cost seems a bit unlikely, unless the PC has got plenty of time and nothing much to do (and has access to the Wish spell, of course). However, typically adventurers having Adventures have little time and lots to do.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

A lot can happen in 8 hours. Or 24. You may sleep and never wake up again.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I'm still stuck on the fact that this is only even an issue for characters of 17th level and above. The component system is in place for characters of all levels. There are lots of details in the game that only apply to characters of a certain level range, but nobody questions why they exist. It's like asking why have rules for long-distance travel because the teleport spell exists.

I'm just... stumbling over the logic here.

 

[Lehrbuch]

I'm just... stumbling over the logic here.

It smells of a "theoretical concern" that arises in a hypothetical, high-level character "build". That is, not an in-play concern at all.

Even if a character is high enough level to cast Wish there are still plenty of reasons not to use it for everything.

 

[NotActuallyTim]

It smells of a "theoretical concern" that arises in a hypothetical, high-level character "build". That is, not an in-play concern at all.

Even if a character is high enough level to cast Wish there are still plenty of reasons not to use it for everything.

It kinda doesn't. It smells more like 'late night posting with no coffee.'

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

It smells of a "theoretical concern" that arises in a hypothetical, high-level character "build". That is, not an in-play concern at all.

Even if a character is high enough level to cast Wish there are still plenty of reasons not to use it for everything.

Post #15 in this thread may be illuminating if you want to know where GhostofChristmasPast is coming from. Looks like an old gamer learning a new edition.

 

[Mouseferatu]

That... doesn't make sense to me at all. It still doesn't touch on how a spell that only a few characters can cast, at only at 17th+ level, should somehow invalidate an entire subsystem.

I mean, I don't have to understand, of course. But all I can do is shake my head and go "Huh?"