I'm shifting from Warlock 2 to Wizard in our campaign and planning out the characters Wizard path. I've already had him collecting feathers, acid, and blood from the few monsters we've fought. I thought it would be his "thing" after combats, collecting samples for study and possibly selling them as spell components at shops when we get to a bigger city.
Soooo ... I decided to write up a list of what actually is needed for Wizards as they grow in knowledge. I think I'll compile them in reverse later. Ergo what common spell components can "power" which spells. Bit of fleece seems to go a long way. :). I thought I'd share the first tier. I plan on adding levels 4-9 when I have more time. Hope others can use it as a resource.
Wizard Spell Components
Orange for consumed components
Green for reusable components
Cantrips * Dancing Lights: phosphorus or wychwood, or a glowworm * Light: firefly or phosphorescent moss * Mending: two lodestones * Message: short piece of copper wire * Minor Illusion: bit of fleece
1st Level * Alarm: tiny bell and a piece of fine silver wire * Color Spray: pinch of powder or sand that is colored red, yellow, and blue * Comprehend Languages: pinch of soot and salt * False Life: small amount of alcohol or distilled spirits * Feather Fall: small feather or piece of down * Find Familiar: 10gp of charcoal, incense, and herbs (consumed by fire in brass brazier) * Floating Disk: drop of mercury * Grease: bit of pork rind or butter * Hideous Laughter: tiny tarts and a feather that is waved in the air * Identity: 100 gp pearl and an owl feather * Illusory Script: 10pg lead-based ink (consumed) * Jump: grasshopper hind leg * Longstrider: pinch of dirt * Mage Armor: piece of cured leather * Silent Image: bit of fleece * Sleep: pinch of fine sand, rose petals, or a cricket * Unseen Servant: piece of string and a bit of wood
2nd Level * Acid Arrow: powdered rhubarb leaf and an adder’s stomach * Arcane Lock: 25 gp gold dust (consumed) * Arcanist's Magic: small square of silk * Continual Flame: 50 gp ruby dust (consumed) * Darkness: bat fur and a drop of pitch or piece of coal * Darkvision: pinch of dried carrot or an agate * Detect Thoughts: piece of copper * Enlarge/Reduce: pinch of powdered iron * Flaming Sphere: bit of tallow, a pinch of brimstone, and a dusting of powdered iron * Gentle Repose: pinch of salt, one copper piece on each of the corpse's eyes, which must remain * Gust of Wind: legume seed * Hold Person: small, straight piece of iron * Invisibility: eyelash encased in gum arabic * Levitate: small leather loop or a piece of golden wire bent into a cup shape with a long shank on one end * Locate Object: forked twig * Magic Mouth: small bit of honeycomb and 10 gp jade dust worth at least 10 gp (consumed) * Rope Trick: powdered corn extract and a twisted loop of parchment * See Invisibility: pinch of talc and a small sprinkling of powdered silver * Shatter: chip of mica * Spider Climb: drop of bitumen and a spider * Suggestion: snake's tongue and either a bit of honeycomb or a drop of sweet oil * Web: bit of spiderweb
3rd Level * Animate Dead: drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust * Clairvoyance: 100 gp focus, either a jeweled horn for hearing or a glass eye for seeing * Fear: white feather or the heart of a hen * Fireball: tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur * Fly: wing feather from any bird * Gaseous Form: bit of gauze and a wisp of smoke * Glyph of Warding: incense and 200 gp powdered diamond (consumed) * Haste: shaving of licorice root * Hypnotic Pattern: glowing stick of incense or a crystal vial filled with phosphorescent material * Lightning Bolt: bit of fur and a rod of amber, crystal, or glass * Magic Circle: holy water or 100 gp powdered silver and iron (consumed) * Major Image: bit of fleece * Non-detection: 25 gp diamond dust sprinkled over the target (consumed) * Sending: short piece of fine copper wire * Sleet Storm: pinch of dust and a few drops of water * Slow: drop of molasses * Stinking Cloud: rotten egg or several skunk cabbage leaves * Tiny Hut: small crystal bead * Tongues: small clay model of a ziggurat * Water Breathing: short reed or piece of straw
King, in his campaign, he is typically selling the components, and just occasionally using them. But some players use the components - saying that the component pouch has most of what they need and being able to restock in maybe an alchemical shop is their standard. Just personal preference, or for RP purposes.
Exactly ... though it generates a good idea. I'll go back and and add a color font to the consumable components and a different one for the expensive components an arcane focus can't be used for ... I just need to find out what defines expensive.
Exactly ... though it generates a good idea. I'll go back and and add a color font to the consumable components and a different one for the expensive components an arcane focus can't be used for ... I just need to find out what defines expensive.
Arcane focus usage has no regard for cheap or expensive just whether the spell lists the components with a gold cost or not. If it does, the arcane focus cannot be used, if not then the arcane focus replaces all material component requirement (consumed or not). A component pouch works the same way.
For an in-game-world terms: things that do not have a gold cost associated with them are considered so easy to find and low in cost that acquisition of them for your component pouch is covered by the downtime expenses or can be easily found for free. Because of how easy they can be casually obtained the idea is that these focuses and pouches mean you don't need to RP this mini-shop every time you visit a town. It can, in many games (but probably not all) slow things down for others. The reason why you have the two options of a focus or a pouch is so that those who like the flavour of playing with spell ingredients can still do so. The reason why there are spells needing ingredients is a balance mechanic: take away the wizard's focus or pouch and their spell options become much more limited just like taking a sword from a fighter. The only type you would "need" to RP getting material components is if they have a cost (another game balance mechanic: these spells have higher effects than normal and therefore require more thought and investment by you) or you find yourself lacking a focus or component pouch.
Personally the idea of somebody juggling items and components around, especially in combat, seems ridiculous to me. One of the things I miss about 4th edition - you ddn't need components for spells just cast, only for rituals. In my games, and all games of 5th I have played, I or the DM has a homerule: you still need focus/pouch/components but if they are on your person you did not need to actively have them in hand unless they had a cost and were consumed by the spell. All the function and balance, none of the silly juggling. I realise this is just my personal preference.
Well written and good clarification on arcane focus.
I must have read expensive in a reddit or something. I've highlighted consumable and non-consumable components as a easy reference. I still plan on having my character collecting "components" from our adventures as a rp schtick.
Yeah but the materials needed for the spells add flavor for roleplaying purposes. Look at mage armour, a cured piece of leather. I could A. Say something along the following lines, i wrap a strip of leather around my calf and tie it down. As i say the arcane phrase and bend my fingers into positions that dont look humanly possible, a spectral light starts to form around me for a brief moment and then it dissapates. Or B. I cast mage armor. Now you dont have go all out with the discriptions every time you cast a spell but it helps from time to time
Just in case anyone wants it...I made up a list of material components and what could potentially go into getting them a while ago on drivethu rpg, its pay what you want/fee so have it for zero....
I made it as it was a little odd to me that Aganazzars Scorchers component was a red dragon scale...which should be an very hard to find item at the best of times.
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I'm shifting from Warlock 2 to Wizard in our campaign and planning out the characters Wizard path. I've already had him collecting feathers, acid, and blood from the few monsters we've fought. I thought it would be his "thing" after combats, collecting samples for study and possibly selling them as spell components at shops when we get to a bigger city.
Soooo ... I decided to write up a list of what actually is needed for Wizards as they grow in knowledge. I think I'll compile them in reverse later. Ergo what common spell components can "power" which spells. Bit of fleece seems to go a long way. :). I thought I'd share the first tier. I plan on adding levels 4-9 when I have more time. Hope others can use it as a resource.
Wizard Spell Components
Orange for consumed components
Green for reusable components
Cantrips
* Dancing Lights: phosphorus or wychwood, or a glowworm
* Light: firefly or phosphorescent moss
* Mending: two lodestones
* Message: short piece of copper wire
* Minor Illusion: bit of fleece
1st Level
* Alarm: tiny bell and a piece of fine silver wire
* Color Spray: pinch of powder or sand that is colored red, yellow, and blue
* Comprehend Languages: pinch of soot and salt
* False Life: small amount of alcohol or distilled spirits
* Feather Fall: small feather or piece of down
* Find Familiar: 10gp of charcoal, incense, and herbs (consumed by fire in brass brazier)
* Floating Disk: drop of mercury
* Grease: bit of pork rind or butter
* Hideous Laughter: tiny tarts and a feather that is waved in the air
* Identity: 100 gp pearl and an owl feather
* Illusory Script: 10pg lead-based ink (consumed)
* Jump: grasshopper hind leg
* Longstrider: pinch of dirt
* Mage Armor: piece of cured leather
* Silent Image: bit of fleece
* Sleep: pinch of fine sand, rose petals, or a cricket
* Unseen Servant: piece of string and a bit of wood
2nd Level
* Acid Arrow: powdered rhubarb leaf and an adder’s stomach
* Arcane Lock: 25 gp gold dust (consumed)
* Arcanist's Magic: small square of silk
* Continual Flame: 50 gp ruby dust (consumed)
* Darkness: bat fur and a drop of pitch or piece of coal
* Darkvision: pinch of dried carrot or an agate
* Detect Thoughts: piece of copper
* Enlarge/Reduce: pinch of powdered iron
* Flaming Sphere: bit of tallow, a pinch of brimstone, and a dusting of powdered iron
* Gentle Repose: pinch of salt, one copper piece on each of the corpse's eyes, which must remain
* Gust of Wind: legume seed
* Hold Person: small, straight piece of iron
* Invisibility: eyelash encased in gum arabic
* Levitate: small leather loop or a piece of golden wire bent into a cup shape with a long shank on one end
* Locate Object: forked twig
* Magic Mouth: small bit of honeycomb and 10 gp jade dust worth at least 10 gp (consumed)
* Rope Trick: powdered corn extract and a twisted loop of parchment
* See Invisibility: pinch of talc and a small sprinkling of powdered silver
* Shatter: chip of mica
* Spider Climb: drop of bitumen and a spider
* Suggestion: snake's tongue and either a bit of honeycomb or a drop of sweet oil
* Web: bit of spiderweb
3rd Level
* Animate Dead: drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust
* Clairvoyance: 100 gp focus, either a jeweled horn for hearing or a glass eye for seeing
* Fear: white feather or the heart of a hen
* Fireball: tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur
* Fly: wing feather from any bird
* Gaseous Form: bit of gauze and a wisp of smoke
* Glyph of Warding: incense and 200 gp powdered diamond (consumed)
* Haste: shaving of licorice root
* Hypnotic Pattern: glowing stick of incense or a crystal vial filled with phosphorescent material
* Lightning Bolt: bit of fur and a rod of amber, crystal, or glass
* Magic Circle: holy water or 100 gp powdered silver and iron (consumed)
* Major Image: bit of fleece
* Non-detection: 25 gp diamond dust sprinkled over the target (consumed)
* Sending: short piece of fine copper wire
* Sleet Storm: pinch of dust and a few drops of water
* Slow: drop of molasses
* Stinking Cloud: rotten egg or several skunk cabbage leaves
* Tiny Hut: small crystal bead
* Tongues: small clay model of a ziggurat
* Water Breathing: short reed or piece of straw
4th Level
* WIP
Umm... You do realise that you could replace most of those components with either a arcane focus or a component pouch for only a few gold?
King, in his campaign, he is typically selling the components, and just occasionally using them. But some players use the components - saying that the component pouch has most of what they need and being able to restock in maybe an alchemical shop is their standard. Just personal preference, or for RP purposes.
Exactly ... though it generates a good idea. I'll go back and and add a color font to the consumable components and a different one for the expensive components an arcane focus can't be used for ... I just need to find out what defines expensive.
Arcane focus usage has no regard for cheap or expensive just whether the spell lists the components with a gold cost or not. If it does, the arcane focus cannot be used, if not then the arcane focus replaces all material component requirement (consumed or not). A component pouch works the same way.
For an in-game-world terms: things that do not have a gold cost associated with them are considered so easy to find and low in cost that acquisition of them for your component pouch is covered by the downtime expenses or can be easily found for free. Because of how easy they can be casually obtained the idea is that these focuses and pouches mean you don't need to RP this mini-shop every time you visit a town. It can, in many games (but probably not all) slow things down for others. The reason why you have the two options of a focus or a pouch is so that those who like the flavour of playing with spell ingredients can still do so. The reason why there are spells needing ingredients is a balance mechanic: take away the wizard's focus or pouch and their spell options become much more limited just like taking a sword from a fighter. The only type you would "need" to RP getting material components is if they have a cost (another game balance mechanic: these spells have higher effects than normal and therefore require more thought and investment by you) or you find yourself lacking a focus or component pouch.
Personally the idea of somebody juggling items and components around, especially in combat, seems ridiculous to me. One of the things I miss about 4th edition - you ddn't need components for spells just cast, only for rituals. In my games, and all games of 5th I have played, I or the DM has a homerule: you still need focus/pouch/components but if they are on your person you did not need to actively have them in hand unless they had a cost and were consumed by the spell. All the function and balance, none of the silly juggling. I realise this is just my personal preference.
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Well written and good clarification on arcane focus.
I must have read expensive in a reddit or something. I've highlighted consumable and non-consumable components as a easy reference. I still plan on having my character collecting "components" from our adventures as a rp schtick.
Yeah but the materials needed for the spells add flavor for roleplaying purposes. Look at mage armour, a cured piece of leather. I could A. Say something along the following lines, i wrap a strip of leather around my calf and tie it down. As i say the arcane phrase and bend my fingers into positions that dont look humanly possible, a spectral light starts to form around me for a brief moment and then it dissapates. Or B. I cast mage armor. Now you dont have go all out with the discriptions every time you cast a spell but it helps from time to time
Just in case anyone wants it...I made up a list of material components and what could potentially go into getting them a while ago on drivethu rpg, its pay what you want/fee so have it for zero....
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/254143/Spell-Casting-101-Material-components?manufacturers_id=13412
I made it as it was a little odd to me that Aganazzars Scorchers component was a red dragon scale...which should be an very hard to find item at the best of times.