Could a regular tuning fork be used to make a Plane Shift component?

For Plane Shift, the material component is a forked metal rod attuned to the destination plane. I've always wondered whether the fork itself needs to be magical, or whether the important part is the planar attunement.

For example, could a wizard start with an ordinary tuning fork, use Fabricate to make the required shape/material, and then somehow attune it to a plane?

I'm asking because I was looking at actual tuning forks, including some from Pure Frequencies, and it got me thinking about whether the D&D component is supposed to resemble a normal tuning fork at all.

How would you rule this? Would an ordinary fork be enough once properly attuned, or does the fork itself need to be specially made?

Generally if a spell component needs to be something special or magical, it tells you. It just says "a forked metal rod", so any forked metal rod attuned to the proper plane will do. A normal tuning fork fits that description. You could create that with Fabricate but you could also probably just buy one in a music shop.

The tricky part, the part that's meant to be non-trivial, is getting it attuned to the plane you want. There are, as far as I know, no specific rules for this anywhere; it's the sort of thing a DM might put before you as a challenge or a quest.

I agree with wagnarokkr, it’s not magical, it just needs to be attuned to whatever plane you want to go to. And “attuned” is left intentionally vague about how that works.

But mostly I came here to say if my players had a random tuning fork and wanted to use it for plane shift, I’d probably let them. Just they’d have no control over where they end up. And, of course, no way to get back unless they had one for their home plane.

I could also see a homebrew magic item of a tuning fork that works for multiple planes. At least it would take you to one other plane and then back home, but it might be able to go to a few other planes, if you know how to use it properly.

So what would "Attuned to the destination plane" be? Just off the top of my head, I thinking it is about the metaphysical energies of the plane, and a normal tuning fork made on the material plane, would be attuned to the material plane, because its materials and metaphysical make up are from the material plane. 
It would work in my book. 
Honestly an eating fork that didn't have any acoustic resonance properties would meet the definition of the material component as stated by the spell so i think every mess kit would have one. 

Quote from Xalthu >>

But mostly I came here to say if my players had a random tuning fork and wanted to use it for plane shift, I’d probably let them. Just they’d have no control over where they end up. And, of course, no way to get back unless they had one for their home plane.

This has never come up in any game I've run, but that's probably how I'd handle it too.

Alternatively, one could say that the fork just needs to have been constructed on the plane in question, of materials native to that plane. This would make tracking down a fork attuned to somewhere extraordinary a bit of a worthwhile challenge, but basically trivial to bring along one that'll get you home, which might fit the vibe of some campaigns well.

A regular tuning fork is unlikely to be worth 250+ gp, so there's likely an exotic process of some sort involved.

Quote from wagnarokkr >>

Alternatively, one could say that the fork just needs to have been constructed on the plane in question, of materials native to that plane. This would make tracking down a fork attuned to somewhere extraordinary a bit of a worthwhile challenge, but basically trivial to bring along one that'll get you home, which might fit the vibe of some campaigns well.

Yeah, that's how I'd run it

Quote from wagnarokkr >>

Quote from Xalthu >>

But mostly I came here to say if my players had a random tuning fork and wanted to use it for plane shift, I’d probably let them. Just they’d have no control over where they end up. And, of course, no way to get back unless they had one for their home plane.

This has never come up in any game I've run, but that's probably how I'd handle it too.

Alternatively, one could say that the fork just needs to have been constructed on the plane in question, of materials native to that plane. This would make tracking down a fork attuned to somewhere extraordinary a bit of a worthwhile challenge, but basically trivial to bring along one that'll get you home, which might fit the vibe of some campaigns well.

 Yeah.

I think the real purpose is to give DMs ultimate control over planar travel. The PCs can’t just up on a whim decide they want to go to Elysium or something without the DM having to put the item in.

In past editions, the tuning that led to a plane was based on material and tone. You had to know what each plane's attunement was to get it right.

Quote from emmawilsonn >>

 

How would you rule this? Would an ordinary fork be enough once properly attuned, or does the fork itself need to be specially made?

 I'd rule that Plane Shift 's required forked metal rod worth 250+ GP and attuned to a plane of existence has special value in part from material cost, rarity and attunement process, that no ordinary fork represent.

Quote from emmawilsonn >>

For Plane Shift, the material component is a forked metal rod attuned to the destination plane. I've always wondered whether the fork itself needs to be magical, or whether the important part is the planar attunement.

For example, could a wizard start with an ordinary tuning fork, use Fabricate to make the required shape/material, and then somehow attune it to a plane?

I'm asking because I was looking at actual tuning forks, including some from Pure Frequencies, and it got me thinking about whether the D&D component is supposed to resemble a normal tuning fork at all.

How would you rule this? Would an ordinary fork be enough once properly attuned, or does the fork itself need to be specially made?

 besides Fabricate, it's how I see this. The Magical item needs a properly crafted tuning fork, then the fork needs to be tuned to the planar target by a specialist. I'm sure it's spcially designed by the people who make them and stamped by the crafts people. Quick art of one I would put in game as a DM. 

It would have place of origin and destination locations, a makers mark, and magical scribble for the attuning. 

Quote from Plaguescarred >>

Quote from emmawilsonn>>

How would you rule this? Would an ordinary fork be enough once properly attuned, or does the fork itself need to be specially made?

 I'd rule that Plane Shift 's required forked metal rod worth 250+ GP and attuned to a plane of existence has special value in part from material cost, rarity and attunement process, that no ordinary fork represent.

I agree with this.

You could even go as far as assigning each plane a frequency. Make whole campaigns about finding and cataloging them. Or at least long missions to find the right one.
Some DMS though would just say that just because you learned the spell you now know all the frequencies. Thats fine but my thought is why remove all the adventure possibilities of hunting them down.

Here is an idea.
Could it just be used as a great teleport spell. No need for a teleportation circle at the destination. Instead of finding the teleport circle code just speak the name of the city.  On that idea could you find hidden cities or lost cities this way?
You just use a fork attuned for the same plane your on.
You should always have a few attuned for your own plane just in case anyways. Why go someplace with no way back?

he forked metal rod does not need to be a pre-existing magic item, but it does need to meet a strict cost requirement (at least 250 gp per Rules As Written) and undergo a specific planar attunement process.

An ordinary, cheap tuning fork from the local market won't work—not because it lacks "magic," but because it fails the economic and material resonance threshold the spell demands.