I'm getting more and more in to enforcing spell components in the games I want to run, though I admit it's making things both more time consuming for myself, and I'm concerned about the impact on Fun for the players. I'm looking to 'Curse of Strahd' as a test run for myself for this and just in general.
Just working within the confines for the Module As Written, I'm feeling pretty certain that there's not enough resources to cover Clerics and Wizards, especially as you don't know how many of either you shouod expect in the party. Right? I suppose you *could* try to run with what's provided, but just from a cursory review of Treasure, I feel like there might only be enough for the final battle with Strahd. Resource conservation is one thing, but this seems like it would make playing a Spellcaster all but pointless.
Assuming that you agree with me (and if you don't, I really am interested to hear your own experiences) how would you solve this issue? I don't see myself adding a Mine for gems & jewels and some kind of expert craftsman for some of the more costly components, nor is there a listed Curio Shop. I mean, I suppose that I could add an abandoned mine somewhere, along with a misanthropic goldsmith & jeweler. A curio store is a definite possibility. And yes I could add an expert craftsman or two, between Vallaki and Krezk. But how much is that fitting within the spirit and ambience of Ravenloft? I'd probably need to increase treasure to make sure Players could afford these things, I imagine.
Am I over thinking things? Should I just ignore spell components for CoS? Would definitely appreciate your input, as in a lot of ways, whatever creative solutions I make use of here will inform the design of my own future Campaign.
Edit: Some spells make sense to probably limit in terms of availability for casting over the length of the Campaign rather than to any one day or to a specific set of encounters. The big obvious one is Heroes Feast (which you can't cast until 11th level regardless) but other ones include Revivify, Greater Restoration, Raise Dead, etc.)
Being unable to buy any of the things you actually need is part of the theme of CoS; the spellcasters aren't any more inconvenienced than the martial characters.
? The fighter can always fight with sword, shield and bow. Those don't get used up per encouter. The spell caster should be able to cast a certain number of spells for any day, even if some spells (Revivify / Raise Dead, Greater Restoration, etc.) are likely more limited to a certain number of castings over the whole campaign.
? The fighter can always fight with sword, shield and bow. Those don't get used up per encouter. The spell caster should be able to cast a certain number of spells for any day, even if some spells (Revivify / Raise Dead, Greater Restoration, etc.) are likely more limited to a certain number of castings over the whole campaign.
There are plenty of spells that don't require expensive consumable components, limiting yourself to those spells is no worse than problems such as:
The only armor types you can actually buy in the entire module are leather, hide, and ring mail, nor are better armors routinely available as loot.
I don't believe there are any magic bows or arrows in the entire module, though it's possible there's some in some obscure loot pile somewhere.
I'm running CoS for the first time and I don't use spell components much for the reason you stated "time consuming" time being a premium with my group...
That said as your asking for advice on how to include component consumption in CoS some off the cuff ideas/advice...
1) firstly sorry if it's obvious but you need to have a super handle on what components your players are using and going to run out of so that you know what to add... 2) Random encounter table entry - maybe include sacked merchant wagon who was gobbled up by the mists and spat out in Borovia only to fall foul of wolves or alike most likely on the edges of the map along the Old Svalich Road 3) Amber Temple, Van Richten’s Tower (Khazan's Tower) and Abbey of Saint Markovia seem appropriate places to insert long forgotten caches of components, Oh and who knows what else Hag's keep in store other than Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog…
wishing you all the best would be super interested to hear what you decide on and how it turns out
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“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Look at the treasure / components already included by default
Look at the spells I imagine the party most likely to be using with a cost of (?) 25 GP or more and l
Judge the number of actually challenging areas, events, and encounters.
Obviously it'll be taking a bit of time, but I hope between my own research and what's available on the web, it should be doable. There was a post on Giant in the Playground that looks like it had some useful info, I'll have to review it later.
cool :) I was thinking (though I may be mistaken) the adventure is quite faithful to the original with not much allowance or changes in regard for 5e spell components and such
I did have another thought a real obvious location for magic users components would be #N3tVictorsWorkroom the description of which is "Victor spends most of his time here, leaving only when he needs food or spell components... " Not that you'll find any spell components listed in the treasure in the area
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Look at the treasure / components already included by default
Look at the spells I imagine the party most likely to be using with a cost of (?) 25 GP or more and l
Judge the number of actually challenging areas, events, and encounters.
Obviously it'll be taking a bit of time, but I hope between my own research and what's available on the web, it should be doable. There was a post on Giant in the Playground that looks like it had some useful info, I'll have to review it later.
Resource limitations is one of the themes of CoS. The module as written is extremely restrictive and if you intend to not add anything beyond what it already contains then the characters/players will be hampered (intended) and possibly upset (not a fun outcome). Very little is available for sale from shops in Barovia
"They sell items from the Adventuring Gear table in the Player's Handbook that have a price of 25 gp or less, but at five times the price." - another merchant is 10 times the price.
The 25gp limit cuts out a lot of spell components that might usually be purchased.
These limitations apply even more to weapons and armor as to spell components. There are quite a number of opponents that are resistant or immune to non-magical BPS damage and there are VERY few items in the module as written that can provide this. You need to decide whether you want the players to start feeling useless at level 5+ when faced with these creatures. There are some spells and some classes that can provide their own magical weapons or items but a character without that ability can feel stymied in this module. (I ran the module mostly RAW for a group and one of the players chose to play an archer - there are NO magical bows in CoS - I ended up adding one that the Vistani were willing to trade to the character after the party completed a particular quest near Vallaki than made the Vistani leader indebted to the party.
Some spell components might be found would be Victor's workroom. He should have components for all the spells in his spellbook and you could add some more. Baba Lysaga is another place to find components but that is a very late game encounter. The hags at the Old Bonegrinder might also be a source of compnents. The other casters in the module are also likely to have spell components for the spells they can cast. The Amber Temple contains every spell in the Player's Handbook in its tomes and you could place material components for every spell here. However this is likely one of the last places to visit before the Castle so it might only be useful for setting up the last part of the game (however, the castle is HUGE and will take a number of sessions to go through culminating with the final battle with Strahd in the prophesied room - it can be useful to foreshadow the encounter room so that the players don't go there too soon - there are some NPCs in the castle that might let the characters know where some of the rooms can be found).
Donavich is the priest in the town of Barovia and Father Lucian Petrovich is the priest in Vallaki, you could optionally give these characters some components for clerical spells that might be sold or provided to the characters with some role playing (especially diamonds). Another source could be Madame Eva in the Vistani camp. She is a high level cleric and can cast raise dead so she should have diamonds as a material component if you decide to let her part with some of them. The module contains no diamonds and they would not be available from merchants due to the costs involved.
The Vistani are always a source of supplies if you want them to be. They trade, supply the local merchants and can pass in and out of Barovia at will. They are also Strahd's servants. However, because they are widely traveled you could have them willing to sell the party anything they need since they probably have it somewhere in their wagons. The Vistani are also craftsmen. As a result, when you decide to add things to the module, the Vistani can be a good choice.
There are also a few NPCs that might be able to help a party looking for Raise Dead or similar spells. These would include the Abbot in Krezk and Madame Eva.
It does kind of feel bad for spellcasters. I think the biggest thing I would keep limited is diamonds for revivify. Otherwise it doesn't make death meaningful and give that sense of foreboding you are trying to get in the game. Also includes NPCs they may become close to that Strahd decides to take out. Gives them tough choices to make.
That being said, I have made some random encounters where components were found.. one instance was they came across a dead wizard in a spider queen's lair within the forest. He had a bag of holding that had several components in it and I had my wizard player tell me 3 spell components he would like and those were what he found. This allowed him to look to see what spells he had or would get that he'd really like access too just in case he didn't find those particular components.
You could also just have a random vistani merchant that is passing through that they could purchase things from at a really high cost or if they are on good terms with them, they might ask them to procure specific items for them outside of Barovia.. The party will end up getting a lot of gold / sellable stuff that they just won't have a use for if you don't add in something like that.
Resurrection spells can create odd situations in COS as arguably resurrecting a vampire spawn you've killed, cures vampirism. There's a vampire spawn it suggests doing this to Doru but with lots of spawns that could create issues. Another thing to keep in mind is components for anti vampire spells like sunburst pendant for the dawn spell or the incense for the spell hallow. Of course now with spell jammer you also probably don't want them getting the space ship creating spell. I dont know what theyd use it on but players find ways.
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I'm getting more and more in to enforcing spell components in the games I want to run, though I admit it's making things both more time consuming for myself, and I'm concerned about the impact on Fun for the players. I'm looking to 'Curse of Strahd' as a test run for myself for this and just in general.
Just working within the confines for the Module As Written, I'm feeling pretty certain that there's not enough resources to cover Clerics and Wizards, especially as you don't know how many of either you shouod expect in the party. Right? I suppose you *could* try to run with what's provided, but just from a cursory review of Treasure, I feel like there might only be enough for the final battle with Strahd. Resource conservation is one thing, but this seems like it would make playing a Spellcaster all but pointless.
Assuming that you agree with me (and if you don't, I really am interested to hear your own experiences) how would you solve this issue? I don't see myself adding a Mine for gems & jewels and some kind of expert craftsman for some of the more costly components, nor is there a listed Curio Shop. I mean, I suppose that I could add an abandoned mine somewhere, along with a misanthropic goldsmith & jeweler. A curio store is a definite possibility. And yes I could add an expert craftsman or two, between Vallaki and Krezk. But how much is that fitting within the spirit and ambience of Ravenloft? I'd probably need to increase treasure to make sure Players could afford these things, I imagine.
Am I over thinking things? Should I just ignore spell components for CoS? Would definitely appreciate your input, as in a lot of ways, whatever creative solutions I make use of here will inform the design of my own future Campaign.
Edit: Some spells make sense to probably limit in terms of availability for casting over the length of the Campaign rather than to any one day or to a specific set of encounters. The big obvious one is Heroes Feast (which you can't cast until 11th level regardless) but other ones include Revivify, Greater Restoration, Raise Dead, etc.)
Being unable to buy any of the things you actually need is part of the theme of CoS; the spellcasters aren't any more inconvenienced than the martial characters.
? The fighter can always fight with sword, shield and bow. Those don't get used up per encouter. The spell caster should be able to cast a certain number of spells for any day, even if some spells (Revivify / Raise Dead, Greater Restoration, etc.) are likely more limited to a certain number of castings over the whole campaign.
There are plenty of spells that don't require expensive consumable components, limiting yourself to those spells is no worse than problems such as:
I'm running CoS for the first time and I don't use spell components much for the reason you stated "time consuming" time being a premium with my group...
That said as your asking for advice on how to include component consumption in CoS some off the cuff ideas/advice...
1) firstly sorry if it's obvious but you need to have a super handle on what components your players are using and going to run out of so that you know what to add...
2) Random encounter table entry - maybe include sacked merchant wagon who was gobbled up by the mists and spat out in Borovia only to fall foul of wolves or alike most likely on the edges of the map along the Old Svalich Road
3) Amber Temple, Van Richten’s Tower (Khazan's Tower) and Abbey of Saint Markovia seem appropriate places to insert long forgotten caches of components,
Oh and who knows what else Hag's keep in store other than Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog…
wishing you all the best would be super interested to hear what you decide on and how it turns out
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Thanks. I'm thinking the best thing I can do is
Obviously it'll be taking a bit of time, but I hope between my own research and what's available on the web, it should be doable. There was a post on Giant in the Playground that looks like it had some useful info, I'll have to review it later.
cool :)
I was thinking (though I may be mistaken) the adventure is quite faithful to the original with not much allowance or changes in regard for 5e spell components and such
I did have another thought a real obvious location for magic users components would be #N3tVictorsWorkroom
the description of which is "Victor spends most of his time here, leaving only when he needs food or spell components... "
Not that you'll find any spell components listed in the treasure in the area
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Resource limitations is one of the themes of CoS. The module as written is extremely restrictive and if you intend to not add anything beyond what it already contains then the characters/players will be hampered (intended) and possibly upset (not a fun outcome). Very little is available for sale from shops in Barovia
"They sell items from the Adventuring Gear table in the Player's Handbook that have a price of 25 gp or less, but at five times the price." - another merchant is 10 times the price.
The 25gp limit cuts out a lot of spell components that might usually be purchased.
These limitations apply even more to weapons and armor as to spell components. There are quite a number of opponents that are resistant or immune to non-magical BPS damage and there are VERY few items in the module as written that can provide this. You need to decide whether you want the players to start feeling useless at level 5+ when faced with these creatures. There are some spells and some classes that can provide their own magical weapons or items but a character without that ability can feel stymied in this module. (I ran the module mostly RAW for a group and one of the players chose to play an archer - there are NO magical bows in CoS - I ended up adding one that the Vistani were willing to trade to the character after the party completed a particular quest near Vallaki than made the Vistani leader indebted to the party.
Some spell components might be found would be Victor's workroom. He should have components for all the spells in his spellbook and you could add some more. Baba Lysaga is another place to find components but that is a very late game encounter. The hags at the Old Bonegrinder might also be a source of compnents. The other casters in the module are also likely to have spell components for the spells they can cast. The Amber Temple contains every spell in the Player's Handbook in its tomes and you could place material components for every spell here. However this is likely one of the last places to visit before the Castle so it might only be useful for setting up the last part of the game (however, the castle is HUGE and will take a number of sessions to go through culminating with the final battle with Strahd in the prophesied room - it can be useful to foreshadow the encounter room so that the players don't go there too soon - there are some NPCs in the castle that might let the characters know where some of the rooms can be found).
Donavich is the priest in the town of Barovia and Father Lucian Petrovich is the priest in Vallaki, you could optionally give these characters some components for clerical spells that might be sold or provided to the characters with some role playing (especially diamonds). Another source could be Madame Eva in the Vistani camp. She is a high level cleric and can cast raise dead so she should have diamonds as a material component if you decide to let her part with some of them. The module contains no diamonds and they would not be available from merchants due to the costs involved.
The Vistani are always a source of supplies if you want them to be. They trade, supply the local merchants and can pass in and out of Barovia at will. They are also Strahd's servants. However, because they are widely traveled you could have them willing to sell the party anything they need since they probably have it somewhere in their wagons. The Vistani are also craftsmen. As a result, when you decide to add things to the module, the Vistani can be a good choice.
There are also a few NPCs that might be able to help a party looking for Raise Dead or similar spells. These would include the Abbot in Krezk and Madame Eva.
It does kind of feel bad for spellcasters. I think the biggest thing I would keep limited is diamonds for revivify. Otherwise it doesn't make death meaningful and give that sense of foreboding you are trying to get in the game. Also includes NPCs they may become close to that Strahd decides to take out. Gives them tough choices to make.
That being said, I have made some random encounters where components were found.. one instance was they came across a dead wizard in a spider queen's lair within the forest. He had a bag of holding that had several components in it and I had my wizard player tell me 3 spell components he would like and those were what he found. This allowed him to look to see what spells he had or would get that he'd really like access too just in case he didn't find those particular components.
You could also just have a random vistani merchant that is passing through that they could purchase things from at a really high cost or if they are on good terms with them, they might ask them to procure specific items for them outside of Barovia.. The party will end up getting a lot of gold / sellable stuff that they just won't have a use for if you don't add in something like that.
Resurrection spells can create odd situations in COS as arguably resurrecting a vampire spawn you've killed, cures vampirism. There's a vampire spawn it suggests doing this to Doru but with lots of spawns that could create issues. Another thing to keep in mind is components for anti vampire spells like sunburst pendant for the dawn spell or the incense for the spell hallow. Of course now with spell jammer you also probably don't want them getting the space ship creating spell. I dont know what theyd use it on but players find ways.