There are some spells that requie material components which the spell consumes and doesn't indicate value in pieces (like "holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes", or "a glass or crystal bead that shatters when the spell ends"), what tells ya ya can find the item inside a component pouch. I want to ask: What Happnes to the item in the component pouch when you cast spells like "Protection from Evil and Good" or "Globe of Invulnerability"? Do ya need to buy another component pouch to cast the spell again without finding the item? And What happens to yer spellcasting focos when you cast spells like di above spells?
Write in the comments what ya think happens when I'm casting a spell like di above spells with a component pouch or spellcasting focos.
A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell is casts.
I believe you need to be holding the material components to cast a spell, but either way, the component(s) are consumed, not the pouch.
In our game, we only care about components if the rules specify a costs. Otherwise, we assume the spell caster has the materials needed on hand. We also require the spell casters to pay for their spell focus if they choose to use one.
Keeping track of every eye of newt and wing of bat is a PITA...
Here's thread from a couple of years ago, discussing the topic:
Focus/Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that don't have value and/or aren't consumed. Anything else you have to buy/find separately, including the components for this spell. So these components would not be found in the pouch normally (and if you placed them into the pouch on your own, you'd still have to draw them out to use them.)
Since there is no value assigned for these consumables, I would leave the question up to the DM, but personally, I'd say the smallest component of holy water is a 25 gp flask, so for this spell i'd either require 25gp flask of holy water or equivalent value of powdered silver/iron for the spell.
I do wish a value was included in that spell. A flask of holy water costs 25gp or can be made from 25gp worth of powdered silver by a cleric or paladin using a 1st level spell slot (not much profit margin there). So the material clearly does have a cost. What is not clear is if you need a whole flask (or equivalent powdered silver) or not.
The other example of a material component that is consumed but does not have a price is more understandable. "A vile of blood of a humanoid killed in the last 24 hours". In most places you would not be able to buy this for gold it limits when you can cast the spell as you must have recently had access to a recently killed humanoid.
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.
Okay, so looking at this... If I'm reading this correctly, A spellcasting focus does not replace components that are consumed, even if the consumed items are not given any monetary cost. With Protection from Evil and Good, you still have to go out of your way to acquire either Holy Water or Powdered Silver and Iron. However, because it doesn't list a monetary value, it's totally up to DM's discretion how much of that component is required. We know that Holy Water costs 25 GP for a flask, so a picky DM might require that much Holy Water to be consumed with each casting of the spell. But a lenient DM might say that a few droplets evaporate but the flask is still largely full.
How many spells actually consume their material component but don't assign a gold value to the material consumed? I feel like these are mostly edge cases that I believe newer content mostly avoids, since it creates unnecessary confusion. I know that if I was DM'ing a game I would just let a spellcasting focus be used if only to avoid the headache.
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.
Okay, so looking at this... If I'm reading this correctly, A spellcasting focus does not replace components that are consumed, even if the consumed items are not given any monetary cost. With Protection from Evil and Good, you still have to go out of your way to acquire either Holy Water or Powdered Silver and Iron. However, because it doesn't list a monetary value, it's totally up to DM's discretion how much of that component is required. We know that Holy Water costs 25 GP for a flask, so a picky DM might require that much Holy Water to be consumed with each casting of the spell. But a lenient DM might say that a few droplets evaporate but the flask is still largely full.
How many spells actually consume their material component but don't assign a gold value to the material consumed? I feel like these are mostly edge cases that I believe newer content mostly avoids, since it creates unnecessary confusion. I know that if I was DM'ing a game I would just let a spellcasting focus be used if only to avoid the headache.
I guess i'm hardline, but in my interpretation a flask of holy water is the smallest unit of holy water that can have an effect on anything (either the items ranged attack or for use in components). if the flask can lose material and still be valid the item would say so.
A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell is casts.
I believe you need to be holding the material components to cast a spell, but either way, the component(s) are consumed, not the pouch.
In our game, we only care about components if the rules specify a costs. Otherwise, we assume the spell caster has the materials needed on hand. We also require the spell casters to pay for their spell focus if they choose to use one.
Keeping track of every eye of newt and wing of bat is a PITA...
Here's thread from a couple of years ago, discussing the topic:
I don't undersdand. When ya said "A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell is casts" did ya mean that A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell like "PF E&G" casted from it or ya meant to spells like "Fireball" don't destroy the SC focus (like it was if i used an item) and spells like "PF E&G" destroy the SC foucs? And how many items from the same type there are in the component pouch?
Focus/Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that don't have value and/or aren't consumed. Anything else you have to buy/find separately, including the components for this spell. So these components would not be found in the pouch normally (and if you placed them into the pouch on your own, you'd still have to draw them out to use them.)
Since there is no value assigned for these consumables, I would leave the question up to the DM, but personally, I'd say the smallest component of holy water is a 25 gp flask, so for this spell i'd either require 25gp flask of holy water or equivalent value of powdered silver/iron for the spell.
"Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that doesn't have a value and/or aren't consumed". here is a quote from "Basic Rules":
Component Pouch. A component pouch is a small, watertight leather belt pouch that has compartments to hold all the material components and other special items you need to cast your spells, except for those components that have a specific cost (as indicated in a spell's description).
"except for those components that have a specific cost". As written here, components that consumed by the spell and don't have specific cost are in the CP, not as ya said "aren't consumed".
I guess i'm hardline, but in my interpretation a flask of holy water is the smallest unit of holy water that can have an effect on anything (either the items ranged attack or for use in components). if the flask can lose material and still be valid the item would say so.
A flask of holy water is an item that can do a certain thing - primarily, the ranged attack it provides. If you pour out half the flask, it doesn't magically change back to regular water. It is just no longer an item you can make a ranged attack with.
In no way does the specific holy water flask item prove that anything less than a full flask doesn't count as holy water. You are assuming because that item exists that it's the only unit of holy water that can exist. That's like saying any bit of iron smaller than a full dagger isn't enough as a component because you can't use it as a weapon. You are not affecting anything directly with the components, you are using them to channel magic and the magic affects things.
Spell components that aren't trivial in cost are specifically called out in every instance. This means when it's not given a gold value, it's assumed to be covered by the cost of the component pouch itself. Applying a 25gp gold cost to protection from evil and good is absolutely a houserule - one that I'd assert adds nothing to the game.
Focus/Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that don't have value and/or aren't consumed. Anything else you have to buy/find separately, including the components for this spell. So these components would not be found in the pouch normally (and if you placed them into the pouch on your own, you'd still have to draw them out to use them.)
Since there is no value assigned for these consumables, I would leave the question up to the DM, but personally, I'd say the smallest component of holy water is a 25 gp flask, so for this spell i'd either require 25gp flask of holy water or equivalent value of powdered silver/iron for the spell.
"Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that doesn't have a value and/or aren't consumed". here is a quote from "Basic Rules":
Component Pouch. A component pouch is a small, watertight leather belt pouch that has compartments to hold all the material components and other special items you need to cast your spells, except for those components that have a specific cost (as indicated in a spell's description).
"except for those components that have a specific cost". As written here, components that consumed by the spell and don't have specific cost are in the CP, not as ya said "aren't consumed".
From the Rules (see the bolded). If the item has to be provided each time, then it by default can't just "be in the component pouch" as the first time you cast it, it would disappear and no longer be in the pouch.
Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.
I guess i'm hardline, but in my interpretation a flask of holy water is the smallest unit of holy water that can have an effect on anything (either the items ranged attack or for use in components). if the flask can lose material and still be valid the item would say so.
A flask of holy water is an item that can do a certain thing - primarily, the ranged attack it provides. If you pour out half the flask, it doesn't magically change back to regular water. It is just no longer an item you can make a ranged attack with.
In no way does the specific holy water flask item prove that anything less than a full flask doesn't count as holy water. You are assuming because that item exists that it's the only unit of holy water that can exist. That's like saying any bit of iron smaller than a full dagger isn't enough as a component because you can't use it as a weapon. You are not affecting anything directly with the components, you are using them to channel magic and the magic affects things.
Spell components that aren't trivial in cost are specifically called out in every instance. This means when it's not given a gold value, it's assumed to be covered by the cost of the component pouch itself. Applying a 25gp gold cost to protection from evil and good is absolutely a houserule - one that I'd assert adds nothing to the game.
I stated my interpretation, you by no means have to agree or follow it. You must provide the components that are consumed for each casting of the spell. That is the basic rule, and not one that IMO is countered by the component pouch description. I also don't think that using the component only consumes a nominal amount of a few drops or so(and even if it did, how many uses do you get from one flask? the spell doesn't say, so it is up to the DM. This DM says you get one), because that is basically saying that it isn't consumed at all.
Functionally, any interpretation of the material consumption here is a houserule, because there is not enough information given to have a clear RAW ruling to begin with. We know the components are consumed, we know they have to be provided for each casting, but we don't know how much is consumed or how many castings the "standard" unit (a flask) contains.
A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell is casts.
I believe you need to be holding the material components to cast a spell, but either way, the component(s) are consumed, not the pouch.
In our game, we only care about components if the rules specify a costs. Otherwise, we assume the spell caster has the materials needed on hand. We also require the spell casters to pay for their spell focus if they choose to use one.
Keeping track of every eye of newt and wing of bat is a PITA...
Here's thread from a couple of years ago, discussing the topic:
I don't undersdand. When ya said "A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell is casts" did ya mean that A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell like "PF E&G" casted from it or ya meant to spells like "Fireball" don't destroy the SC focus (like it was if i used an item) and spells like "PF E&G" destroy the SC foucs? And how many items from the same type there are in the component pouch?
A spellcasting focus is used in place of material components that don't have a specified costs. If there is a specific cost to a material component, then the spellcaster must use the spell component, not the spell focus. (thus the spell focus isn't consumed).
In terms of how many items of the same type in a pouch? I don't believe there are any rules about that, so it's up to the DM.
I get into a lot of trouble when I post in this forum, I almost always get some element wrong, so don't consider me any kind of expert on the Rules As Written and take what I say with a grain of salt.
The short version is that to cast Protection from Evil and Good you either need a pinch of powdered silver and iron, or a Flask of Holy water. I'll pretty much ignore the powered silver and iron and think of it as part of the price of whatever focus you use. If you have a Flask of Holy Water, I'll also ignore it, since those are pretty easy to get, and I won't track just how much water you use out of it. The only time it matters to me, is if you use your Flask of Holy Water against a target. You'll still get the full effect, but I'll make you buy another one if you want to cast the spell again with one.
The long version is If you cast a spell with a material component:
If there is no listed price, a focus of any kind should satisfy the requirement, so you can use a Component Pouch or whatever.
If there is a listed price, you buy it, and can store it inside your Component Pouch, and when you cast the spell all you have to do is touch the pouch.
If the component is consumed by the casting, if there is a listed price, you have to pay it, and if you store it in the Component Pouch when you cast the spell, and touch the outside of the Pouch, the component inside the Pouch will vanish, the Pouch itself remains.
If there is no listed price, you have to get it somehow, but once you have it, you can put it in your Component Pouch and when you cast the spell you can touch the outside of the Pouch, the component inside the Pouch will vanish, the Pouch remains.
So the way it all works out is that by RAW, you have to have any component listed by the spell, but most DMs will handwave things that have no listed price, because nobody really wants to figure how many balls of guano you have or whatever. If it does have a price and it's easy to obtain it will also be handwaved, and be considered as taken care of by the cost of the Pouch itself. Things that are difficult to obtain is a judgement call. Usually if there is a price listed it will be handwaved again unless you abuse it. It's up to the DM how expensive the item needs to be before it is considered difficult to obtain, and you can store such things in your pouch once you have them and use them time and again. Most DMs will handwave that too. It's only with things that are difficult to obtain, have no listed price, and are consumed by the casting that you really need to worry about how many you have, and if you want to store them in your Pouch, they will vanish, the Pouch will remain behind, and you'll have to get more if you run out, however it is you get them.
If you need a antique silver coin from a particular era that gets consumed by the casting, I'll make you go get one. I'll keep track of each and every cast, so you probably should grab a lot of them. Otherwise, I'll pretty much ignore all spell components unless I think you're abusing the rules, and you can store them however you like as long as you have them on you.
From the Rules (see the bolded). If the item has to be provided each time, then it by default can't just "be in the component pouch" as the first time you cast it, it would disappear and no longer be in the pouch.
Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.
Yes, the caster must provide those components for each casting, but for each casting the component pouch (or focus) provides those components. The first paragraph not mentioning the need to provide the component for each casting makes no sense otherwise.
A Component Pouch is not a magic item, and I will not accept that it conjures non-valued consumable components to be used at will, nor that it contains infinite quantities of non-valued consumable components. Either it provides it (once) when you purchase it and you must replenish it for subsequent castings, or it doesn't provide it at all, and you must find the component separately.
If they intended it to conjure consumable components or hold infinite number of them, then it should be called a common magic item and removed from the mundane equipment list.
Either it provides it (once) when you purchase it and you must replenish it for subsequent castings, or it doesn't provide it at all, and you must find the component separately.
You realize those are not the only two options, right?
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Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Either it provides it (once) when you purchase it and you must replenish it for subsequent castings, or it doesn't provide it at all, and you must find the component separately.
You realize those are not the only two options, right?
I'm sure there are thousands of "potential" options here because every DM is different. Please expound on yours instead of just being snarky
Either it provides it (once) when you purchase it and you must replenish it for subsequent castings, or it doesn't provide it at all, and you must find the component separately.
You realize those are not the only two options, right?
I'm sure there are thousands of "potential" options here because every DM is different. Please expound on yours instead of just being snarky
I'm just saying, there are more numbers than 1 and 0.
Protection from Evil and Good consumes an unspecified quantity of powdered silver and iron, but we know it can't be very much since it doesn't have a listed cost (unlike Ceremony, which requires 25 gp worth). Declaring a component pouch only contains enough for one casting, or none at all, is saying it can only contain at most a small pinch of powder, which seems very weird.
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Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Focus/Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that don't have value and/or aren't consumed. Anything else you have to buy/find separately, including the components for this spell. So these components would not be found in the pouch normally (and if you placed them into the pouch on your own, you'd still have to draw them out to use them.)
Since there is no value assigned for these consumables, I would leave the question up to the DM, but personally, I'd say the smallest component of holy water is a 25 gp flask, so for this spell i'd either require 25gp flask of holy water or equivalent value of powdered silver/iron for the spell.
If the spell required 25gp worth of anything it would specify that. It does not. So the spell only requires a small sprinkling, not even enough to quantify monetarily. If you charged 25gp for every casting that would be ridiculous.
From the Rules (see the bolded). If the item has to be provided each time, then it by default can't just "be in the component pouch" as the first time you cast it, it would disappear and no longer be in the pouch.
Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.
Yes, the caster must provide those components for each casting, but for each casting the component pouch (or focus) provides those components. The first paragraph not mentioning the need to provide the component for each casting makes no sense otherwise.
A Component Pouch is not a magic item, and I will not accept that it conjures non-valued consumable components to be used at will, nor that it contains infinite quantities of non-valued consumable components. Either it provides it (once) when you purchase it and you must replenish it for subsequent castings, or it doesn't provide it at all, and you must find the component separately.
If they intended it to conjure consumable components or hold infinite number of them, then it should be called a common magic item and removed from the mundane equipment list.
It is assumed that the character regularly restocks such items without needing to explicitly state having done so. It is intended to do away with that bookkeeping, not require that bookkeeping. If you want to track all of that then you would opt to use neither a focus nor a component pouch. That’s when you have to track every pinch & sprinkle. By using a component pouch it precludes having to track anything that does not list a specific gp cost in the spell’s description.
I get into a lot of trouble when I post in this forum, I almost always get some element wrong, so don't consider me any kind of expert on the Rules As Written and take what I say with a grain of salt.
The short version is that to cast Protection from Evil and Good you either need a pinch of powdered silver and iron, or a Flask of Holy water. I'll pretty much ignore the powered silver and iron and think of it as part of the price of whatever focus you use. If you have a Flask of Holy Water, I'll also ignore it, since those are pretty easy to get, and I won't track just how much water you use out of it. The only time it matters to me, is if you use your Flask of Holy Water against a target. You'll still get the full effect, but I'll make you buy another one if you want to cast the spell again with one.
The long version is If you cast a spell with a material component:
If there is no listed price, a focus of any kind should satisfy the requirement, so you can use a Component Pouch or whatever.
If there is a listed price, you buy it, and can store it inside your Component Pouch, and when you cast the spell all you have to do is touch the pouch.
If the component is consumed by the casting, if there is a listed price, you have to pay it, and if you store it in the Component Pouch when you cast the spell, and touch the outside of the Pouch, the component inside the Pouch will vanish, the Pouch itself remains.
If there is no listed price, you have to get it somehow, but once you have it, you can put it in your Component Pouch and when you cast the spell you can touch the outside of the Pouch, the component inside the Pouch will vanish, the Pouch remains.
So the way it all works out is that by RAW, you have to have any component listed by the spell, but most DMs will handwave things that have no listed price, because nobody really wants to figure how many balls of guano you have or whatever. If it does have a price and it's easy to obtain it will also be handwaved, and be considered as taken care of by the cost of the Pouch itself. Things that are difficult to obtain is a judgement call. Usually if there is a price listed it will be handwaved again unless you abuse it. It's up to the DM how expensive the item needs to be before it is considered difficult to obtain, and you can store such things in your pouch once you have them and use them time and again. Most DMs will handwave that too. It's only with things that are difficult to obtain, have no listed price, and are consumed by the casting that you really need to worry about how many you have, and if you want to store them in your Pouch, they will vanish, the Pouch will remain behind, and you'll have to get more if you run out, however it is you get them.
If you need a antique silver coin from a particular era that gets consumed by the casting, I'll make you go get one. I'll keep track of each and every cast, so you probably should grab a lot of them. Otherwise, I'll pretty much ignore all spell components unless I think you're abusing the rules, and you can store them however you like as long as you have them on you.
You don’t need a flask of holy water, just a sprinkle of it. Your component pouch doesn’t need to hold a flask of holy water either. If you know a spell that requires an unspecified amount of holy water, and you have a component pouch, it is assumed that you always keep a tiny little bit of holy water in it, just enough to cast the spell as often as needed. If you use a focus instead of a pouch, you don’t need any holy water at all, the focus does the job for you.
There are some spells that requie material components which the spell consumes and doesn't indicate value in pieces (like "holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes", or "a glass or crystal bead that shatters when the spell ends"), what tells ya ya can find the item inside a component pouch. I want to ask: What Happnes to the item in the component pouch when you cast spells like "Protection from Evil and Good" or "Globe of Invulnerability"? Do ya need to buy another component pouch to cast the spell again without finding the item? And What happens to yer spellcasting focos when you cast spells like di above spells?
Write in the comments what ya think happens when I'm casting a spell like di above spells with a component pouch or spellcasting focos.
By the way I'm a titan so please don't annoy me.
A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell is casts.
I believe you need to be holding the material components to cast a spell, but either way, the component(s) are consumed, not the pouch.
In our game, we only care about components if the rules specify a costs. Otherwise, we assume the spell caster has the materials needed on hand. We also require the spell casters to pay for their spell focus if they choose to use one.
Keeping track of every eye of newt and wing of bat is a PITA...
Here's thread from a couple of years ago, discussing the topic:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/rules-game-mechanics/24830-spellcasting-focus
Focus/Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that don't have value and/or aren't consumed. Anything else you have to buy/find separately, including the components for this spell. So these components would not be found in the pouch normally (and if you placed them into the pouch on your own, you'd still have to draw them out to use them.)
Since there is no value assigned for these consumables, I would leave the question up to the DM, but personally, I'd say the smallest component of holy water is a 25 gp flask, so for this spell i'd either require 25gp flask of holy water or equivalent value of powdered silver/iron for the spell.
I do wish a value was included in that spell. A flask of holy water costs 25gp or can be made from 25gp worth of powdered silver by a cleric or paladin using a 1st level spell slot (not much profit margin there). So the material clearly does have a cost. What is not clear is if you need a whole flask (or equivalent powdered silver) or not.
The other example of a material component that is consumed but does not have a price is more understandable. "A vile of blood of a humanoid killed in the last 24 hours". In most places you would not be able to buy this for gold it limits when you can cast the spell as you must have recently had access to a recently killed humanoid.
Okay, so looking at this... If I'm reading this correctly, A spellcasting focus does not replace components that are consumed, even if the consumed items are not given any monetary cost. With Protection from Evil and Good, you still have to go out of your way to acquire either Holy Water or Powdered Silver and Iron. However, because it doesn't list a monetary value, it's totally up to DM's discretion how much of that component is required. We know that Holy Water costs 25 GP for a flask, so a picky DM might require that much Holy Water to be consumed with each casting of the spell. But a lenient DM might say that a few droplets evaporate but the flask is still largely full.
How many spells actually consume their material component but don't assign a gold value to the material consumed? I feel like these are mostly edge cases that I believe newer content mostly avoids, since it creates unnecessary confusion. I know that if I was DM'ing a game I would just let a spellcasting focus be used if only to avoid the headache.
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I guess i'm hardline, but in my interpretation a flask of holy water is the smallest unit of holy water that can have an effect on anything (either the items ranged attack or for use in components). if the flask can lose material and still be valid the item would say so.
I don't undersdand. When ya said "A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell is casts" did ya mean that A spell casting focus isn't consumed when a spell like "PF E&G" casted from it or ya meant to spells like "Fireball" don't destroy the SC focus (like it was if i used an item) and spells like "PF E&G" destroy the SC foucs? And how many items from the same type there are in the component pouch?
By the way I'm a titan so please don't annoy me.
"Pouches contain all items needed for spell casting that doesn't have a value and/or aren't consumed". here is a quote from "Basic Rules":
"except for those components that have a specific cost". As written here, components that consumed by the spell and don't have specific cost are in the CP, not as ya said "aren't consumed".
By the way I'm a titan so please don't annoy me.
A flask of holy water is an item that can do a certain thing - primarily, the ranged attack it provides. If you pour out half the flask, it doesn't magically change back to regular water. It is just no longer an item you can make a ranged attack with.
In no way does the specific holy water flask item prove that anything less than a full flask doesn't count as holy water. You are assuming because that item exists that it's the only unit of holy water that can exist. That's like saying any bit of iron smaller than a full dagger isn't enough as a component because you can't use it as a weapon. You are not affecting anything directly with the components, you are using them to channel magic and the magic affects things.
Spell components that aren't trivial in cost are specifically called out in every instance. This means when it's not given a gold value, it's assumed to be covered by the cost of the component pouch itself. Applying a 25gp gold cost to protection from evil and good is absolutely a houserule - one that I'd assert adds nothing to the game.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
From the Rules (see the bolded). If the item has to be provided each time, then it by default can't just "be in the component pouch" as the first time you cast it, it would disappear and no longer be in the pouch.
I stated my interpretation, you by no means have to agree or follow it. You must provide the components that are consumed for each casting of the spell. That is the basic rule, and not one that IMO is countered by the component pouch description. I also don't think that using the component only consumes a nominal amount of a few drops or so(and even if it did, how many uses do you get from one flask? the spell doesn't say, so it is up to the DM. This DM says you get one), because that is basically saying that it isn't consumed at all.
Functionally, any interpretation of the material consumption here is a houserule, because there is not enough information given to have a clear RAW ruling to begin with. We know the components are consumed, we know they have to be provided for each casting, but we don't know how much is consumed or how many castings the "standard" unit (a flask) contains.
A spellcasting focus is used in place of material components that don't have a specified costs. If there is a specific cost to a material component, then the spellcaster must use the spell component, not the spell focus. (thus the spell focus isn't consumed).
In terms of how many items of the same type in a pouch? I don't believe there are any rules about that, so it's up to the DM.
I get into a lot of trouble when I post in this forum, I almost always get some element wrong, so don't consider me any kind of expert on the Rules As Written and take what I say with a grain of salt.
The short version is that to cast Protection from Evil and Good you either need a pinch of powdered silver and iron, or a Flask of Holy water. I'll pretty much ignore the powered silver and iron and think of it as part of the price of whatever focus you use. If you have a Flask of Holy Water, I'll also ignore it, since those are pretty easy to get, and I won't track just how much water you use out of it. The only time it matters to me, is if you use your Flask of Holy Water against a target. You'll still get the full effect, but I'll make you buy another one if you want to cast the spell again with one.
The long version is If you cast a spell with a material component:
So the way it all works out is that by RAW, you have to have any component listed by the spell, but most DMs will handwave things that have no listed price, because nobody really wants to figure how many balls of guano you have or whatever. If it does have a price and it's easy to obtain it will also be handwaved, and be considered as taken care of by the cost of the Pouch itself. Things that are difficult to obtain is a judgement call. Usually if there is a price listed it will be handwaved again unless you abuse it. It's up to the DM how expensive the item needs to be before it is considered difficult to obtain, and you can store such things in your pouch once you have them and use them time and again. Most DMs will handwave that too. It's only with things that are difficult to obtain, have no listed price, and are consumed by the casting that you really need to worry about how many you have, and if you want to store them in your Pouch, they will vanish, the Pouch will remain behind, and you'll have to get more if you run out, however it is you get them.
If you need a antique silver coin from a particular era that gets consumed by the casting, I'll make you go get one. I'll keep track of each and every cast, so you probably should grab a lot of them. Otherwise, I'll pretty much ignore all spell components unless I think you're abusing the rules, and you can store them however you like as long as you have them on you.
<Insert clever signature here>
A Component Pouch is not a magic item, and I will not accept that it conjures non-valued consumable components to be used at will, nor that it contains infinite quantities of non-valued consumable components. Either it provides it (once) when you purchase it and you must replenish it for subsequent castings, or it doesn't provide it at all, and you must find the component separately.
If they intended it to conjure consumable components or hold infinite number of them, then it should be called a common magic item and removed from the mundane equipment list.
You realize those are not the only two options, right?
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I'm sure there are thousands of "potential" options here because every DM is different. Please expound on yours instead of just being snarky
I'm just saying, there are more numbers than 1 and 0.
Protection from Evil and Good consumes an unspecified quantity of powdered silver and iron, but we know it can't be very much since it doesn't have a listed cost (unlike Ceremony, which requires 25 gp worth). Declaring a component pouch only contains enough for one casting, or none at all, is saying it can only contain at most a small pinch of powder, which seems very weird.
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
If the spell required 25gp worth of anything it would specify that. It does not. So the spell only requires a small sprinkling, not even enough to quantify monetarily. If you charged 25gp for every casting that would be ridiculous.
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It is assumed that the character regularly restocks such items without needing to explicitly state having done so. It is intended to do away with that bookkeeping, not require that bookkeeping. If you want to track all of that then you would opt to use neither a focus nor a component pouch. That’s when you have to track every pinch & sprinkle. By using a component pouch it precludes having to track anything that does not list a specific gp cost in the spell’s description.
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You don’t need a flask of holy water, just a sprinkle of it. Your component pouch doesn’t need to hold a flask of holy water either. If you know a spell that requires an unspecified amount of holy water, and you have a component pouch, it is assumed that you always keep a tiny little bit of holy water in it, just enough to cast the spell as often as needed. If you use a focus instead of a pouch, you don’t need any holy water at all, the focus does the job for you.
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