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.
The value never was included in di spell. Look at di spell here.
Let's take another look at what the rules actually say about material components when casting spells, as seen in the PHB under "Casting a Spell".
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 chapter 5, “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.
This tells us two things directly related to this discussion: 1) Certain spells require specific material components on hand to cast. With the exception of materials with some kind of cost, such as monetary value, you can substitute these materials with a component pouch or spellcasting focus. 2) If the spell specifies that a certain material is consumed as part of the spell, that material must be on hand.
As this has yet to be brought up, let's take a look at the description for the component pouch, as seen in the PHB under "Adventuring Gear".
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).
RAW, with the sole exception being material components with a specified cost, a component pouch has just about everything a spellcaster needs in order to cast their spells, including any material components that are to be consumed as part of the spell. Ergo, a component pouch or a spellcasting focus can be used to cover the material components that would be consumed to cast the spell but have no cost. Of course, any DM is free to change the rules as they see fit; but following RAW, as long as you have a component pouch or a spellcasting focus, the only material components you should be concerned about having on you are the components with a specified cost, anything and everything else is irrelevant.
Wow. It is my first theard in the forums, so i didn't know that after 2 days there will be 130 posts that i did not posted. Even titans, that will never dead becuse being old, haven't enogth lifetime to read 130 posts.
You did a good job of asking about a seemingly innocuous detail that just so happened to be poorly written, and is so unimportant that nobody has bothered to fix it since it doesn't really matter, which is exactly the kind of thing that weirdoes like us will argue about endlessly.
The value never was included in di spell. Look at di spell here.
By the way I'm a titan so please don't annoy me.
Let's take another look at what the rules actually say about material components when casting spells, as seen in the PHB under "Casting a Spell".
This tells us two things directly related to this discussion:
1) Certain spells require specific material components on hand to cast. With the exception of materials with some kind of cost, such as monetary value, you can substitute these materials with a component pouch or spellcasting focus.
2) If the spell specifies that a certain material is consumed as part of the spell, that material must be on hand.
As this has yet to be brought up, let's take a look at the description for the component pouch, as seen in the PHB under "Adventuring Gear".
RAW, with the sole exception being material components with a specified cost, a component pouch has just about everything a spellcaster needs in order to cast their spells, including any material components that are to be consumed as part of the spell. Ergo, a component pouch or a spellcasting focus can be used to cover the material components that would be consumed to cast the spell but have no cost. Of course, any DM is free to change the rules as they see fit; but following RAW, as long as you have a component pouch or a spellcasting focus, the only material components you should be concerned about having on you are the components with a specified cost, anything and everything else is irrelevant.
You did a good job of asking about a seemingly innocuous detail that just so happened to be poorly written, and is so unimportant that nobody has bothered to fix it since it doesn't really matter, which is exactly the kind of thing that weirdoes like us will argue about endlessly.
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