Um does anyone pay attention to componets? Do you have to? I never pay attention to Verbal, Somatic and Materials and just... Cast them
Yes, and your DM should because it's a balance issue.
5e has largely ignored "non costly components" with the rules of arcane/divine focuses which I think is the right thing. No one wants to spend game time scavenging for bat poop and salt for Fireball.
That said, if you are silenced, you can't cast spells with verbal. If something makes it a point to steal your spellcasting focus, you can't cast anything with material needs. If your hands are full(weapon and shield for clerics without War Caster), you can't cast anything with somatics unless you drop one or the other.
Um does anyone pay attention to componets? Do you have to? I never pay attention to Verbal, Somatic and Materials and just... Cast them
Wizard here and yes. I RP every required component. Currently I am using a component pouch even. I have a focus, but for RP reasons, components are what I reach for first.
The only time I worry about spell components is if it's consumed by the spell or it has a material cost to it. Otherwise it's just your Spell Focus or Component Pouch. It's really just flavor text at that point. "The crystal on my staff glows red as I cast Fireball!" or "I pull out some sulfur and bat guano, pinch them together to form a red bead and fling it at the enemy!" And that's only in a group where we narrate our combat.
Unless you have War Caster you have to have a free hand in order to cast a spell with a Somatic component. So one handed weapon or a shield but not both and a quarterstaff is doing the one handed damage if you use it.
And Verbal is usually always available unless you're silenced or can't breathe for some reason.
Unless you have War Caster you have to have a free hand in order to cast a spell with a Somatic component. So one handed weapon or a shield but not both and a quarterstaff is doing the one handed damage if you use it.
The rules allow you to hold a two-handed weapon with one hand when doing something other than attacking, like casting a spell.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
In terms of balance, Verbal and Somatic components are most relevant because they make spellcasting noticeable; you have to speak words or make gestures that allow a typical observer in a fantasy world to infer "this person is casting a spell", which for example keeps Charm Person/Suggestion from being full-on Jedi Mind Trick powers. Priced/consumed Material components help a DM regulate powerful spells in a campaign, and M components in general allow for a caster to be "disarmed" and end up with a significantly abridged repertoire, along with providing another clear "hey, this person is using magic" flag.
Now, if you're just running classic dungeon crawl type encounters then pretty much everything aside from priced/consumed components aren't particularly relevant unless the players are attempting some kind of stealth.
Our DM ignores "common" components but costly or rare stuff is tracked. If you don't say your spell words (if required) the spell fails. Somatic requiring spells are not allowed if you are bound or grappled.
Um does anyone pay attention to componets? Do you have to? I never pay attention to Verbal, Somatic and Materials and just... Cast them
Wizard here and yes. I RP every required component. Currently I am using a component pouch even. I have a focus, but for RP reasons, components are what I reach for first.
In terms of balance, Verbal and Somatic components are most relevant because they make spellcasting noticeable; you have to speak words or make gestures that allow a typical observer in a fantasy world to infer "this person is casting a spell", which for example keeps Charm Person/Suggestion from being full-on Jedi Mind Trick powers. Priced/consumed Material components help a DM regulate powerful spells in a campaign, and M components in general allow for a caster to be "disarmed" and end up with a significantly abridged repertoire, along with providing another clear "hey, this person is using magic" flag.
Now, if you're just running classic dungeon crawl type encounters then pretty much everything aside from priced/consumed components aren't particularly relevant unless the players are attempting some kind of stealth.
The idea of V and S components being obvious so people know you are casting was something I always considered RAW. Then I think it was the bard video where JC said about about a subclass that could cast without V component (was it glamor and their always prepared charm person or something?) where he said you could twiddle your fingers disguising it or something. Which I thought, hey that’s not how it’s supposed to work, lol. Wish I could remember the specifics but I’m old and tired at the moment
In terms of balance, Verbal and Somatic components are most relevant because they make spellcasting noticeable; you have to speak words or make gestures that allow a typical observer in a fantasy world to infer "this person is casting a spell", which for example keeps Charm Person/Suggestion from being full-on Jedi Mind Trick powers. Priced/consumed Material components help a DM regulate powerful spells in a campaign, and M components in general allow for a caster to be "disarmed" and end up with a significantly abridged repertoire, along with providing another clear "hey, this person is using magic" flag.
Now, if you're just running classic dungeon crawl type encounters then pretty much everything aside from priced/consumed components aren't particularly relevant unless the players are attempting some kind of stealth.
The idea of V and S components being obvious so people know you are casting was something I always considered RAW. Then I think it was the bard video where JC said about about a subclass that could cast without V component (was it glamor and their always prepared charm person or something?) where he said you could twiddle your fingers disguising it or something. Which I thought, hey that’s not how it’s supposed to work, lol. Wish I could remember the specifics but I’m old and tired at the moment
The description of S component from the PHB:
Spellcasting gestures might include a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. If a spell requires a somatic component, the caster must have free use of at least one hand to perform these gestures.
While they don't literally say "the S component must be obvious", the examples they give strongly suggest it as RAI. And in XGtE it says:
To be perceptible, the casting of a spell must involve a verbal, somatic, or material component. The form of a material component doesn’t matter for the purposes of perception, whether it’s an object specified in the spell’s description, a component pouch, or a spellcasting focus.
Which actually suggests that a spell is perceptible even when you're just holding a focus. Obviously exactly what "perceptible" means is not spelled out, but the RAI seems clear that spells are not supposed to be able to be disguised unless their components have been eliminated by a feature/rule.
I think it may have been said before, but it bears repeating: if disguising spellcasting with V,S,M components were easy to do, there would be very little benefit to taking the subtle spell MM beyond silence immunity (which is, admittedly, a pretty strong feature in and of itself).
Um does anyone pay attention to componets? Do you have to? I never pay attention to Verbal, Somatic and Materials and just... Cast them
Wizard here and yes. I RP every required component. Currently I am using a component pouch even. I have a focus, but for RP reasons, components are what I reach for first.
What do you mean by RP?
RP = Roleplay, they mean they're acting out their spellcasting in detail. "I reach into my component pouch for a snake's tongue and a bit of honeycomb" etc.
Um does anyone pay attention to componets? Do you have to? I never pay attention to Verbal, Somatic and Materials and just... Cast them
Yes, and your DM should because it's a balance issue.
5e has largely ignored "non costly components" with the rules of arcane/divine focuses which I think is the right thing. No one wants to spend game time scavenging for bat poop and salt for Fireball.
That said, if you are silenced, you can't cast spells with verbal. If something makes it a point to steal your spellcasting focus, you can't cast anything with material needs. If your hands are full(weapon and shield for clerics without War Caster), you can't cast anything with somatics unless you drop one or the other.
Wizard here and yes. I RP every required component. Currently I am using a component pouch even. I have a focus, but for RP reasons, components are what I reach for first.
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The only time I worry about spell components is if it's consumed by the spell or it has a material cost to it. Otherwise it's just your Spell Focus or Component Pouch. It's really just flavor text at that point. "The crystal on my staff glows red as I cast Fireball!" or "I pull out some sulfur and bat guano, pinch them together to form a red bead and fling it at the enemy!" And that's only in a group where we narrate our combat.
Unless you have War Caster you have to have a free hand in order to cast a spell with a Somatic component. So one handed weapon or a shield but not both and a quarterstaff is doing the one handed damage if you use it.
And Verbal is usually always available unless you're silenced or can't breathe for some reason.
The rules allow you to hold a two-handed weapon with one hand when doing something other than attacking, like casting a spell.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
In terms of balance, Verbal and Somatic components are most relevant because they make spellcasting noticeable; you have to speak words or make gestures that allow a typical observer in a fantasy world to infer "this person is casting a spell", which for example keeps Charm Person/Suggestion from being full-on Jedi Mind Trick powers. Priced/consumed Material components help a DM regulate powerful spells in a campaign, and M components in general allow for a caster to be "disarmed" and end up with a significantly abridged repertoire, along with providing another clear "hey, this person is using magic" flag.
Now, if you're just running classic dungeon crawl type encounters then pretty much everything aside from priced/consumed components aren't particularly relevant unless the players are attempting some kind of stealth.
Our DM ignores "common" components but costly or rare stuff is tracked. If you don't say your spell words (if required) the spell fails. Somatic requiring spells are not allowed if you are bound or grappled.
I kinda just cast spell and never think about components
What do you mean by RP?
The idea of V and S components being obvious so people know you are casting was something I always considered RAW. Then I think it was the bard video where JC said about about a subclass that could cast without V component (was it glamor and their always prepared charm person or something?) where he said you could twiddle your fingers disguising it or something. Which I thought, hey that’s not how it’s supposed to work, lol. Wish I could remember the specifics but I’m old and tired at the moment
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The description of S component from the PHB:
While they don't literally say "the S component must be obvious", the examples they give strongly suggest it as RAI. And in XGtE it says:
Which actually suggests that a spell is perceptible even when you're just holding a focus. Obviously exactly what "perceptible" means is not spelled out, but the RAI seems clear that spells are not supposed to be able to be disguised unless their components have been eliminated by a feature/rule.
I think it may have been said before, but it bears repeating: if disguising spellcasting with V,S,M components were easy to do, there would be very little benefit to taking the subtle spell MM beyond silence immunity (which is, admittedly, a pretty strong feature in and of itself).
RP = Roleplay, they mean they're acting out their spellcasting in detail. "I reach into my component pouch for a snake's tongue and a bit of honeycomb" etc.
I’ve pondered setting up a “prison escape” scenario, where casters are deprived of their arcane foci and have to scavenge material components.