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.
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He/Him. Loooooooooong time Player. The Dark days of the THAC0 system are behind us.
"Hope is a fire that burns in us all If only an ember, awaiting your call To rise up in triumph should we all unite The spark for change is yours to ignite." Kalandra - The State of the World
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.
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
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Active characters:
Edoumiaond Willegume "Eddie" Podslee, Vegetanian scholar (College of Spirits bard) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Peter "the Pied Piper" Hausler, human con artist/remover of vermin (Circle of the Shepherd druid) PIPA - Planar Interception/Protection Aeormaton, warforged bodyguard and ex-wizard hunter (Warrior of the Elements monk/Cartographer artificer) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
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.
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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.
pronouns: he/she/they
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.
He/Him. Loooooooooong time Player.
The Dark days of the THAC0 system are behind us.
"Hope is a fire that burns in us all If only an ember, awaiting your call
To rise up in triumph should we all unite
The spark for change is yours to ignite."
Kalandra - The State of the World
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.
pronouns: he/she/they
A regular tuning fork is unlikely to be worth 250+ gp, so there's likely an exotic process of some sort involved.
Yeah, that's how I'd run it
Active characters:
Edoumiaond Willegume "Eddie" Podslee, Vegetanian scholar (College of Spirits bard)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Peter "the Pied Piper" Hausler, human con artist/remover of vermin (Circle of the Shepherd druid)
PIPA - Planar Interception/Protection Aeormaton, warforged bodyguard and ex-wizard hunter (Warrior of the Elements monk/Cartographer artificer)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
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.