if l want to,say,cast Find Familiar, would l need to spend 10 gold on charcoal, incense, and herbs,or can l just use stuff l find (like charcoal from a fire place/burnt corpse)
also "am l right in thinking that unless it says the items are destroyed (like in find familiar) that the item/s can be used over and over again?
I’m pretty sure it’s yes to both, definitely yes to the second. But the DM gets final say at the table. He may say you can find herbs and charcoal, but need to buy incense, or at least craft it first.
You would just need the materials themselves, you don't necessarily have to buy them, though if you're picking charcoal out from a fire or corpse then the DM could potentially rule it doesn't qualify as 10 gold's worth of the material (though as a DM I personally see no reason why it wouldn't).
And you are correct, material components are not destroyed unless it is specified that they are.
EDIT: As kcbcollier says, it can very much be DM dependent.
Basically, finding anything is up to the DM. You don't find a platinum coin unless they say so, and you don't find 10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs unless the DM says so. But if you find "10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs," you can cast find familiar with it.
You are correct that components are only consumed if specified.
The first... well, yes, you could find 10gp of herbs, same as if you could find 10gp of gems. But 10gp is decently substantial - you’re not going to get 10gp of herbs and charcoal by grabbing a flower off the side of the road and a burnt log from a fire.
ok so what if l find the items l need,and while l would not be willing to pay 10 gp for it,someone else WOULD? would my opinion of its worth be the decideing factor(or more likely the dms)? also does it gave to be 10 gold of each item,or 10gp total? like could l find a herb and incense for ,say,5 silver, then find some cold homeless kid who would be willing to pay 10 gp for some charcoal that l had,would that make the value of the charcoal 10 gp and thus 10 gp of items needed for the spell?
ok so what if l find the items l need,and while l would not be willing to pay 10 gp for it,someone else WOULD? would my opinion of its worth be the decideing factor(or more likely the dms)? also does it gave to be 10 gold of each item,or 10gp total?
The DM decides an item's worth. As far as spells are concerned, items have objective value. If you buy 300gp worth of diamonds on sale for 200gp, those diamonds can be used to cast revivify. But if someone sells a 300gp diamond for 500gp, that diamond can not be used to cast raise dead.
Also, it is 10gp combined worth. Incense and herbs probably make up the bulk of that price. Charcoal can't be worth more than 1sp.
like could l find a herb and incense for ,say,5 silver, then find some cold homeless kid who would be willing to pay 10 gp for some charcoal that l had,would that make the value of the charcoal 10 gp and thus 10 gp of items needed for the spell?
I get what your asking, and I believe my answer above covers it, but I just want to point out how unusual this example is. To be what I would consider homeless, you would need less than squalid living conditions as that includes some kind of shelter from the elements (probably still cold in winter). 10gp would support a squalid lifestyle for 100 days. 10gp also supports a poor lifestyle for 50 days. A poor lifestyle includes a small or shared but insulated room and a little bit of food a day.
If a homeless person has 10gp, it is stolen. And they are definitely not going to waste it on less than 100 days worth of fuel for a fire and a month of food.
Only merchants and adventures tend to have Gold on them. Most commoners have a few silver. Laborers and beggars have only copper.
ah,yes your above example was good. also,sorry for not makeing it clear,in my example, l was not meaning that l would sell the charcoal to the child,just that the child,lf it had the funds,would be despret enough to be willing to pay 10gp
ah,yes your above example was good. also,sorry for not makeing it clear,in my example, l was not meaning that l would sell the charcoal to the child,just that the child,lf it had the funds,would be despret enough to be willing to pay 10gp
Oh. Well... I still don't think that is true given just how much 10gp is worth. But the clarification does make my last 2 paragraphs unneeded.
ah,yes your above example was good. also,sorry for not makeing it clear,in my example, l was not meaning that l would sell the charcoal to the child,just that the child,lf it had the funds,would be despret enough to be willing to pay 10gp
Your example is still bit silly, because 10GP is seriously a lot of money. Nobody who has 10GP is desperate for a bit of charcoal.
But also because you don't need to imagine a desperate urchin willing to pay 10gp for a bit of charcoal! Just use your party member! If your party members are willing to pay you 10GP for a burnt log and a flower you picked by the roadside, does that make those things "10 GP of charcoal/herbs?" No, no it does not.
D&D operates under the fiction that items have an objective, true value. For some objects you can look up that value on dndbeyond - for example, a bedroll is worth 1gp. A Banded Agate is worth 10 gp. And a 300GP diamond is worth 300GP, kind of by definition. That's what spells refer to when they refer to a "300gp of diamonds" like revivify or "100gp of diamond dust" like Stoneskin or "10gp of herbs and charcoal" like Find Familiar.
Now, some people may be desperate and may be willing to pay more for an item than it's worth, if they're desperate. A merchant might give you a discount and sell an item for lower than it's true value for whatever reason, or might rip you off and charge you more than its value. But as per the magic system of the game, that doesn't change the item's real value.
This is, of course, a convention for the sake of the game. In "real life" prices are set by supply and demand, and there's no such thing as a recipe that calls for "10 dollars of peas" because the cost of an ingredient can vary. But D&D isn't reality and isn't trying to model reality in that way - so in D&D, items have a value, set by the rules (and the DM), that can differ than the price you paid for something or the price somebody else would be willing to pay you for it.
I mean, at the end of the day, talk to your DM; maybe they'd allow something fuzzy. But I don't know whether most would.
if l want to,say,cast Find Familiar, would l need to spend 10 gold on charcoal, incense, and herbs,or can l just use stuff l find (like charcoal from a fire place/burnt corpse)
also "am l right in thinking that unless it says the items are destroyed (like in find familiar) that the item/s can be used over and over again?
I’m pretty sure it’s yes to both, definitely yes to the second. But the DM gets final say at the table. He may say you can find herbs and charcoal, but need to buy incense, or at least craft it first.
You would just need the materials themselves, you don't necessarily have to buy them, though if you're picking charcoal out from a fire or corpse then the DM could potentially rule it doesn't qualify as 10 gold's worth of the material (though as a DM I personally see no reason why it wouldn't).
And you are correct, material components are not destroyed unless it is specified that they are.
EDIT: As kcbcollier says, it can very much be DM dependent.
Basically, finding anything is up to the DM. You don't find a platinum coin unless they say so, and you don't find 10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs unless the DM says so. But if you find "10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs," you can cast find familiar with it.
You are correct that components are only consumed if specified.
Definitely yes to the second.
The first... well, yes, you could find 10gp of herbs, same as if you could find 10gp of gems. But 10gp is decently substantial - you’re not going to get 10gp of herbs and charcoal by grabbing a flower off the side of the road and a burnt log from a fire.
ok so what if l find the items l need,and while l would not be willing to pay 10 gp for it,someone else WOULD? would my opinion of its worth be the decideing factor(or more likely the dms)? also does it gave to be 10 gold of each item,or 10gp total? like could l find a herb and incense for ,say,5 silver, then find some cold homeless kid who would be willing to pay 10 gp for some charcoal that l had,would that make the value of the charcoal 10 gp and thus 10 gp of items needed for the spell?
The DM decides an item's worth. As far as spells are concerned, items have objective value. If you buy 300gp worth of diamonds on sale for 200gp, those diamonds can be used to cast revivify. But if someone sells a 300gp diamond for 500gp, that diamond can not be used to cast raise dead.
Also, it is 10gp combined worth. Incense and herbs probably make up the bulk of that price. Charcoal can't be worth more than 1sp.
I get what your asking, and I believe my answer above covers it, but I just want to point out how unusual this example is. To be what I would consider homeless, you would need less than squalid living conditions as that includes some kind of shelter from the elements (probably still cold in winter). 10gp would support a squalid lifestyle for 100 days. 10gp also supports a poor lifestyle for 50 days. A poor lifestyle includes a small or shared but insulated room and a little bit of food a day.
If a homeless person has 10gp, it is stolen. And they are definitely not going to waste it on less than 100 days worth of fuel for a fire and a month of food.
Only merchants and adventures tend to have Gold on them. Most commoners have a few silver. Laborers and beggars have only copper.
ah,yes your above example was good. also,sorry for not makeing it clear,in my example, l was not meaning that l would sell the charcoal to the child,just that the child,lf it had the funds,would be despret enough to be willing to pay 10gp
Oh. Well... I still don't think that is true given just how much 10gp is worth. But the clarification does make my last 2 paragraphs unneeded.
Your example is still bit silly, because 10GP is seriously a lot of money. Nobody who has 10GP is desperate for a bit of charcoal.
But also because you don't need to imagine a desperate urchin willing to pay 10gp for a bit of charcoal! Just use your party member! If your party members are willing to pay you 10GP for a burnt log and a flower you picked by the roadside, does that make those things "10 GP of charcoal/herbs?" No, no it does not.
D&D operates under the fiction that items have an objective, true value. For some objects you can look up that value on dndbeyond - for example, a bedroll is worth 1gp. A Banded Agate is worth 10 gp. And a 300GP diamond is worth 300GP, kind of by definition. That's what spells refer to when they refer to a "300gp of diamonds" like revivify or "100gp of diamond dust" like Stoneskin or "10gp of herbs and charcoal" like Find Familiar.
Now, some people may be desperate and may be willing to pay more for an item than it's worth, if they're desperate. A merchant might give you a discount and sell an item for lower than it's true value for whatever reason, or might rip you off and charge you more than its value. But as per the magic system of the game, that doesn't change the item's real value.
This is, of course, a convention for the sake of the game. In "real life" prices are set by supply and demand, and there's no such thing as a recipe that calls for "10 dollars of peas" because the cost of an ingredient can vary. But D&D isn't reality and isn't trying to model reality in that way - so in D&D, items have a value, set by the rules (and the DM), that can differ than the price you paid for something or the price somebody else would be willing to pay you for it.
I mean, at the end of the day, talk to your DM; maybe they'd allow something fuzzy. But I don't know whether most would.
ah,ok thanks everyone for helping me understand!