Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Nevvur Nov 27, 2014 3:23:56	Dealing specifically with gemstones: cut, raw and powdered...   Say the party is in the middle of an adventure and comes across some gems which serve as the material component for a spell. Some refined, others raw. I think it's generally accepted that given two gemstones of equal mass, the cut gemstone is worth more than the raw. Does the application of the mundane gemstone cutting skill somehow make it more useful for magic, as reflected by the component cost? I could see this in the case of some spells, like Chromatic Orb, but it seems less applicable for something like Awaken.    What if the spell component calls for powdered gem material? A raw gem, then, has more value for magic than having it cut only to be reduced to powder. Yet in market, the cut stone commands a higher price. Do you assume the cost of powdered stones is from raw or cut versions?   It's nitpicky, but I have a beancounter in my group. The question hasn't come up anywhere yet but in my own mind, and I would probably just wing it if the question were ever raised at my table, but I'm curious how others would treat with this edge case issue of spell component costs.
#2 Macv12 Nov 28, 2014 20:07:50	I'd say that's just a way to estimate how hard it is to acquire the materials, or how much you need. The literal monetary value of something is all relative to the economy. If someone figured out that you could dip sapphires in water, then pour that water through dirt an unlimited number of times to turn it into sapphires, they would suddenly be next to worthless. That wouldn't affect how many you need for your spell component.   I would base all prices on the "intuitive" value of how much a top-quality version of that thing "should" cost under normal circumstances. 50gp of gemstone should fit in the palm of your hand. 50gp of powdered gemstone is the exact same stone, just crushed. The cost of labor or how nice it looks in jewelry shouldn't factor in.
#3 cowleymen Nov 28, 2014 20:55:20	Agreed. Though you could buy cut gems, a gems worth comes from both its natural qualities, like clearness, the growth of its structure, and how good the gem cutter is to get it set. For gems, I would say what its worth when bought raw, as in what a jewler/ gem cutter would pay to buy it for before cutting. How ever, it is possible to buy gems in their raw form as well. So as long as the players where in a town or city that was big enough to warrent the possibilty of having a gem dealer, who proabably sells jewlery as well, they may buy raw gems.    I also approach it like a pouch in a way though. INstead of specificing that they want a 100 gp dimond, they just buy 100 gp worth of gems. They can "spend" that 100 gp worth of gems any way they want. so one spell with a 50 gp sahppire and 50 gp any other gem. Just to simplify bookkeeping
#4 sleypy Nov 29, 2014 4:36:52	I hadn't really thought about that one. A cut gem could be more viable for spells, however it might need to be cut differently than it normally would be for setting a gem. It might add an interesting element to the world if gem that have been cut for use with magic are distinguishable from gems cut for jewelry.