Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax May 13, 2004 9:10:33	OK, another little tweak that I often did. How strict are you all with material requirements for spells? I had a hard time making my magic users carry around a pouch of bat stuff to cast fireballs. Furthermore, wouldn't their hands really stink afterwards? What about E. Coli?? I tend to ignore non-precious material requirements myself. What about the rest of you?
#2 zombiegleemax May 13, 2004 12:04:33	Well, material components are one thing my DM does absolutely demand that spellcasters keep track of. Which I don't really mind. It can be a pain but I can see the point. Your fighters, thieves, etc. have their equipment at hand, swords, lock pick tools etc, and it stands to reason that the spellcasters of the group should have to do the same. If you're in the middle of a dungeon and run out of a component that can't be harvested under such circumstances then there goes that spell until the component can be harvested or purchased. I don't think it's an absolute necessity for all, and everyone should do it. It depends solely upon that particular gaming group. Our group enjoys doing things that way with material components and it always makes for interesting moments during combat or dungeon delving. Especially with Identify. You'd be amazed at how excited a bunch of broke adventurer's can become over finding a stash of gems that contain a couple of 100gp pearls.
#3 zombiegleemax May 13, 2004 12:14:28	material components were key. if the m-u was smart enough to know how to use them in spells we assumed he was smart enough to figure out how to preserve and handle them too. we kept track of all material components. but i also allowed substitutions.... with possible great and horrific effects...
#4 zombiegleemax May 13, 2004 14:30:19	I don't use material components unless the very nature of the spell requires some key item to work.
#5 zombiegleemax May 13, 2004 14:42:38	We didn't use them unless they were costly. For the cheap ones we just assumed that a spell component pouch could hold 50 castings, and you tallied them up as you went.
#6 blackprinceofmuncie May 13, 2004 18:17:01	I love keeping track of my spell components as a player. "Living in a Material World" is my favorite Dragon Mag. article of all time! As a DM I basically allow the player to choose whether they will track such things. Players who opt not to track components receive a slight penalty in training costs to offset this.
#7 samualt_barronsword May 13, 2004 20:35:55	Only worried about the expensive ones (those with a specific cost listed), but the MU did have to have a spell components bag on hand, and if they somehow lost that, then it was time to go hunting spiders and bat caves and the like for spell components until they could get back to town and restock.
#8 zombiegleemax May 13, 2004 21:45:31	I love that article. Well worn and used quite often. Originally posted by blackprinceofmuncie I love keeping track of my spell components as a player. "Living in a Material World" is my favorite Dragon Mag. article of all time! As a DM I basically allow the player to choose whether they will track such things. Players who opt not to track components receive a slight penalty in training costs to offset this.
#9 ORC_Paradox May 13, 2004 22:00:44	I loved that article too! Though, to be honest, I always just assumed that Magic Users would have whatever components they would need to cast spells. It was those rare-hard to find spell components that made great adventures! "Want to make a new spell? You'll need some powdered unicorn hoof." :D
#10 zombiegleemax May 13, 2004 22:10:46	The hardest one were those live spiders my character had to eat for spider climb. me: ugh, failed to save for that fireball. GM: you know the drill, start rolling your equipment saves. me: Woot, my spider terrarium made its save! Now, if only I could say the same about my pants. Sarta
#11 algolei_dup May 14, 2004 0:43:20	Originally posted by diaglo material components were key. if the m-u was smart enough to know how to use them in spells we assumed he was smart enough to figure out how to preserve and handle them too. we kept track of all material components. but i also allowed substitutions.... with possible great and horrific effects... Ditto. None of my players ever tried to substitute anything, though. Weird. They would gleefully use a wand of wonder or draw four cards from a deck of many things, but just suggest they try substituting a drop of tar for that bat guano and they'd blanch and decline the idea. :sad:
#12 zombiegleemax May 14, 2004 2:00:11	In my games I only worry about the expensive items unless something odd comes up. If a wizard's spell pouch (or whatever he is carrying his components in) is taken from him then he doesn't have the needed components, expensive of not. Then the roleplaying of what he can find at hand comes in. Otherwise it's just a bit much. After all the fighter is required to have his sword at his side (just as the wizard is required to have his spell pouch at his side) but the fighter's sword doesn't simply run out when he's made a certain number of attacks. And the wizard having more powerful abilities is already limited by "spells per day" so I see no reason to little it too much more.