Component materials?

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Apollo_Theron

Feb 23, 2011 12:23:38		Where are the costs listed? Is Eschew materials or whatever worth the cost of a feat? Apparently most casters get it for free from their DM's. However my DM will not be giving it out for free. Does the feat really save a lot of money?
-AT
#2

Tempest_Stormwind

Feb 23, 2011 13:00:32
Where are the costs listed?


If they aren't listed, they're free, and already sitting in your spell component pouch. This includes if they're otherwise perishable (i.e. the eyeball you use to build a tiny TV set for Scrying will never spoil), and it implies your pouch has a small ecosystem in it (live spiders?), but it's an area that's largely there for fluff.

If the component is costly, you need to pay for it as a separate inventory item. An example of a costly component would be the special eyedrops you need to use for True Seeing.

Is Eschew materials or whatever worth the cost of a feat?


Almost never. There are specialized cases where it matters, but you could almost always get away without it, and would be better off spending that feat on a combat or metamagic feat.

Apparently most casters get it for free from their DM's.


It's a popular houserule, but basically just an extension of the basic rules. It means that instead of having all free components, you now have all free components and all components that cost up to 1 GP. 

However my DM will not be giving it out for free. Does the feat really save a lot of money?
-AT


It saves you precisely 1 GP per time you cast a spell that has a material component costing 1 GP or less, plus the cost of a spell component pouch (5gp, but you'll still need to pay that if you're casting costly spells). That's it.

The real reason why it matters is that you can actually cast the spell without the component pouch, including if you're grappled and unable to reach the pouch. Compared to Still Spell, it's a good deal, but I don't think any of that's actually worth a feat, considering how rare the conditions are. (The only case where it might be useful is on a shapeshifter who assumes forms that can't manipulate spell components, but the only real caster who does this is the druid, and she gets Natural Spell, which is better by an impossibly large degree (and very arguably broken).) Otherwise, it's just worth it as a prerequisite.

(This is also why spells like Dimension Door are purely verbal: if you're grappled, you just speak the magic word and appear elsewhere, with no chance of failure due to grappling interfering with somatic components or preventing you from grabbing a material component.) 
#3

Apollo_Theron

Feb 24, 2011 8:07:46
Where are the costs listed?


If they aren't listed, they're free, and already sitting in your spell component pouch. This includes if they're otherwise perishable (i.e. the eyeball you use to build a tiny TV set for Scrying will never spoil), and it implies your pouch has a small ecosystem in it (live spiders?), but it's an area that's largely there for fluff.

If the component is costly, you need to pay for it as a separate inventory item. An example of a costly component would be the special eyedrops you need to use for True Seeing.

Is Eschew materials or whatever worth the cost of a feat?


Almost never. There are specialized cases where it matters, but you could almost always get away without it, and would be better off spending that feat on a combat or metamagic feat.

Apparently most casters get it for free from their DM's.


It's a popular houserule, but basically just an extension of the basic rules. It means that instead of having all free components, you now have all free components and all components that cost up to 1 GP. 

However my DM will not be giving it out for free. Does the feat really save a lot of money?
-AT


It saves you precisely 1 GP per time you cast a spell that has a material component costing 1 GP or less, plus the cost of a spell component pouch (5gp, but you'll still need to pay that if you're casting costly spells). That's it.

The real reason why it matters is that you can actually cast the spell without the component pouch, including if you're grappled and unable to reach the pouch. Compared to Still Spell, it's a good deal, but I don't think any of that's actually worth a feat, considering how rare the conditions are. (The only case where it might be useful is on a shapeshifter who assumes forms that can't manipulate spell components, but the only real caster who does this is the druid, and she gets Natural Spell, which is better by an impossibly large degree (and very arguably broken).) Otherwise, it's just worth it as a prerequisite.

(This is also why spells like Dimension Door are purely verbal: if you're grappled, you just speak the magic word and appear elsewhere, with no chance of failure due to grappling interfering with somatic components or preventing you from grabbing a material component.) 

So basically the only time it would be useful is while you're grappled, but at the same time there is spells, reserve feats, and features that allow you to teleport. Making it a complete and utterly worthless feat? Gotcha!