Our group pretty much ignores component requirements for spells- especially the material one. The verbal component only comes up if a silence effect is brought onto the table.
I am curious if other gaming groups use the components for spells. I can see where they add a layer of realism or authenticity to spell casting. I can also see why some would do away with them altogether.
I mostly ignore them, yeah. I find that keeping track of that is more trouble than it's worth. The only time I use it is if the spell has a costly material component.
More or less ignored unless its important (captives) or if the component is expensive. Somatic is not ignored though for gish type PCs.
Yeah. And of the 20 or so online campaigns and\or one shots I have played 100% of them also ignored material components (except the costly ones). But I assume they "playtested well" 
It does not hurt, and I really like them. Makes D&D casting quite unique.
The way it is organized now, you can usually ignore them, as most items are not used up in casting.
And material components makes it possible to make a wizard´s life as miserable in captivity as a wariorrs life, taking away some of their toys (without cutting out their tongue and breaking their fingers)
Material components only really apply if you get disarmed.
Somatic components require a hand.
Verbal components break stealth and can be silenceed.
so 95% of the time, they won't come into play.
Ignored unless they have a GP price attached. So ie fresh Wizards don't have enough gold to cast chromatic orb.
You can also limit access to OP spells like Force Cage by limiting their component availability.
Every componet is tracked and noted if used or not. However we have simplified componets by tying them to class rather than individual spells.
Wizards must speak words of power to cast a spell.
Mages must transcribe through the air an arcane symbol with their hand to cast a spell.
Crystalmancers require a specific type of crystal of a certain size to cast spells. Dependent upon which spell category and which "slot" is used.
Cleromancers must toss dice, rune stones, dominoes, bones to cast spells. (Dependent upon which cultural setting the player chooses to be from in our game world)
Elementalists need a means to generate the base element that they are using for a specific elemental effect when casting spells.
Like Mellored said, most of the time, if the caster has an implement, no component is necessary unless it is one of the unique ones (like a 100 gp pearl to cast identify). I totally require the unique components, some of which can be used over and over again (like the pearl for identify) and others get consumed on use (noted in spell description).
As for the free hand, I usually just assume that a caster can stow something, drop something or carry what he has in 1 hand to cast the spell with the other.
I've been toying with the idea of making a caster (who needs to use somatic gestures to cast) have to escape from grapple before being able to cast. I like the idea that a monster or a PC can grapple a similar sized or smaller casting foe to hold its arms tightly.
Components as a whole: Absolutely not. V and S are considered for every spell cast. (However, as Aaron says, most of the time this consideration doesn't come up because no one is trying to cast a spell bound and gagged. V is basically 'be able to speak' and S is basically 'have a free hand', so S comes up more often, but no more often than I have to tell fighters 'no, you can't use a greatsword and a shield').
Material components I leave up to the player mostly. Costly material components must be tracked. Components without a cost, the player can either track them or abstract them into a component pouch/focus as they choose.
CCS wrote:
Tracking inventory is usually hand-waved unless there is a reason it becomes important. Like no focus or component pouch. Other components are applicable to high level druids and wildshape so we follow them.
Ignored. Much in the same way as day-to-day clothing was ignored. My 3e ranger for instance, just starting out, had an 'explorer's outfit' (boots, belt, shirt, leather breeches, gloves, oh, and a cloak). Didn't cost a dime and I never thought about that outfit ever again (not even once). 'Fingers' the thief bought a noble's outfit once (as part of disguise), cost a pretty penny but that's the only time I remember clothes ever being an *issue*.
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We ignored mundane spell components. I did however, reflavor the spell component pouch for my 3.5 homebrew. In that setting, arcane magic was 'sense and control' rather than 'study and learn' (think how Jedi are taught to sense and control the Force). Nothing destroys that feel quicker than having to fool around with bat poop and sulfur, so I described the pouch as being full of coalescense, sparkling gold dust. It was a bit 'Disney' 
if over-thought but otherwise, it worked.
I don't require casters to track all the individual little material components that have no costs listed. However, I do make sure that spell components are still a part of the game. If a caster is bound or has their hands full, they can't cast spells that have a somatic component. If they're gagged or in a silence effect, they can't cast spells with a verbal component. If they've been stripped of their belongings, and therefore have neither a component pouch nor a focus, then they can't cast spells with a material component.
As long as you have a spell component pouch or focus, material components are mostly a non-issue (excepting those with a cost, or when your character's hands are bound). Somatic components are rarely an issue, as keeping a hand free is fairly easy. Verbal components, again mostly a non issue. Spell components really only come into play in special circumstances, like when the character is bound, gagged, trying to stay quiet, having both hands in use, stripped of items, etc. or for expensive material components (and obtaining those can inspire adventures or mini-adventures). So, personally, I don't really feel the need to ignore them—they're mostly invisible during gameplay for the most part, anyways.
As long as you ignore ammunition and related items, go ahead and ignore components as well. But if you make it a pain to use a given ability for mundane things, then I say what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
I don't track materials that cost less than 25 gold. Either you have the right component or you do not. I've add compenents to teleport spells that is unique to the locations your teleporting to or from.
First off, I do not track spell components, but they are not ignored.
For formulaic spellcasters like the wizard, they need their jazz-hands and jibber jabber to cast spells. They need their bat poo or other arcane reagents. Without those, they cannot cast spells.
For innate spellcasters (like sorcerers and warlocks) no material components are needed. Verbal and somatic components are generally either or , especially for low level spells.
Totally ignored in every game i've ever played or ran.
Except for raise dead and stoneskin.
Ramzour wrote: