A Land Far Away

How about charging for significant spell components?

So... as an example a Raise Dead scroll would require a "Large diamond" item to work.

Stoneskin would require "Diamond dust" item to work.

It's been discussed before.

Right now raise dead already requires diamonds/gold equivalent.

Would require that module builders actually add these to easily accessible shops, and at their SRD prices.

Some DMs already do this.

Personally, I plan to do ALL spell components for my campaign PCs... but that's only because I'm giving them fair wealth.

I, too, would like to see an ALFA where 60-75% of the population isn't "poor," while regularly-DMed folks manage to have runaway high wealth, before inflicting it on the population.

Some spells can indeed be balanced or throttled with financial impact, but we should probably demonstrate that we can actually manage character wealth before making assumptions based on it.


Also, scrolls should have their material components already expended to create them. A raise dead scroll should cost 6125 gold. If it doesn't, that's a bug. Ticket that.

Also we don't have anywhere near to canon rewards for a fight, and for a very good reason since accumulated over the multitude of combat on the PW that would mean insane wealth. So consumables are generally direly de-valued, and spell components that you have to buy are essentially consumables.

The issue is likely 90% confined to stoneskin, so maybe rebalance that spell with, say, shorter duration instead? (It was already moved up the druid spell list to its appropriate place) For the rare case when a DM wants to give longer duration stoneskin in exchange for PCs spending money, they can do so by casting the spell from the avatar when it expires on a PC. By canon the duration is only 10 minutes / level after all, so pretty much confined to a single battle (our 10 mins / level is generally FAR longer).

t-ice wrote:Also we don't have anywhere near to canon rewards for a fight, and for a very good reason since accumulated over the multitude of combat on the PW that would mean insane wealth. So consumables are generally direly de-valued, and spell components that you have to buy are essentially consumables.

The issue is likely 90% confined to stoneskin, so maybe rebalance that spell with, say, shorter duration instead? (It was already moved up the druid spell list to its appropriate place) For the rare case when a DM wants to give longer duration stoneskin in exchange for PCs spending money, they can do so by casting the spell from the avatar when it expires on a PC. By canon the duration is only 10 minutes / level after all, so pretty much confined to a single battle (our 10 mins / level is generally FAR longer).

While I agree Stone Skin likely needs a look, 10/minutes per level is not 'a single battle' in pen and paper at the level you get it (level 7 minimum, making that 70 minutes, which is the entirety of a dungeon crawl in most cases).

Also, in pnp a wizard can activly quest/search etc for his materials, if we decide to include components, we must also include obtainable ways to get those materials (imo, not in requiring dm time)

chalksoul wrote:Also, in pnp a wizard can activly quest/search etc for his materials, if we decide to include components, we must also include obtainable ways to get those materials (imo, not in requiring dm time)

Should such a system come around one day, Chalk, the materials would be available in shops - as that is where you get spell components (outside of obvious incredibly rare ones like 'a rod attuned to a specific plane' for Plane Shift).

No nonsense where now every spell you have to cast has to have somehow had a DM grant you the privilege of finding those materials.

(Note, this is a BIG "if" this kind of system ever came into being.)

Ah ha, I am totally going to find a diamond mine and make sure to grind all the diamonds I find into dust for Stoneskin, but save the really big ones for Raise Dead!

I hope the lineup to get in isn't too long.

By canon the duration is only 10 minutes / level after all

Why you folks talkin' bout Stoneskin's duration like it isn't currently 10 minutes/level?

Any factoid taken out of context to promote their idea, Zelk.

Fer gad sake it just went to 5th level.

Rumple what is the deal with SS? you REALLY hate it eh? Wtf

250gp a pop. Hell to the No. Jesus

Galadorn wrote:250gp a pop. Hell to the No. Jesus

What about if people had 250gp a pop to spare?

Some RP spells, you'll find players and DMs roll with expensive components, as part of call it the "accommodation" of odd RP spell tricks. Scry, may have a 1000gp mirror (arcane), 100gp font full of holy water (divine), or a puddle (druid divine). People crafting a bag of holding known to seek someone with a 5000gp reusable mini-chest model. Basically some RP spells, people do get together on the topic.

In engine spells though, yeah, it's really only Raise, Resurrection type stuff where you worry about thousands and thousands in gold. I've seen RP use of Reincarnate when a wandering Underdark druid was the only option take 1000gp components too (the poor man's Raise!)

Zelknolf wrote:

By canon the duration is only 10 minutes / level after all

Why you folks talkin' bout Stoneskin's duration like it isn't currently 10 minutes/level?

It is, but it's also about as long as hour per level. Or a significant part of a game session. So it is clearly of more strategic utility than canon. PW comic book time realities, I know. But it compounds the cheapness of the buff making it an obvious staple wheteas by canon other options are more attractive.