|
The Spell component pouch is kinda a 5gp tax on the wizard, but I think it adds a lot of flavour. But there's no listing of the contents and no number of uses. The wizard buys it once at 1st level and they don't ever need to restock-up on bat guano or pork fat again.
I was thinking of adding a limit to the number of times a single pouch can be used. Tracking individual components seems the way of madness, so a cap on uses (like a healing kit) seems to be the idea way.
Off the top of my head let's say 50 uses for 10 uses per gp with each spell with a material component using 1 user per spell level.
Or would it be better to just go with something like 25 uses (5/gp) with no spell variation.
And, of course, Knowledge (nature) or (arcana) might be able to restore a couple uses from a corpse or when exploring the wilderness.
Thoughts?
The Spell component pouch is kinda a 5gp tax on the wizard, but I think it adds a lot of flavour. But there's no listing of the contents and no number of uses. The wizard buys it once at 1st level and they don't ever need to restock-up on bat guano or pork fat again.
I was thinking of adding a limit to the number of times a single pouch can be used. Tracking individual components seems the way of madness, so a cap on uses (like a healing kit) seems to be the idea way.
Off the top of my head let's say 50 uses for 10 uses per gp with each spell with a material component using 1 user per spell level.
Or would it be better to just go with something like 25 uses (5/gp) with no spell variation.And, of course, Knowledge (nature) or (arcana) might be able to restore a couple uses from a corpse or when exploring the wilderness.
Thoughts?
It does give a (slight) incentive not to waste spells and, if you apply it to cantrips, prevents spam casting to some extent, but the bookkeeping will only be fun at the lowest levels of the game.
Just assume that as the wizard is buying his other rations and etc. and/or while traveling through wilderness he's constantly replacing items from the pouch.
Trying to track is just going to bog the game down. If you REALLY need to, a 5gp tax every level or so should suffice.
Just assume that as the wizard is buying his other rations and etc. and/or while traveling through wilderness he's constantly replacing items from the pouch.
;)
At some point (like, 3rd level if you are going by WBL) the wizard will have enough cash to just buy like, 20 of them and never really worry about it again. That'd be what, 2000 spell levels or something? (your original numbers were unclear so I'm not sure the exact number) and that would pretty much get the wizard clear until they bought their first "spell component bag of holding" and spend 1k on a bunch of "spell component pounches" and just tossed 'em inside.
I mean, its not so much a "hey, don't do this its stupid" as it is a "this won't really have the effect you are intending after level 1". And even at level one- they will have to be level one a long, long time to ever run through 50 spell levels. at which point another 50 spell levels is just another 5 gold away.
Now if you wanted to have some flavor in it without the actual ingame issue just start asking PC's to use the material components.
"I cast fireball" boring? Much!
"I shift my stance, rolling a pinch of sulpher into the bat guano as I flick it across the room, the material in mid air to shoot across the room to explode in a blast of fire".
Of course, that has its problems too (gets really old, really quick) but at least it has the benefit of being fun sometimes.
:)
-S
Who cares about these kinds of things?
I house rule the following on the pouches after casting a spell with a Material component the spell caster rolls a D20 on a 1 the pouch is now empty otherwise it still has uses remaining.
this limits the bookkeeping and keep the wizards on their toe a bit as to what their spells do and whats needed to cast them.
|
|
At some point (like, 3rd level if you are going by WBL) the wizard will have enough cash to just buy like, 20 of them and never really worry about it again. That'd be what, 2000 spell levels or something? (your original numbers were unclear so I'm not sure the exact number) and that would pretty much get the wizard clear until they bought their first "spell component bag of holding" and spend 1k on a bunch of "spell component pounches" and just tossed 'em inside.
Well, low magic setting so no bags of holding.
It's more to get people thinking about their spells. My last game I didn't track it or ammunition or food. This campaign (Ravenloft) is much more magic fearful.
I want the players asking "can I buy spell components in town?" Having to think about how they're asking for eye of newt and frogsbreath at the local greengrocer. Being a little worried about what the town thinks about his shopping.
Yeah, eventually when he's more respected and has found a good supplier this goes away. I don't want it to be a continual beat stick for the entire campaign, just something to establish tone at the very beginning.
And its the kind of thing that's interesting to throw at the party. Like the long journey between cities where they can't restock. Or the shipwreck situation where every arrow (and now spell component) is precious.
Soooo... back to the question at hand.
How many spells should be castable for the 5gp? I don't want it to be too annoyingly expensive or vanish too quickly, but I also don't want it never to come up.
Looking at arrows for the baseline, you can get 20 arrows for a gp or 100 attacks for the 5gp of a spell component pouch. But archers quickly get multiple attacks so at fifth level the 5gp is only 30 or so attacks. That might compare with more advanced components consuming more uses of the pouch.
I house rule the following on the pouches after casting a spell with a Material component the spell caster rolls a D20 on a 1 the pouch is now empty otherwise it still has uses remaining.
this limits the bookkeeping and keep the wizards on their toe a bit as to what their spells do and whats needed to cast them.
A spell compoonent pouch ways 2lbs. Given wizards aren't prone to wearing armor or carrying big heavy pieces of sharp metal- it shouldn't be a biggle to carry 2, 4, 6 or whatever of them around- especailly after say level 5-7 when the can just buy a dosen or three and toss 'em into a bag of holding.
I mean really- anything short of "we keep track of spell components like you were supposed to do in the old days" just becomes a problem for the extreme lowbies.. everyone else just remedies it with a few gold and a bag of holding and goes on with life.
Again not saying "noo don't do that!" just saying.. the actual impact in game is only felt by those too low level to buy 10 or 20 and forget about it.
-S
Yea True Selgard I but seem to attract players that want to play spellcasters but do not bother read the spell beyond the summaries at the front of the magic section (this seems to apply to any system I run) then look at me funny when I ask them if the have the range and what's the area effect or limits like I have the book memorized and should always know that. (now they just play sorcerers to bypass the pouch "what waste a valued feat!" and still do not know what their spells can do.)
Yea True Selgard I but seem to attract players that want to play spellcasters but do not bother read the spell beyond the summaries at the front of the magic section (this seems to apply to any system I run) then look at me funny when I ask them if the have the range and what's the area effect or limits like I have the book memorized and should always know that. (now they just play sorcerers to bypass the pouch "what waste a valued feat!" and still do not know what their spells can do.)
Thats awful!
I was tired of flipping through multiple books iwth my last spell caster so with this one I went to the PRD and made my own spellbook and put it into a braded folder along iwth a complete print out of the class I selected (the witch) and his improved familiar (the super kitty from bestiary 2), and all the feats he has that aren't self explanatory.True, it takes abit of paper. (and in truth I haven't kept it up since I got like 30 new spells or something 2 levels ago.. ugh.) but generally it helps a ton.
If you could get your sorcs to do something similar it'd make their lives easier for sure. (and yours) and once you set it up initially you are just adding a couple of spells a level to it.
-S