The thread on spell component enforcement has got me thinking. Which if any fantasy fiction, other than game base fiction, has a use of spell components?
Steven Brust's Taltos books do for the witchcraft, but the witchcraft is a very ritualistic magic that normally takes minutes to hours to cast spells. Not the on the fly casting of gaming. The Sorcery done in the books doesn't use components.
David Eddings Belgariad and follow up series, it is just the Will and the Word, no components involved. His other series, the name escapes me, has the Church Knights sending up prayers to Gods they don't worship...
Tolkien didn't use components for his magic, that I can remember.
Mercedes Lackey's Velgarth books, when they use components or foci it is for spells that take a long time to cast, their combat spells were cast quickly without components.
Elizabeth Moon's Paksennarion books, the only casters I can think of using any components were the Kuakgani, and again those spells were long casting periods. The Elves cast spells without components. Master Vetrifuge didn't use any components when he healed Paksennarion's leg.
None of the other Fantasy I've read has stuck in head as to how their magic worked.
Does anyone know of any that do use components in the way that D&D or Pathfinder does?
I'm assuming you mean material components.
David Eddings Belgariad and follow up series, it is just the Will and the Word, no components involved.
In a way, all Sorcery in Eddings uses verbal components, and some characters are said to add in somatic components as well. It has been a while, but I want to say that Magic(the one with the demons) and Witchcraft both required some material components.
Dresden uses material components in a lot of his magic, but the components themselves don't matter so much as what they represent.
Beyond that, I know I've read a couple of stories where magic required material components, but for the life of me, I can't remember any names right now.
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Even in various D&D books, such as the Faerun books, don't often have any of the various things required for spellcasting. It gets mentioned from time to time, but rarely is it constantly brought up. Usually only when it's a problem. I recall in one of the War of the Spider Queen novels that a caster had his fingers and wrists shackeled. So he used his feet and toes to get the somantic gestures done. Another time in one of the Drizzt novels one of the Harpels had forgotten his spellbook and only had a collection of spells via Spell Mastery.
I'm assuming you mean material components.David Eddings Belgariad and follow up series, it is just the Will and the Word, no components involved.In a way, all Sorcery in Eddings uses verbal components, and some characters are said to add in somatic components as well. It has been a while, but I want to say that Magic(the one with the demons) and Witchcraft both required some material components.
Dresden uses material components in a lot of his magic, but the components themselves don't matter so much as what they represent.
Beyond that, I know I've read a couple of stories where magic required material components, but for the life of me, I can't remember any names right now.
Whoops, yep I meant Material Components, like the live spider for Spider Climb, or bat guano for Fireball.
Dare I say Vance?
"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
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Dresden. Also, George R.R. Martin's magic (the ones that have been explained) seem to function entirely off of components and foci (Masks for disguise-like spells, various powders and herbs to allow one to see through fire, living blood to resurrect the dead, etc.). Even the closest thing to "battle magic" that A Song of Ice and Fire requires blood to activate (essentially making a sword flaming for a few moments).