| 5 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
I feel that the Eschew Material feat needs a small update/change.
You can cast many spells without needing to utilize minor material components.
Benefit: You can cast any spell with a material component costing 1 gp or less without needing that component. The casting of the spell still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. If the spell requires a material component that costs more than 1 gp, you must have the material component on hand to cast the spell, as normal.
A strict interpretation of this means that you cannot use Eschew Material to cast Mage Armor, as it has a focus, rather than a material component. That focus is a piece of cured leather i.e. an item whose value is less than a gold piece.
I suspect that most people simply Eschew Materials to work for minor focus components (if people even think of it at all) or hand-wave or have a house rule.
So, my question is can we get a small change to the text?
That is, add a couple of words into the feat description:
Benefit: You can cast any spell with a material or focus component costing 1 gp or less without needing that component.
Possible complication: a wooden holy symbol costs a gold piece - so divine caster who took Eschew Materials could cast their spells without needing to present they holy symbol for most spells - which could lead to some interesting adventures/mysteries.
What does everyone else think?
Or what do the developers think?
I think it's as intended, and that's fine. Recall, a focus does not get used up in the casting of the spell, and treating them as the same removes some not uncommon tropes "Oh, no, all my belongings are gone ... now I can only cast a subset of my spells!!"
One of the reasons that I am asking this is for PFS play.
Since it is a general game rule, and not specific to PFS, this subforum is a better venue for the question.
I have heard GMs go in both directions, some sure it works on 1 gp or less focus components and some that say, no it doesn't (this is a problem if the PC doesn't have the spell component pouch and/or doesn't have the various focus components listed on the character sheet).
If the developers approve, it is a very minor errata.
I think it's as intended, and that's fine. Recall, a focus does not get used up in the casting of the spell, and treating them as the same removes some not uncommon tropes "Oh, no, all my belongings are gone ... now I can only cast a subset of my spells!!"
Out of curiosity, how many sorcerer PCs do you have/play (or other PC with Eschew Materials)?
How many of the them have a spell component pouch or have the various focus items listed on the character sheet?
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I had always assumed that the whole point of Eschew Materials (and more specifically, the point of casting-by-innate-ability sorcerers getting it as a bonus feat) was so that you didn't have to have a spell component pouch.
If you have any spells which require focuses, then you have to gear up exactly the same way as a caster who doesn't have Eschew Materials. It's hard to imagine that the intent is for those who don't need material components still need to carry the piece of equipment which provides them.
So what do we do? Hit the FAQ button or what?
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| 10 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
I'm for the clarification.
Seems odd for mage armor, true strike, ect. If you have Eschew Components you should be able to cast spells when grappled, when your spell pouch is sundered or stolen, when your hands are occupied and there is no somatic component, or the spell is Stilled.
For FAQ consideration. Does the Eschew Material feat work on focuses worth 1 gp or less?
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I had a 3.5 bard with Eschew Materials who had all the foci for his spells known disguised as various items, so he didn't need or carry a spell component pouch.
Spectacles combining small prisms and crystal disk for read magic, a collar stud with a glass eye for clairvoyance, a copper wire charm bracelet with a small horn as a charm for clairaudience, sound burst and message, etc.
That said, I would definitely agree that Eschew Materials should include foci, but probably not divine foci.
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It is my strong opinion that if I'm a caster that's already been grappled, that really wasn't the time to be thinking about casting Mage Armor.I'm for the clarification.
Seems odd for mage armor, true strike, ect. If you have Eschew Components you should be able to cast spells when grappled, when your spell pouch is sundered or stolen, when your hands are occupied and there is no somatic component, or the spell is Stilled.
For FAQ consideration. Does the Eschew Material feat work on focuses worth 1 gp or less?
Fair enough. But it may be the perfect time to cast True Strike.
Focuses are materials of less than 1 gold cost.
Please tell me what sort of spells have foci not made of material.
I never saw that. I assumed that if you could get around the whole "causing items to be consumed to fuel magic spells" thing, you could get around "having an item around for a spell without getting it consumed", too.