| Avian Mosquito |
Okay, so in my system, just about every arcane spell has a focus component and many have material components. I've decided to make the casting components intentionally vague, so it's up to the players to figure out what they can use for a component.
I chose the vague components to allow them to use a wider variety of objects and make it so they can use something that fits the setting better, and can improvise casting components on the fly. This organic puzzle solving is a concept that I personally enjoy seeing, and I want my players to do it as much as possible. But more than that, it also encourages creativity and rewards intelligence and forethought, as the better they think out their components the better they'll work for them.
This isn't the case for all spell components, or even all focus and material components. Some are very specific, usually to create a cost for using the spell that can't be wriggled around, but the offensive spells all have vague components.
So, here's my question: How little detail do you think I can get away with using, and do I have to provide examples in the rulebook? I want to use as little detail as possible so they'll come up with more creative solutions, and I don't want to give examples if I don't have to because that runs the risk of them just using the examples and not thinking about it, but I also don't want them to be completely lost on what it is that qualifies as a component.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
You can get away with absolutely no detail at all, if you want. The best thing would be to say something like 'this spell needs X focus and Y materials, costing Z amount' and let them work out the details themselves.
The problem with this approach is that you easily end up with the old problem of character abilities being useless if the player doesn't also have them. People don't expect players to be master combatants that can kill polar bears with a rusty dagger and a missing arm in real life. If mechanics allow social interaction to be decided by dice rolls, it's really bitter to see a character built for that fail because the GM doesn't like you using the mechanics as they are intended and expects you to be a master diplomat at the table to get anywhere.
In this case, some players may get really annoyed at having to spend a lot of time and effort on what can easily be a pointless mini-game. Their character can do the research off-screen and down time - don't waste game time on this is my advice. If players want to, fine, but don't punish players who say "my character does this stuff, I don't".
| Avian Mosquito |
Well, it isn't hard to think of possibilities when they're something like "Any warm object. Does not have to actually be warm, just feel warm. You must make direct skin contact with it, and cannot use your casting hand. ". Think for about a couple seconds.
You've got, like, six solutions by now, don't you? I could ask a kindergartener to meet this requirement, and they not only would probably find answers, they'd probably find MORE answers than the typical person. It doesn't require a degree in metaphysics, or on-site training as a mystic, to determine what objects might fill this requirement. It just requires a bit of thought to find the basic components, and with a bit of creativity can find you a way to meet this requirement more easily and reliably.