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The spell Druid Grove has an oddly specific material component that is consumed but is otherwise costless: "A mistletoe harvested with a golden sickle under the light of a full moon" (XGE, p.154).

At level 20, an Arcdruid can ignore material components that don't have a cost and aren't consumed (PHB, p.64).

Does that mean that the druid can ignore material components that have no cost but are consumed?

Just have this idea of a high-level naked druid wandering in the forests creating temporary sanctuaries all over. But I don't know whether the druid itself has to have the component for Druid Grove on hand, or can just be completely naked.

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    \$\begingroup\$ It seems like you're answering your own question here -- you quote the relevant rule and then ask if the relevant rule really means it? What's the alternative interpretation of the rule that wouldn't lead to needing the specific component? \$\endgroup\$
    – Darth Pseudonym
    Jul 4, 2021 at 4:10
  • \$\begingroup\$ @DarthPseudonym I think part of the question is how to read the natural language boolean logic. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ryan C. Thompson
    Jul 4, 2021 at 12:54

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No. The Archdruid feature does not allow you to ignore material components that are consumed.

Archdruid states:

Additionally, you can ignore the verbal and somatic components of your druid spells, as well as any material components that lack a cost and aren’t consumed by a spell.

Use of the word “and” indicates you can ignore a material component only if both the following are true:

  • it has no cost
  • it is not consumed

The material component for druid grove is:

mistletoe, which the spell consumes, that was harvested with a golden sickle under the light of a full moon

Since the mistletoe is consumed, it must be provided - it cannot be ignored with the Archdruid feature.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Perhaps of note is a construction that would allow this: "any material components that lack a cost and any material components that aren’t consumed by a spell.". Better even: just changing "and" to "or" in the original \$\endgroup\$
    – Exempt-Medic
    Jul 3, 2021 at 17:13
  • \$\begingroup\$ A useful mnemonic for this is that if a druid could cast a spell with a druidic focus in place of the material components, then an archdruid can cast that same spell with no material component. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ryan C. Thompson
    Jul 3, 2021 at 17:26
  • \$\begingroup\$ @RyanC.Thompson That is flat out incorrect! The spellcasting focus rules care ONLY about whether or not the component has a cost, whereas the feature is stricter, requiring a component that neither has a cast nor is consumed. \$\endgroup\$
    – vonBoomslang
    Jul 5, 2021 at 14:16
  • \$\begingroup\$ @vonBoomslang A focus cannot replace a cost-free-but-consumed material component. See here: Can a Spell Focus or Component Pouch be used with a spell that has costless consumed components? \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Jul 5, 2021 at 14:21

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