Questions tagged [spell-components]
For questions about the components that go into spells, or how they are involved in spellcasting.
8
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1answer
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Can you use two wands to cast one spell?
Basically, in the May 2019 Artificer UA (Unearthed Arcana: the Artificer Returns), the Artificer got two mutually-exclusive ways to enhance a non-magical wand to improve the spells it casts: the Wand ...
17
votes
1answer
236 views
Does the sorcerer's Subtle Spell Metamagic option allow you to ignore both Verbal and Somatic components?
This may sound like a basic question, but I'd like to be 100% sure.
In D&D 5e, Subtle Spell's description in the sorcerer class description says
When you cast a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery ...
8
votes
3answers
303 views
Does holding a wand and speaking its command word count as V/S/M spell components?
Magical wands need to be held to cast their spells.
Does holding the wand count as a material component for the wand's spell?
And if a command word needs to be used, is it considered a verbal ...
10
votes
1answer
201 views
When casting a spell using a magic item, is the casting itself visible?
Some magic items allow you to cast spells using them, even if you are normally unable to cast such spells, such as the Wand of Magic Missiles or the Helm of Telepathy.
When you cast a spell with such ...
9
votes
3answers
327 views
Does War Caster allow you to cast the Shield spell with a rod in one hand and a wand in the other?
By default, you must have a completely free hand to cast a spell that has somatic components but does not have material components. That free hand may not even be holding a spellcasting focus.
A ...
20
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4answers
3k views
What's the in-universe reasoning behind sorcerers needing material components?
Sorcerers are "spontaneous" spell casters. They don't "learn spells" the way a wizard does; their spells aren't granted by a powerful extraplanar entity the way a cleric's, paladin's, or warlock's ...
7
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5answers
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Would this custom Sorcerer variant that can only learn any verbal-component-only spell be unbalanced?
I recently started reading through the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, and it got me thinking about how the notion of the wishsong would translate into a system like D&D.
My (very) rough idea ...
0
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0answers
44 views
Can you cast Minor Illusion without being noticed? [duplicate]
The spell has a somatic and material component, can it be cast without someone knowing you are casting a spell?
8
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1answer
337 views
Do these spellcasting foci from Xanathar's Guide to Everything have to be held in a hand?
I see that, for example:
A cleric or paladin can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it ...
5
votes
3answers
221 views
Does werebat guano satisfy the material component requirement for Fireball?
In one of Wizard of the Coast's adventure modules (noted in the spoiler box below), you can meet werebats:
The fireball spell has the material component:
A tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur
Could ...
2
votes
1answer
82 views
Does False Focus replace costly focuses just as it replaces costly components?
The False Focus feat says:
By using a divine focus as part of casting, you can cast any spell with a material component costing the value of that divine focus (maximum 100 gp) or less without ...
1
vote
0answers
118 views
If a UA Artificer infuses a weapon and uses it as a spellcasting focus, can it be used for the somatic component of a spell too? [duplicate]
The new Artificer class (from Unearthed Arcana) for 5e can infuse magic into weapons or shields, and use the infused item as a spell focus for material components. However, can you wave your focus for ...
9
votes
2answers
334 views
Does Swift Quiver end early if you run out of arrows after being cast?
The 5th level ranger spell swift quiver (PHB, pp. 279-280) says (bold italics emphasis mine):
Components: V, S, M (a quiver containing at least one piece of ammunition)
You transmute your ...
3
votes
2answers
124 views
Are there any guides for what ingredients would be needed to make a magic item, spell, or how long to research the spell to make it? [closed]
I’m planning to send my players on quests to get ingredients for a very powerful shield to protect a plane. Are there any guides or recommendations for the difficulty(CR) that magic items of certain ...
18
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1answer
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Does the Resurrection spell consume material components if the target isn’t willing to be resurrected?
If my party tries to resurrect someone using the spell resurrection but the target refuses to come back to life, is the diamond (worth 1000 gold) needed to cast the spell consumed anyway?
9
votes
1answer
568 views
When are the material components for Forbiddance consumed?
The components section for forbiddance says:
V, S, M (a sprinkling of holy water, rare incense, and powdered ruby worth at least 1,000 gp)
This does not explicitly state that the spell consumes ...
1
vote
2answers
147 views
How loud or flashy are verbal and somatic spells? [duplicate]
I was trying to cast prestidigitation on a guard behind his back and my DM said that he would definitely know I did it because the verbal part of the spell would be in a loud voice. He also said that ...
6
votes
1answer
105 views
What components would be in a general cutting spell?
The spell I have in mind is extremely similar to 'diffindo' in Harry Potter. The user gestures across a path a short distance away, and as if by an invisible knife, a minor linear cut is made across ...
11
votes
1answer
767 views
What defines the “item distasteful to a target” in the components?
On the spell Banishment, a component it uses is an "item distasteful to the target." With the wording, it is rather vague on what this actually means. What defines an item distasteful to the target? ...
32
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4answers
6k views
Cleric player in Adventurer's League may have extorted us for Revivify
In an Adventurer League game, while we were starting a session, a player I didn't know until now plays a cleric. He told everyone at the table that unless they gave him 300 GP at the start of the ...
10
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2answers
332 views
Do the eyes need to be in the corpse for Gentle Repose to work?
For the spell Gentle Repose, the components of the spell say:
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of salt and one copper
piece placed on each of the corpse's eyes, which must
remain there for the ...
3
votes
2answers
214 views
Which counts as water for the material component of the Create or Destroy Water spell?
Imagine a scenario: A character doesn't have a spellcasting focus, and his party is going to die because they don't have water.
What else can be used as a component to cast the create or destroy ...
4
votes
1answer
209 views
Which components for the Simulacrum spell are consumed?
The components of the simulacrum spell read as follows
Components: V, S, M (snow or ice in quantities sufficient to made a life-size copy of the duplicated creature; some hair, fingernail clippings,...
8
votes
1answer
407 views
Can a focus replace a material component if it doesn't state a value in the component list?
There are times where a component has an intrinsic value, but the value isn't listed in the component requirement. In these cases, can you use a focus?
Some Examples:
Healing Elixir from Unearthed ...
8
votes
3answers
625 views
Can a Spell Focus or Component Pouch be used with a spell that has costless consumed components?
Spellcasters do not always need to provide the literal materials when casting spells with costless components, that's what pouches and foci are for.
A character can use a component pouch or a ...
4
votes
1answer
507 views
Do I need to be proficient with Alchemy Supplies to cast Healing Elixir?
Healing Elixir is a new spell from Unearthed Arcana Starter spells for my character (fighter 4 warlock 2)
I am concerned because Alchemy Supplies is listed under the material components for the spell....
1
vote
2answers
254 views
Spellcasting with focus and shield [duplicate]
Warlock with Wand +1 and shield (hexblade, he has proficiency in shields)
A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components—or to hold a spellcasting focus—but it can be ...
6
votes
2answers
313 views
Does a twinned spell with an XP component cost twice as much XP as the normal spell?
If I cast a spell with an XP component using the metamagic feat Twin Spell (CAr pg. 84), will I have to pay the XP component twice as if I had cast the spell twice? Or is the XP cost unchanged?
15
votes
2answers
5k views
Is Protection from Evil and Good supposed to be that pricey?
Protection from Evil and Good has a material component of
holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes
So, to make use of this spell we have to spend holy water (or powdered ...
11
votes
2answers
960 views
Are material components with unique attributes unable to be replaced with a component pouch or spellcasting focus?
Banishment requires a specific material component:
an item distasteful to the target
So does summon greater demon (XGtE, p. 166):
a vial of blood from a humanoid killed within the past 24 hours
...
6
votes
1answer
309 views
What issues could occur if I allow a Bard to use their instrument to fulfill verbal components? [closed]
One of my players messaged me about a new character they were creating, and they proposed the concept of a mute bard. Long story short, they wanted to RP a cursed character, and I was really intrigued ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
Can a Pearl of Power be used to cast Identify?
My group recently located a Pearl of Power on their adventures.
The campaign setting is not always a place where spell components are easy to come by. As a consequence, the players have asked me if ...
21
votes
5answers
5k views
Can you cast spells with verbal components if you have no tongue?
A situation occurred where a cheeky Bard spoke afoul one too many times in the presence of some seriously bad hombres, and as a result, he got half his tongue cut out.
Now I'm not familiar with how ...
16
votes
4answers
7k views
Can a forge cleric use Artisan's Blessing to make diamond rings?
Our forge cleric wanted to manufacture diamond rings and use the diamonds later for raise dead and similar spells.
Artisan's Blessing states that the end product must include some kind of metal. The ...
3
votes
2answers
478 views
Can I cast spells with material components while wielding a two-handed weapon without the Improved Pact Weapon invocation?
I plan on creating a Hexblade warlock. I want to use a two-handed weapon by level 3 and until then a longsword. I won't use a shield. So if I cast a spell without any material components, I won't have ...
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3answers
601 views
RAW, can Mordekainen's Magnificent Mansion create components for activities/spells?
Suppose I wanted to repair a simulacrum.
Am I able to cast magnificent mansion and furnish it such that the materials required to repair the simulacrum are inside the mansion, thus circumventing the ...
-3
votes
3answers
493 views
If a spell has verbal and/or somatic components, are they necessary for its casting?
If a spell has verbal and/or somatic components, are they absolutely vital for its casting?
Let me give a clear example: suppose a wizard is trying to cast Detect Magic on a creature they are ...
8
votes
2answers
306 views
Can Drawmij’s Instant Summons and Magic Jar both be used with one sapphire?
Let’s say my character wants to use magic jar for an assassination. He possesses the best friend of the target, brings in his own catatonic body, and acts like he just passed through and saw him ...
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votes
3answers
388 views
How to cast wizard spells with verbal components in a vacuum?
The only real solution to surviving the hard vacuum of space for four years is being polymorphed into a lich-like form. I've worked out the entire rest of the sequence for star travel but it depends ...
1
vote
1answer
178 views
Is a custom spell that requires touching an object somatic/material based? [closed]
Is a custom spell I would create that reinforces the structure of an object considered as a somatic or material one? I want to recreate Shirou "trace on" spell from the Fate Unlimited Blade Works ...
10
votes
2answers
892 views
RAW, can innate spellcaster dragons cast spells with somatic components?
The rules on dragons as innate spellcasters state (MM, p. 86):
Dragons are innately magical creatures that can master a few spells as they age, using this variant.
A young or older dragon can ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Can a lizardfolk using Cunning Artisan build a club I can cast Shillelagh on?
One of the racial features of lizardfolk is the Cunning Artisan trait (Volo's Guide to Monsters, p. 113), which states:
As part of a short rest, you can harvest bone and hide from a slain beast, ...
14
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2answers
2k views
Does a non-spellcasting Drow PC need material components to cast Dancing Lights?
A Drow's Drow Magic racial trait means that they know the Dancing Lights cantrip at level one, regardless of class. Dancing Lights requires a material component: a bit of phosphorus or wychwood, or a ...
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2answers
2k views
If a bard uses a musical instrument as their spellcasting focus, can they add their proficiency bonus to an ability check made as part of a spell?
The following things are true:
Bards are allowed to use their musical instruments as spell focuses.
Proficiency with a musical instrument allows you to add your proficiency bonus to ability checks ...
5
votes
1answer
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How much does it cost to cast Raise Dead on a Zealot Barbarian in Adventure's League?
Based off of the question, How much should NPCs charge for spells cast as services to PCs?, the cost of spells from NPCs follows the formula:
Spell Service Cost = Square of the spell level, then ...
11
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4answers
1k views
Can you use a resurrected creature's blood as the material component for the Summon Lesser Demons spell?
The material component of the summon lesser demons spell is
a vial of blood from a humanoid killed within the past 24 hours
If a creature is killed and brought back to life, could their blood (if ...
20
votes
3answers
1k views
What exactly is ignored in the “requirements” of a spell when Wishing for it?
One of the uses of the wish spell is to emulate any spell of 8th level or lower "without meeting any requirements" of that spell. It is already clear from wish's description that costly material ...
8
votes
1answer
589 views
Does using a Spell Scroll always include a verbal component?
I've been told that, when you use a Spell Scroll, there's always a de facto verbal component involved, as you have to read the scroll's contents out loud. That would mean that a Sorcerer using a ...
3
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1answer
1k views
Can I use Creation to create a diamond for a material component?
I was making a wizard, and I need a diamond, or diamond dust. Am I able to use creation to create a giant chunk of rock and then use that chunk to make a (probably rough) diamond? I know I don't have ...
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votes
2answers
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Wizard Scrying Spell Components - Do you need both a pool of water and a mirror, or just one?
Scrying says:
Components V, S, M/DF (a pool of water), F (a silver mirror worth 1,000 gp)
The Magic rules say that:
If the Components line includes F/DF or M/DF, the arcane version of the ...
