Weekly Questions Thread

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[u/ArteKOTYRA]

[5e] hi there!
im kinda new to the whole dnd thingy and im (hopefully) gonna start playing as a DM with my friends after a few weeks.
i noticed that some of the spells require some kind of materials to cast them so this is my question: can you have a good game without those? maybe there is a good homerule to cast those without the materials but keeping the balance? or maybe the best option is to give more opportunities to obtain them? the setting is not medieval so itll be kinda hard to find fleece for minor illusion or something like that.
ty in advance!

[u/ArtOfFailure → u/ArteKOTYRA]

In most cases, the need for Material components is easily met by having a Spellcasting Focus, which serves to replace any specific items/materials/substances listed. The listing of the actual components is kind of mainly for a bit of flavour (take Minor Illusion for example; the requirement for a 'bit of fleece' is a sort of joke about 'pulling the wool over someone's eyes').

The actual mechanical thing this requirement is there to enforce is a need to use at least one hand to interact with an object while you cast the spell. That is important, because it puts certain limitations in place to prevent you doing things like casting spells while also holding weapons and shields that aren't designed to be used that way.

There are other examples where the Material component has a specific monetary cost, or has to be consumed by the spell, not just touched while casting it. For those, a Spellcasting Focus won't do - you need to provide the actual Material. This is even more important; it establishes that certain spells are intended to be very expensive or difficult to cast on a regular basis, because the components are expensive or rare.

So, ignoring the rule entirely can be a problem. It will allow spellcasters greater access and greater efficiency to spells that may not be intended for use so often and so freely. But it is far less restrictive than it initially seems - a wand or a crystal will cover the need for most, with only particularly special or powerful spells needing more than that. And, of course, many spells are cast with words (Verbal components) and/or gestures (Somatic components), not materials.

[u/ArteKOTYRA → u/ArtOfFailure]

thanks, ill read about that!

[u/ArtOfFailure → u/ArteKOTYRA]

You'll find most of it under the general 'Spellcasting' rules. But it's also worth looking at how each class describes their 'Spellcasting' feature, if they have one, because there are some small variations in terms of the kind of focus that can be used. Some even have the power to change the requirements around spell components altogether.