Are Material Components a Big deal High Level Play?

[silverwolfer]

Are Material components a big deal in high level play and gaming, or would a feat like

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ignore_Material_Components


be useless?

[mattie_p]

Do you want to be able to cast true resurrection or the like without gemstones?

Personally, I don't think it is worth it, so many more useful feats in epic play. Like Improved Spell Capacity (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedSpellCapacity).

Also, D&Dwiki is notorious for homebrew (often incorrectly or misleadingly labeled), while you linked an actual SRD feat, please consider using d20srd.org (http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm), which is generally considered superior in all respects. It also has that feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#ignoreMaterialComponents).

[AuraTwilight]

I don't even bother with material components unless it's stuff like diamonds for resurrection spells and the like.

And yea, D&D Wiki is awful.

[ericgrau]

Whoa. Wonder how I didn't notice that feat before. Ya it's a big deal. Free forcecages. Free true ressurections. Spam an absurd number of instant summons spells until all of the party's gear is retrievable (as long as you snatch it before it gets looted or after it is put down for a moment). Daily all day extended stoneskin for everyone. Ya you can do crazy things with that feat if you try.

The convenient thing is that every spell with an expensive material component has an M next to it on any spell list (whether Player's Handbook or elsewhere), so you can quickly build around the feat with little effort. <Looks at high level spell lists, comes back.> Oh dear lord you can spam the symbol spells.

In nonepic I'd say it was broken but epic has about 40 other things like it.

[mattie_p]

ericgrau, I hear you with the rez's and everything else, but ...


Prerequisites
Eschew Materials, Spellcraft 25 ranks, ability to cast 9th-level arcane or divine spells.

Minimum level 22. If you are an epic caster and can't break WBL by level 22, you aren't trying hard enough.

[Namfuak]

I'd argue it's a pretty worthless feat. I can already cast spells with no material components at first level, no need to take a feat for it at 22nd.

[toapat]

I'd argue it's a pretty worthless feat. I can already cast spells with no material components at first level, no need to take a feat for it at 22nd.

Do you want to be spending cash on a +11 item every time it calls for an artifact?

Yes, RAW you have to spend that kind of cash on ice assassin. Artifacts are not, in fact, free

[Lord Il Palazzo]

I'd argue it's a pretty worthless feat. I can already cast spells with no material components at first level, no need to take a feat for it at 22nd.If you're talking about Eschew Material Components, there's a big difference between not needing a little bit of bat guano and sulfer and not needing a diamond worth 25,000 GP (especially if your DM won't let you just pile up a big stack of gold and declare that you buy a huge diamond that wouldn't be nearly that easy to find.)

[Hirax]

Assuming it's a scenario where WBL isn't allowed to be broken, I love ignore material components because it lets me cast instant summons (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/instantSummons.htm) on all my possessions.

[Ravens_cry]

ericgrau, I hear you with the rez's and everything else, but ...



Minimum level 22. If you are an epic caster and can't break WBL by level 22, you aren't trying hard enough.
I think there is a few ways to get extra ranks above and beyond the normal limit.

[toapat]

I think there is a few ways to get extra ranks above and beyond the normal limit.

not that count for feats, as far as i know

[Namfuak]

You may cast spells without any material components. This feat does not affect the need for a focus or divine focus.


Examples of spells without material components: Cure Light Wounds, Bear's Endurance

Examples of spells with material components: Wish, Ice Assassin

The feat allows me to cast the former. If the feat said "You may cast spells which normally require material components without the normal material components," it would do as it is supposed to.

[Ravens_cry]

not that count for feats, as far as i know
If something simply gives you an extra rank, period, why wouldn't it apply to feats?

[toapat]

If something simply gives you an extra rank, period, why wouldn't it apply to feats?

the only skill ranks trick ive heard of would reset at level up, and in the heirarchy for level up, you pick skill ranks after feats, which you pick after levels.

[Rubik]

Examples of spells without material components: Cure Light Wounds, Bear's Endurance

Examples of spells with material components: Wish, Ice Assassin

The feat allows me to cast the former. If the feat said "You may cast spells which normally require material components without the normal material components," it would do as it is supposed to.Well, if you're a sorcerer and take the feat, it should allow you to cast ANY spell without material components, regardless of list...

...right?

So take Eschew Materials and you can cast most of them. Spontaneously.

[Alleran]

Examples of spells without material components: Cure Light Wounds, Bear's Endurance

Examples of spells with material components: Wish, Ice Assassin
Actually, Wish doesn't have a material component unless the component would cost more than 10000gp (if it does, you have to provide it, but if it doesn't, you're free to ignore material components entirely for Wish). It has a required XP component, and those are significantly harder to get around:

- Turn the spell into a SLA that isn't the Archmage High Arcana ability
- Summon a creature that has Wish as a SLA
- Be a Phaerimm
- Use Dweomerkeeper's Supernatural Spell
- Sacrifice the souls of innocents as per BoVD
- Go full Pun-Pun and abuse Manipulate Form

I'm not sure of any other ways to get around it unless the GM allows for XP/GP changeovers. Which isn't to say that they don't exist, mind you, just that I don't know them offhand.


not that count for feats, as far as i know
There's a two-feat chain in Cityscape that allows you to get an extra rank above the level+3 maximum (so if you picked Spellcraft, you could have level+4 as your maximum ranks). Or you can be an Illithid Savant and chow down on brain-food. Literally.