Why does protection from evil and good consume the spell components?

[holywhippet]

The spell description says you need holy water or powdered silver and iron. Casting the spell consumes these components. I don't see why that is stated though since they aren't listed with a component price. For spells like raise dead which consume their expensive material component it makes sense to state that as casting the spell will cost you money/resources but in this case it doesn't. Holy water itself does have a cost if you buy a flask of it, but the powdered silver and iron isn't something so easy to price.

[Naanomi]

Holy water has a cost, I only charge that price for th Spell and assume the powdered whatever is negligible cost if you have a component pouch

[sophontteks]

Its thematic. You protect from evil by sprinkling holy water, or silver dust.

[Ganymede]

It seems like you're just using up a negligible amount of those components: a sprinkle of holy water and a pinch of powdered metal. That's probably why there is no price.

[da_chicken]

Unless a spell lists a specific gold piece cost for the components (e.g., Raise Dead, Stoneskin), you're assumed to have them in your spell component pouch. The specific components used by Protection From Evil and Good are entirely a narrative aid.

[BaconAwesome]

Unless a spell lists a specific gold piece cost for the components (e.g., Raise Dead, Stoneskin), you're assumed to have them in your spell component pouch. The specific components used by Protection From Evil and Good are entirely a narrative aid.

I don't think that's quite right. RAW lists two issues:

- If the spell lists a GP cost for a component then you need the specific component. (So Identify needs a 100 GP pearl, not a focus or a component pouch).

- If the spell says a component is consumed, then you must provide that component each time you cast the spell.

So Identify requires a 100 GP pearl, but it's not consumed; Protection from Evil and Good requires holy water and filings, which are consumed, and Revify required 1000 GP in gems which are consumed.

[da_chicken]

I don't think that's quite right. RAW lists two issues:

- If the spell lists a GP cost for a component then you need the specific component. (So Identify needs a 100 GP pearl, not a focus or a component pouch).

- If the spell says a component is consumed, then you must provide that component each time you cast the spell.

So Identify requires a 100 GP pearl, but it's not consumed; Protection from Evil and Good requires holy water and filings, which are consumed, and Revify required 1000 GP in gems which are consumed.

No, what it says is:


Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.

If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell.

The first paragraph says you can use a component pouch or focus instead of the material components for a spell except when a cost is listed.

All the second paragraph says is that when a spell consumes the material components, it will consume those components every time it's cast.

It makes no sense for the first paragraph to say you can use a focus or pouch if they're going to turn around and immediately say that you need to have the specified components. Essentially all spells with non-focus material components consume the components and a focus or component pouch would essentially never work with your interpretation.

[sophontteks]

It makes no sense for the first paragraph to say you can use a focus or pouch if they're going to turn around and immediately say that you need to have the specified components.
Thats exactly what the second paragraph says though. It says you need the material component every time when the spell consumes them.

I found an old clarification if it helps.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sageadvice.eu/2015/01/15/material-component-and-spellcasting-focus/amp/

[HappyDaze]

Essentially all spells with non-focus material components consume the components and a focus or component pouch would essentially never work with your interpretation.

This is where you're going astray. If it doesn't say that your wad of chewing gum is consumed, you can use the same wad of chewing gum (kept in your component pouch) every time you cast the spell. If it tells you the chewing gum is consumed, you have to have a new wad of chewing gum for every casting regardless of whether it has a listed cost or not.

[Ganymede]

Thats exactly what the second paragraph says though. It says you need the material component every time when the spell consumes them.

I found an old clarification if it helps.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sageadvice.eu/2015/01/15/material-component-and-spellcasting-focus/amp/

He kinda contadicts that here, tho. It is weird because berries are not an actual component of goodberry, but is still valuable.


https://mobile.twitter.com/o76923/status/903620381516341248

[Keravath]

Quote:

"MATERIAL (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a
spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
lf a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell."

There are five classes of spells:
1) Ones that don't need a material component
2) Ones that list a material component that is not consumed and does not list a cost
3) Ones that list a material component with a cost that is not consumed
4) Ones that list a material component with a cost that is consumed
5) Ones that list a material component without a cost that is consumed.

Case 1: Material component not needed

Case 2: Either a component pouch or a spellcasting focus can be used to cast the spell.

Case 3: You need to possess the specific material component to cast the spell (pay the cost once) and likely keep it in your component pouch

Case 4: You need to possess the specific material component to cast the spell and the component is consumed every time the spell is cast (pay the cost every time the spell is cast and inventory management to make sure the component is available).

Case 5: Since a cost is not listed for the component ... there is no cost for each casting ... depending on the DM. Inventory management is required since the component is consumed and you need to know how many times it can be cast before you require additional components.

In the case of protection from evil and good ... the spell requires either some holy water OR powdered silver and iron. A drop of holy water might be sufficient, which might be 1000 castings of the spell from a single vial of holy water. Similarly, obtaining some powdered iron and silver would simply require a visit to a blacksmith with a single silver piece, access to their scrap metal and borrow a file to create some powdered metal. In this case, the rules indicate that since the materials are consumed you have to provide it ... but since no cost is listed the components are needed in such small quantities that there is no effective cost for each casting of the spell.

tl;dr

To summarize - spells divide into the following material categories
1) No materials needed
2) Material needed (no cost) - can use actual material or spellcasting focus
3) Material needed (pay once)
4) Material needed (pay every time) - track number of uses available
5) Material needed (no cost) - track number of uses available