Silly Spell Components

[Catullus64]

So many of the material components for spells are either puns or silly referential jokes. Here's all the ones I can spot in the PHB spells. (I'm not counting ones that are merely symbolic of the spell itself, like the grasshopper leg for Jump, or items that are just traditionally associated with magic, like Eye of Newt for Hex or a crystal ball for Scrying. The item has to have a hidden or idiomatic relation to the thing that I find funny.)

Aid: A strip of white cloth. A Band-AID
Animal Friendship: A morsel of food, implying all you are doing is bribing the animal. Ditto for Animal Messenger.
Color Spray: Are you just throwing colored sand in someone's eyes?
Confusion: Three nut shells. A "shell game" as a term for any attempted bamboozle.
Darkvision: Dried carrot (carrots help improve your vision, according to folk tradition).
Detect Thoughts: A copper piece. (Penny for your thoughts?)
False Life: Alcohol or spirit (liquid courage?)
Fear: A white feather (used to be given to draft-dodgers and men who wouldn't volunteer for the army, as a mark of shame for their cowardice) or the heart of a hen (self-evident).
Feeblemind: A handful of crystal, glass, or ceramic spheres (lost your marbles.)
Gust of Wind: A legume seed (many legumes, like lentils and beans, cause flatulence).
Insect Plague: Sugar. Possible reference to the saying "You'll draw more flies with sugar than with vinegar."
Levitate: Leather loop or golden wire, possibly a joke reference to stage wires.
Major Image, and various other Illusion spells that come after it alphabetically: Fleece (To "fleece" or to "pull the wool over one's eyes" both mean to deceive.)
Passwall: Sesame Seeds (Open Sesame!)
Sending: Copper Wire (To me, this seems like a joke reference to telephones made from wire and cans.)
Slow: Molasses ("Slow as molasses", though this is on the boundary of being mere symbolism.)
Sunbeam: Magnifying glass, favored tool of sadistic ten-year-olds.
Tasha's Hideous Laughter: Tiny Tarts and a feather (Comedy implements).
Tongues: A clay model of a ziggurat (probably a reference to the Tower of Babel).

There are some others that are weird enough that I figure there has to be a joke reference there, but can't spot it. Particularly the powdered corn extract and a twisted loop of parchment for Rope Trick, and the two halves of eggshells from different creatures for Rary's Telepathic Bond.

If anyone knows of any more, either from older editions or other 5e sources, or just thinks I missed one from the PHB, leave a reply!

[Zaile]

There is always fireball (bat poop and sulfur) perhaps a reference to "eat crap and die!" or just what you say when you see it coming.

[Tanarii]

There is always fireball (bat poop and sulfur) perhaps a reference to "eat crap and die!" or just what you say when you see it coming.
Saltpeter and Sulphur are two ingredients in black powder.

[JoeJ]

There is always fireball (bat poop and sulfur) perhaps a reference to "eat crap and die!" or just what you say when you see it coming.

Guano was historically a significant source of potassium nitrate which, mixed with sulfer and charcoal, was used to make explosives.

[Rule-Of-Three]

How many editions back does this wordplay run? I've been playing since '87, and this is the first time I'm seeing the connection between components and spell function.

Has it been this way for decades and we, I, didn't notice?

[Tanarii]

How many editions back does this wordplay run? I've been playing since '87, and this is the first time I'm seeing the connection between components and spell function.

Has it been this way for decades and we, I, didn't notice?
All of them. So yes.

[WaroftheCrans]

Insect Plague: Sugar. Possible reference to the saying "You'll draw more flies with sugar than with vinegar."

I've always known the expression "You attract more flies with *honey* than with vinegar," which leads to Antipathy/Sympathy, which has either Honey Or vinegar depending on which effect you choose.

Dragon's breath is a hot pepper, which seems pretty silly.

And to clarify, this thread is about silly/ironic/referential components, not just particularly apt ones, right? Don't want to submit something like alarm, if that's not the intent.

[JoeJ]

How many editions back does this wordplay run? I've been playing since '87, and this is the first time I'm seeing the connection between components and spell function.

Has it been this way for decades and we, I, didn't notice?

Blue box original D&D didn't have components for spells at all, but the wordplay and inside jokes are in 1e AD&D.

[Sigreid]

I think it's not so silly. I mean, the idea of sympathetic magic has been around forever and is the basis of lots of real world magic systems.

Note: I'm just saying people in the real world have developed magic systems. I'm not commenting on the effectiveness of any system.

[MrStabby]

So True Polymorph requires mercury - quicksilver which will flow to take a desired shape, I believe arabic gum and smoking are used as preservatives?
Mass polymorph needs a catterpiller coocoon - metamorphosis reference
Foresight: hummingbird feather ???? no idea
Madenning darkness: pitch - pitch black, mercury - possible reference to heavy metal poisoning and their mental impacts.
Antimagic field - iron filings: might be a stretch but used to show magnietic fields and science as antithetical to magic?
Horrid wilting: sponge. Reference to the spell description of drawing the water out of enemies
Whirlwind: a piece of straw. A three little pigs reference?
Reverse gravity - lodestone (magnet) and iron filings: again a field reference for telling direction?
True sight: saffron is an ingredient in some vision supliments, but seems tenuous
Tenser's transformation: bull hairs. As strong as an Ox (though no actual Str boost), put hair on your chest? All seems a little unlikely
Mass suggestion: snake tongue - I wont touch this as a real world religious reference. Honeycomb - honeytonged meaning persuasive
Guards and wards: burning incense, a small measure of brimstone and oil, a knotted string, a small amount of umber hulk blood, and a small silver rod worth at least 10 gp - got me stumped
Flesh to stone: a pinch of lime, water, and earth - no idea
Disintegrate: a lodestone and a pinch of dust - again no clue
Chain lightning: a bit of fur; a piece of amber, glass or a crystal rod; and three silver pins - all tools for making static electricity or detecting it.
Negative energy flood: a broken bone and a square of black silk - not getting this one
Maelstrom: paper or leaf in the shape of a funnel - fluid pssed though a funnel will tend to form a whirlpool
Legend Lore: incense worth at least 250 gp, which the spell consumes, and four ivory strips worth at least 50 gp each - incence is generic but an Elephant Never Forgets
Infernal calling: a ruby worth at least 999 gp, possibly a reference to the 9 hells
Dream: a handful of sand, a dab of ink, and a writing quill plucked from a sleeping bird - thereis something here I must be missing
Bigby'shand: an eggshell and a snakeskin glove - an egshell representing something tobe protected by interposing hand?
Polymorph: a caterpillar cocoon - another metamorphosis reference
Mordenkeinen's private sanctum: a thin sheet of lead, a piece of opaque glass, a wad of cotton or cloth, and powdered chrysolite - this has been puzzling mefor a while
Mordenkeinen's faithful hound: a tiny silver whistle, a piece of bone, and a thread - dog whistle, bribe and lead
Freedom of movement: leather straps? A puzzle.
Arcane eye: a bit of bat fur - why? darkvision? why fur?
Water walk: a piece of cork - traditional material for making floats from
Water breathing: a short reed or piece of straw - you can liein water submerged and breath through a straw to the surface
Stinking cloud: a rotten egg or several skunk cabbage leaves - sulphur rich foodstuffs that releasefoul odors when decaying
Melf'sminute meteors - niter, sulfur, and pine tar formed into a bead - explosvies
Lightning bolt: a bit of fur and a rod of amber, crystal, or glass, more ways of getting static electricity
Hypnotic pattern: a glowing stick of incense or a crystal vial filled with phosphorescent material - sparklers or concert/rave glowsticks
Haste: a shaving of licorice root - hmm,not seeing it yet. might try using google later
Erumpting earth: a piece of obsidian - volcanic rock
Catnap: a pinch of sand - cat litter?
Spider climb: a drop of bitumen and a spider - bitumen is really sticky
Rope trick: powdered corn extract and a twisted loop of parchment - cornflour is basically starch used to make things stiff,like a fakir's rope.
Pass without trace: ashes from a burned leaf of mistletoe and a sprig of spruce - sure there is a reference here I am missing
Melf's acid arrow: powdered rhubarb leaf and an adder’s stomach - possibly a referencetooxalyc acid in rhubarb leaves
Magic Mouth: a small bit of honeycomb and jade dust worth at least 10 gp, which the spell consumes - don' know
Locate animals or plants: a bit of fur from a bloodhound - bloodhounds hunting dogs to sniff out animals
Locate object: a forked twig - describes a divining rod
Flame Blade: leaf of sumac - I don't get this
Tenser's floating disk: a drop of mercury - I wonder if it is a reference to making very flat seets of glass floating on mercury?


OK, I think these are most of the interesting ones that no one had commented on yet (or at least since I began writing this!) Some are pretty simple. Others are probably wrong...

[WaroftheCrans]

So True Polymorph requires mercury - quicksilver which will flow to take a desired shape, I believe arabic gum and smoking are used as preservatives?
Arabic gum is actually a glue/binding ingredient, which made invisibility signify an eye being glued shut (eyelash + arabic gum)


Foresight: hummingbird feather ???? no idea

I feel like I should know this one, when I went over the list briefly it gave me pause.


Whirlwind: a piece of straw. A three little pigs reference?

Nice one! that does seem like the reference.



Mass suggestion: snake tongue - I wont touch this as a real world religious reference. Honeycomb - honeytonged meaning persuasive
Outside of those references, it is a phrase/idiom. Snakes tongue can be referring to a snake charmer, or a particularly persuasive and deceptive person.


Flesh to stone: a pinch of lime, water, and earth - no idea This one made me think of calcification, it's probably a reference to that.


Dream: a handful of sand, a dab of ink, and a writing quill plucked from a sleeping bird - thereis something here I must be missing
Catnap: a pinch of sand ?
Most of the sleep based spells (including Sleep) have sand, which I thought might be a reference to the sandman.

I noticed as well that there were lots of spells with iron filings, bat's fur, and mistletoe

[MrStabby]

Arabic gum is actually a glue/binding ingredient, which made invisibility signify an eye being glued shut (eyelash + arabic gum)

I feel like I should know this one, when I went over the list briefly it gave me pause.

Nice one! that does seem like the reference.

Outside of those references, it is a phrase/idiom. Snakes tongue can be referring to a snake charmer, or a particularly persuasive and deceptive person.
This one made me think of calcification, it's probably a reference to that.

Most of the sleep based spells (including Sleep) have sand, which I thought might be a reference to the sandman.

I noticed as well that there were lots of spells with iron filings, bat's fur, and mistletoe

So mistletoe I had thought of as a generic druid flavour. Same as incence or holy water for divine or some gem as a generic costly component.

[Tanarii]

Flesh to stone: a pinch of lime, water, and earth - no idea

Some kind of concrete right?

Edit: yeah, Roman mortar. The earth was volcanic ash though.

[Falconcry]

Gentle Repose “two copper coins bound over the eyes” to bribe the ferryman of the river Styx.

[JoeJ]

Whirlwind: a piece of straw. A three little pigs reference?

Either that or the common (and probably false) idea of a tornado being able to drive a straw through a tree.

[MrStabby]

Some kind of concrete right?

Edit: yeah, Roman mortar. The earth was volcanic ash though.

Ah! That type of lime! Yes. Makes more sense. I was reading it as the fruit and getting nowhere.

[J.C.]

I think you have found evidence for Easter Egging in early D&D design.

[Hal]

Most of the sleep based spells (including Sleep) have sand, which I thought might be a reference to the sandman.


Yeah, Sleep has the sand (Mr. Sandman), rose petals (a classic sleep aid), or crickets (a soothing night time sound.)

[Snail_On_Speed]

A personal favorite is See Invisibility, which has a pinch of talc and a small sprinkling of powdered silver as components. You're just throwing powder around you and seeing what it lands on.

[Cicciograna]

snip

I have some ideas for a couple of these, although YMMV and some seem stretchy.



Infernal calling: a ruby worth at least 999 gp, possibly a reference to the 9 hells

999 is also 666 upside down.



Freedom of movement: leather straps? A puzzle.

I feel that here the spell component stigmatizes the effect of the spell itself: the leather strap would normally bind, but it doesn't.



Haste: a shaving of licorice root - hmm,not seeing it yet. might try using google later

Licorice increases blood pressure and heartbeat, so it might point to effects of moving faster than normal.

[Doug Lampert]

How many editions back does this wordplay run? I've been playing since '87, and this is the first time I'm seeing the connection between components and spell function.

Has it been this way for decades and we, I, didn't notice?

It was in the original game back in 1974. It predates basic and AD&D.

[KorvinStarmast]

It was in the original game back in 1974. It predates basic and AD&D. Doug, the "material componenst" wasn't in the three little books. We just cast the spells. EGG Explained the system in a 1976 strategic review article. Components went On Line in the PHB for the AD&D1e in 1978. (There had been some Dragon Mag articles on that IIRC, but my old collection is severly depleted, or lost).

The bat guano for fireball was first published in that PHB. Here is what Men and Magic (Page 35, 1974) had to say about fire ball and lightning bolt:


Fire Ball: A missile which springs from the finger of the Magic-User. It explodes with a burst radius of 2" (slightly larger than specified in CHAINMAIL). In a confined space the Fire Ball will generally conform to the shape of the space (elongate or whatever). The damage caused by the missile will be in proportion to the level of its user. A 6th level Magic-User throws a 6-die missile, a 7th a 7-die missile, and so on. (Note that Fire Balls from Scrolls (see Volume II) and Wand are 6-die missiles and those from Staves are 8-die missiles. Duration: 1 turn. Range: 24"
{My note: 1" = 10 feet underground and 10 yards above ground}

Lightning Bolt: Utterance of this spell generates a lightning bolt 6" long and up to 3/4" wide. If the space is not long enough to allow its full extension, the missile will double back to attain 6", possibly striking its creator. It is otherwise similar to a Fire Ball, but as stated in CHAINMAIL the head of the missile may never extend beyond the 24" range.

Gygax mentioned the material components - though verbal components were the heart of the system - in this article in The Dungeons and Dragons Magic System {extract}(Strategic Review, April 1976, p. 3-4). Sadly, this explanation wasn't in any of the game books.
Because there are many legendary and authored systems of magic, many questions about the system of magic used in D&D are continually raised. Magic in CHAINMAIL was fairly brief ... limited to the concept of table top miniatures battles ... a somewhat different concept of magic had to be devised to employ with the D&D campaign in order to make it all work.

The four cardinal types of magic are


those systems which require long conjuration with much paraphernalia as an adjunct (as used by Shakespeare in MACBETH or as typically written about by Robert E. Howard in his “Conan” yarns)
the relatively short spoken spell (as in Finnish mythology or as found in the superb fantasy of Jack Vance),
ultra-powerful (if not always correct) magic (typical of deCamp & Pratt in their classic “Harold Shea” stories),
the generally weak and relatively ineffectual magic (as found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work).


The basic assumption, then, was that D & D magic worked on a “Vancian” system and if used correctly would be a highly powerful and effective force. There are also four basic parts to magic:


The verbal or uttered spell
the somatic or physical movement required for the conjuration
the psychic or mental attitude necessary to cast the spell
the material adjuncts by which the spell, can be completed (to cite an obvious example, water to raise a water elemental).


It was assumed that the D & D spell would be primarily verbal, although in some instances the spell would require some somatic component also (a fire ball being an outstanding example). The psychic per se would play little part in the basic magic system, but a corollary, mnemonics, would. The least part of magic would be the material aids required ... Emphasis is mine. When material components first came out, we got into it as players and as DMs. In some cases it could result in a side quest just to get the bat guano from a cave, which means "monsters in the cave that aren't bats" and such ...

[Doug Lampert]

Doug, the "material componenst" wasn't in the three little books. We just cast the spells. EGG Explained the system in a 1976 strategic review article. Components went On Line in the PHB for the AD&D1e in 1978. (There had been some Dragon Mag articles on that IIRC, but my old collection is severly depleted, or lost).

The bat guano for fireball was first published in that PHB. Here is what Men and Magic (Page 35, 1974) had to say about fire ball and lightning bolt:

Fire Ball: A missile which springs from the finger of the Magic-User. It explodes with a burst radius of 2" (slightly larger than specified in CHAINMAIL). In a confined space the Fire Ball will generally conform to the shape of the space (elongate or whatever). The damage caused by the missile will be in proportion to the level of its user. A 6th level Magic-User throws a 6-die missile, a 7th a 7-die missile, and so on. (Note that Fire Balls from Scrolls (see Volume II) and Wand are 6-die missiles and those from Staves are 8-die missiles. Duration: 1 turn. Range: 24"
{My note: 1" = 10 feet underground and 10 yards above ground}

Lightning Bolt: Utterance of this spell generates a lightning bolt 6" long and up to 3/4" wide. If the space is not long enough to allow its full extension, the missile will double back to attain 6", possibly striking its creator. It is otherwise similar to a Fire Ball, but as stated in CHAINMAIL the head of the missile may never extend beyond the 24" range.

I'll accept your word. I remember them, but that could be the Strategic Review article, our main GM had lots of supplementary material he used.

[KorvinStarmast]

I'll accept your word. I remember them, but that could be the Strategic Review article, our main GM had lots of supplementary material he used. Oh, for sure, there was "pre published" add on to OD&D at every table. And there was stuff from SR and at tables where someone had that. But if you weren't in the mid west, or weren't aware of SR (or your game shop didn't have it) you'd never know about the magic system. I never learned about that facet of it until I was in college. Nor did I know about the Ranger until then ...

I am sure that at the very least Gary had spell components in play in his campaign long before PHB to the AD&D was published, and likewise many others. But it wasn't in what "was in the box" when you bought the game.