House-rule / Home-brew on Spell Components

[Cliff Sedge]

IMPORTANT:
If the reply you come up with is along the lines of "don't," "un-fun," "un-fair," "not RAW," "not RAI," etc. it will be ignored. Go away; this thread is not for you. I am only interested in discussion about how to do the thing I am asking advice for.
(Seriously, the amount of BS I see on this forum when someone asks for advice is maddening.)

I'm starting a new campaign - have started, really, but only session-zero / level-zero / tutorial encounters so far - that is mostly based on d20-3.x SRD. I have been a GM for D&D 2nd and now 3rd ed. for a long time and I have added a lot of house-rules and homebrew content to those systems.

By default, I am rules as written until I find a rule I don't like, then I change it.

The rule change I want to make regards the spell component pouch (SCP). I make rules changes mostly for game balance, game flavor/theme, or for more or less realism.

(I feel I have to say all of the above because I really want to avoid the unhelpful waste of time replies of "don't do that, because XYZ." - I don't care about your opinion about how this would affect YOUR game. This 100% only affects the players at MY table. If you don't like it, you're not invited to play with us anyway.)


Okay, I want to add a little realism and game balance to the use of material spell components. I am not interested in detailed tracking of individual spell components. I did that in 2e and loved it actually, but I am basing this campaign mostly on 3.5e rules. I am fine with the intended use of the SCP. My issue is primarily the reconciliation of the item's 5-gp cost and 2-lb weight with the idea that it contains an infinite amount of everything.

The SCP is not a magical bag of holding. It is a specially-designed mundane pack of things-and-stuff that presumably comes full of an assortment of objects that altogether weighs only 2 pounds. I did the math, and it turns out that an infinite quantity of stuff would weigh more than 2 pounds.

So, how much is in there? Enough to cast 10 spells? 10 of each spell in your spellbook? 50 spells total?

For spellcasters of high-enough level to be able to cast more than 10 spells during a quest, the 5-gp cost to replace a SCP is not a punishing restriction. Having to replace or refill a SCP once in a while is, I think, a realistic strategic choice.

Another question is what about different categories of SCP for different levels of spells? Is it realistic that the 5-gp pouch a level-one wizard gets also contains all the weird doodads for level 7, 8, 9 spells? - Maybe the basic pouch covers spell levels 1-3, a more-expensive and heavier one for spells of level 4-6, etc?

[Note: I have already searched the site and read through at least three threads about SCPs. They were all at least a couple years old, so I did not want to resurrect them. I did not find most of the comments in those helpful, so you don't need to refer me to them or repeat the irrelevant replies that filled them.

I apologize for my grumpy attitude when all I want to do is ask a simple question, but the modern state of D&D really irritates me.]

[Khedrac]

I like this idea. I agree that the 3.5 handling of spell components is a fudge - a mix of AD&D's need for them and the ease of play of not needing them.

My first thought was to compare it to the various skill-user's kits, but they are very expensive at 50gp for 10 uses (or thereabouts) but they provide a +2 bonus to a skill.

Also, technically they provide the foci needed to cast spells which are not used up. This results is left-over bits being present once the components are exhausted which should have a value, so if you go this route I suggest making spell foci pouches separate items. (Possibly halve the weight and cost at this point, the foci then are one half and are a one-off purchase, the components the other and a repeat purchase.)

I also like your idea of breaking them up by level, say 0-3, 4-6 and 7-9 - I think 1 level at a time is too many pouches, especially at low level, but it might work to do something like 0-3, 4-6, 7-8 and 9.
That said see below.

You also need to prepare for a player asking "can I take out the bits for the spells I don't use and then combine pouches to save weight?"

The question on how long they should last is difficult, but it really comes down to how easy they are to replace. If your party is liable to be spending a couple of weeks away from anywhere they can restock then they shouldn't be running out unless every day is spent casting all spells!
Anything you do will come down to a mechanical representation unless you actually track individual components, so here's a suggestion:
Each pouch provides the bits necessary to cast 100 levels of spells that use components. Level 0 spells don't reduce the capacity, but they cannot be cast once the bag runs out unless they don't use components.
I also like the idea that higher level spells need more (or more complex) components than low level ones.

Now if PCs can replace/refill in a small village I would think 100 about right, if they need a town then 1000 might be better. This isn't supposed to be particularly rare stuff (in the main), and it should be readily available.

There - some thoughts for you to sift and keep what you want.

[Crake]

The idea of the SCP is that the player is taking every opportunity to re-fill it when given the opportunity, and the 5g cost is something of an "insurance cost" so to speak. You'll maybe never go through even close to 5gp worth of SCP components through your entire adventuring career (many of the components listed are worthless, or in the realm of coppers), so you can view it as the characters having something of a "rainy day fund" for components.

As for actually having the spell component pouch not be infinitely expendable, consider the pathfinder chronicler prestige class from pathfinder has an ability called "Deep pockets" which you can draw inspiration from. Essentially the character has a limited gp fund from which they can retroactively buy anything within the price limits stipulated. You could do something similar, though simply have it be on a spell-by-spell basis, rather than a monetary basis. Give the spell component pouch a limited number of these retroactive spell components (whatever number you deem reasonable to fit within a pouch) and if you want to give players incentive to actually select specific spell components, give them 2 pre-selected spell components for each retroactive spell component they choose. Then, just have these components be restored whenever the players would have reasonable access to spell components, and then call it a day.

In all honesty though, for the added hassle, I would give players a bonus feat for choosing to engage with this system, which can be optionally used to simply pick up eschew materials to opt out entirely, just for those who don't want to use this system.

[TheStranger]

The SCP is an abstraction that covers the cost, weight, and supply of a bunch of fiddly little things. The real question here is how much of that you are comfortable abstracting and how much you would like to actually keep track of.

I would suggest that after first level, the cost is irrelevant. Much like the cost of a night at an inn, it basically boils down to, “You’re in town. Deduct 1GP from your character sheet. Even if you increase the cost for higher spell levels, it’s not going to be more than a rounding error he way WBL scales. Still, if you want to tax casters an extra GP now and then you can.

Weight is slightly less irrelevant, if only because casters tend to be frail enough for encumbrance to matter. OTOH, it takes a whole lot of pinches of bat guano to add up to a noticeable weight. And there’s no particular reason components for higher level spells would be heavier. If you want to track weight, I would suggest that each spell with a material component adds 1/10 lb. to the pouch.

It seems like your biggest issue, though, is supply - it just feels wrong that.the pouch has an infinite amount of everything. And I think this breaks down unless you track it be specific spell. Otherwise you would run out of components for spell X by casting spell Y a lot, which is just as silly as never running out at all. Also, that encourages players to get creative with their prepared spells if they start to run low on components for a favorite.

So what I would do is say that the pouch holds enough to cast any given spell 10 times (or 5 if you really want to be ratchet it down). If the player wants to be able to spam a spell, they can add more of that component for an additional 1/10 lb. and nominal cost. If the players know they’re prepping for an extended expedition, they can bring extra components.

What I would not do is require players to track it constantly and tell you every time they replenish. Just assume that, much like the fighter sharpening his sword, the wizard keeps his spell components topped off whenever he’s in town. I’d just bring it up when the party rests somewhere they can’t resupply. That’s when you say, “How many fireballs did you cast today? Start keeping track until you’re back in town.”

Tl;dr: Each spell known with a material component adds 1/10 lb. to your component pouch (in this case I’d use 1/2 lb. for the empty pouch). That’s enough to cast any given spell 10 times. Casters are assumed to stay topped off when they can though. Cost is nominal.

[Xervous]

And this is why I love lifestyle costs. Write it in as a single line addition, sum the total and pay the monthly bill to guarantee* this and that without needing to track day to day expenses.

[Fizban]

The SCP is not a magical bag of holding. It is a specially-designed mundane pack of things-and-stuff that presumably comes full of an assortment of objects that altogether weighs only 2 pounds. I did the math, and it turns out that an infinite quantity of stuff would weigh more than 2 pounds.

So, how much is in there? Enough to cast 10 spells? 10 of each spell in your spellbook? 50 spells total?

First ask oneself: how is it even stored and organized in there? Since the components are arbitrary fluff their weights vary wildly- but the requirement of organized storage can be used to determine a minimum.

The pouch weighs 2lbs. An empty belt pouch weighs 1/2lb. There is 1.5lbs of stuff in there, or 24 ounces- a nice round number, though 24 slots in a small pouch seems implausible, but maybe 6x4 or 8x3 and the pouch is less a pouch and more a rack with a covering flap. A vial holds 1 ounce and itself weighs 1.6 ounces (1/10 lb, probably better to drop to 1 ounce) but they actually cost 1gp each, so there's no vials in a 5gp pouch. That 5gp cost is compared to a 1gp cost for a normal belt pouch, while supposedly the cost for most spell components is so small it's not even tracked.

Some games use a system where when you run out of ammo by failing a die roll when you've gone past a certain point.

Thus I propose:

A Spell Component Pouch is well crafted swatch of leather with two dozen leather slots, each capable of holding approximately one ounce, with a covering flap and fastener. Each slot is typically filled with the components and/or focii for one casting of one spell its owner has prepared. However, the nature of some components mean that there can be some overlap and over-stuffing, and many spells simply lack such components, so the amount of components stored is considered sufficient for any spell the owner has prepared until they've cast at least a dozen different spells that use material components. Spellcasters who expect to cast that many spells without a chance to stop and reload their components, simply buy a second pouch.

The pouch itself costs 5gp (or 4+1 to fill), though most traveling casters will also carry a similarly organized box full of spare components (anyone got a price on a jewelry box?) The price of most components is negligible but for convenience many shops stock common components if they have spellcasting patrons, charging maybe 1gp (or whatever) for a pouchfull.

Stored components are rated the same as in a pouch- the caster knows that spells they favor and packs accordingly so their reserve stock is accurate until it is at least half empty, however much they bring, refilling their active pouch as appropriate. Beyond this point the DM may or may not impose a 50% or higher chance that a given spell has run out, depending how far off-plan the adventure has gone.

Naturally for those most critical components, the truly prepared will keep a few final uses separate just in case. A caster can have as many "holdout" components as they wish to specifically list and keep track of.

Another question is what about different categories of SCP for different levels of spells? Is it realistic that the 5-gp pouch a level-one wizard gets also contains all the weird doodads for level 7, 8, 9 spells? - Maybe the basic pouch covers spell levels 1-3, a more-expensive and heavier one for spells of level 4-6, etc?

Your pouch contains only components for spells you have prepared. Your storage box may contain components for any spell you have access to, and 2 (maybe 4) spells up to 1 level above those you can cast, such that if you level up and get a new level of spells in a dungeon, you can have those components.

[Silly Name]

I think that rather than heavier, more expensive pouches depending on spell level, it may be more fun to have multiple pouches classified by magic school. They all cost and weigh the same, but you need to have dedicated pouches for Enchantment spells and Necromancy spells and so on.

I would also agree on putting down the refilling of pouches as lifestyle expenditures - it's probably easier to assume that Wizards will replenish when in town, and try to gather other components. Depending on the tone of a campaign, you may also want to make casters keep a closer track of their components, especially if they're in a situation where restocking isn't feasible, but at that point you're probably skewing more towards a Survival campaign where you also keep note on food rations and torches and rope.

However, I have a comment regarding weight - why do we assume casters keep all their components in the pouch? is there some divine law written in stone which states that only things coming out of a pouch can count as spell components? Does a fanny pack count?

Of course not! The reasons wizards wear big flowing robes and large capes is because that is where they keep their components, inside of hidden pockets and sewn-pouches - heck, I'm sure some of them use those dumb conical hats!

I think getting hung on the idea of the pouch hanging by the wizard's belt is too restrictive - it's much, much easier to establish a rule along the lines of "2 pounds of non-costly spell components are enough to cast X spells, and they cost 5 gp to replenish" (I think a number around 20 would be fine, keeping it in line with arrows), and let the players decide their storage method. I'd be tempted to mix this with my initial proposal of "school pouches", but I'm not sure.

Also, if you let players loot enemies for arrows, it makes sense that the caster may then decide to loot enemy spellcasters for components, which I would definitely allow.

[Hiro Quester]

We have often played with the idea that mundane spell components are easy to resupply when buying other food and provisions.

But more obscure components might need to be acquired. You keep a list of spell components you need for the spells you know. If any are obscure you might need to explicitly find them when learning the spell.

Or when the party defeats an undead creature, the DM reminds the wizard to make a knowledge arcana check. If he passes some low DC, the Dm would remind the wizard to take some finger bones for spell components.

You learn a new spell that requires hair of a were creature as a component? The Dm might require the party to go werewolf hunting, or make a deal with a local lycanthrope to gather spare hairs from her hairbrush, to get the components to be able to cast that new spell. Write it into the story that you supply of bat guano is running low, and you will need to visit a cave soon, etc.

You don't have to track any components. But just make a point of adding the flavor of gathering needed spell components part of everyday activities.

Edit:
I leaned into spell component collecting as a caster, when playing a low CHA wizard. He caused an altercation at a funeral by thrusting a vial into a grieving widow's face to collect her tears for casting Crushing Despair, etc.

[Psyren]

So, how much is in there? Enough to cast 10 spells? 10 of each spell in your spellbook? 50 spells total?

This is difficult to answer in the abstract. The assumption is not that the bag contains infinite quantities of bits and bobs, but that the caster is replenishing it as they adventure. Assuming that this replenishment is not possible, imposing a per-pouch limit on components could be reasonable, but determining the amount could be tricky - especially if the caster, learning of this limit for a standard pouch, then requests whether the next pouch they purchase could be customized for the spells they actually cast on a routine basis. (e.g. if my bard casts lots of Suggestions but never casts Darkness, I would ask if I can put more snake tongues in my next pouch in exchange for having no pieces of coal.)

For spellcasters of high-enough level to be able to cast more than 10 spells during a quest, the 5-gp cost to replace a SCP is not a punishing restriction. Having to replace or refill a SCP once in a while is, I think, a realistic strategic choice.

It might seem like a meaningful choice until you actually make it one. The moment you do, your spellcasters are likely to simply stockpile pouches against an anticipated need - buying 10-20 spare pouches next time they're in town and dividing them between carrying a couple (1-3) on their person, while putting the rest in extraplanar storage/having another party member or companion carry them/even just leaving most of them on the party mule or cart. There is no rule that says you can only have one at a time after all.

If you respond to this by preventing stockpiling - that's when you can probably expect the party casters to begin moving towards things like Eschew Materials or simply avoiding spells that have components at all.

Another question is what about different categories of SCP for different levels of spells? Is it realistic that the 5-gp pouch a level-one wizard gets also contains all the weird doodads for level 7, 8, 9 spells? - Maybe the basic pouch covers spell levels 1-3, a more-expensive and heavier one for spells of level 4-6, etc?

Sure, this isn't an unreasonable restriction - provided you do make pouches of the appropriate levels available to those casters. Failure to do so is a soft ban on those spells, which will have the effects listed in the previous paragraph.

[zlefin]

Most listed material components would probably only require a few grams. So 50 spells per pound should suffice. The pouch is probably somewhat heavier than normal for a pouch, since it likely contains a lot of sub-folds to allow for components to be better categorized. So i'd say 50 spells per pouch is a good number.

Refilling it should cost about 4 gp, may be a bit more. Most of the cost of is just from the labor of collecting/categorizing the spell components, rather than their material worth. Cost might be higher if it's a very small village or something.

The issue with variety of items is more a question of how many different spells you know/prepare than of their levels. If you know 40 different level 1 spells, then it'd still be hard for a component pouch to realistically supply all of them. From my recollection of the typical ingredients, spell level has no correlation with how actually rare the ingredients are, and all of them without a listed cost tend to be trivial, so I wouldn't charge more "components" for higher level spells that don't list a special cost.

I'd also note that a number of components could readily be picked up in the wild with survival or appropriate knowledge checks.

From a gamist perspective, there's little point to bothering with the reality of how many 9th level spells can you cast from one; because when you cna cast 9th level spells, the answer is "my bag of holding has a hundred spare component pouches". At higher levels, the cost of routine components is so trivial compared to the amount of money being otherwise spent.

[Spellweaver]

As with any Homebrew, it does depend what your goal is.

You need to decide if you want an abstract system or a more detailed one.

And the big question is "how much do you want to limit spellcasting". Do you want it to be a near non issue? Do you want it to come up once a game? Once a game day? Come up once and encounter?

For an abstract system you might go with something like: the bag can hold 100 spell level components, with each component being equal to the spells level.

For more detail you'd want to get into how much of each spell component might be a hand full or so. A character could easily enough carry a golf ball sized ball of dirt for a spell that needed a 'pinch of dirt'. A waterskin can hold a lot of 'drops of water'.

But the real question is the effect your looking for:

"Well, my character only has 11 tiny bells, so I can only cast 11 Alarm spells..until we get to a town with a store that sells tiny bells"

"I only have two glass rods...so that is two lightning bolts and that is it....until we get to a town with a store that sells glass rods"

"Well, my character has no bat fur, so I don't cast Arcane Eye....my character just sits around"

[Nifft]

Player wealth tends to scale exponentially with level.

IMHO it's weird to ask a level 1 Wizard to pay the same cost for each level 1 spell as a level 17 Wizard would pay for a level 9 spell.

If you're getting 50 spells from your first SCP, that's 1 sp per level-1 spell.

What should a level 9 spell cost? A whole SCP? More than one of them?

Depends how you intend to run PC wealth, of course.


EDIT:

"Well, my character has no bat fur, so I don't cast Arcane Eye....my character just sits around"

You can't sit around here. This is bat country!

[aglondier]

Not wanting to delve into a first editionesque accounting of individual materials, I would go with...

A spell component pouch bought, at and for a first level mage, for 5gp sets the benchmark. Periodic (and post major event) restocking I would set a 10% x spell level, cumulative. So a 1st - 2nd level caster can restock for 5sp, a 3rd level caster for 15sp, while a 17th level caster would pay 225sp...which could be somewhat mitigated by time and actions spent collecting (or having your apprentices collect) materials personally, with an appropriate skill check equivalent to a craft check.

I think that might work, but won't be able to play test it until the next time I GM...

[JNAProductions]

Not wanting to delve into a first editionesque accounting of individual materials, I would go with...

A spell component pouch bought, at and for a first level mage, for 5gp sets the benchmark. Periodic (and post major event) restocking I would set a 10% x spell level, cumulative. So a 1st - 2nd level caster can restock for 5sp, a 3rd level caster for 15sp, while a 17th level caster would pay 225sp...which could be somewhat mitigated by time and actions spent collecting (or having your apprentices collect) materials personally, with an appropriate skill check equivalent to a craft check.

I think that might work, but won't be able to play test it until the next time I GM...

So, 22.5 GP to restock for a 17th level PC, who has an expected wealth of 340,000 GP.

That seems so minor as to be ignored.

To the OP! What exactly do you wish to accomplish with this? What's your goal?

[aglondier]

So, 22.5 GP to restock for a 17th level PC, who has an expected wealth of 340,000 GP.

That seems so minor as to be ignored.

To the OP! What exactly do you wish to accomplish with this? What's your goal?

Yes, actually. An expected wealth of 340,000gp most likely tied up in magic items, spell books, and property. Not as available cash.

I, personally, have a house, car, tv, computer, a handful of weapons, a small library, and various other oddments adding up to an "expected wealth" befitting my social class...but that doesn't mean I can just shrug off incidental expenditures, and means I certainly do note regular costs.
"Expected wealth" does not equal ready funds, and I doubt any mage would be willing to pawn his magic items to pay his material components bill...

[Psyren]

Not wanting to delve into a first editionesque accounting of individual materials, I would go with...

A spell component pouch bought, at and for a first level mage, for 5gp sets the benchmark. Periodic (and post major event) restocking I would set a 10% x spell level, cumulative. So a 1st - 2nd level caster can restock for 5sp, a 3rd level caster for 15sp, while a 17th level caster would pay 225sp...which could be somewhat mitigated by time and actions spent collecting (or having your apprentices collect) materials personally, with an appropriate skill check equivalent to a craft check.

I think that might work, but won't be able to play test it until the next time I GM...

Wait, so at high levels it would cost more to refill your pouch than it would to buy a brand new one? What?

So, 22.5 GP to restock for a 17th level PC, who has an expected wealth of 340,000 GP.

That seems so minor as to be ignored.

To the OP! What exactly do you wish to accomplish with this? What's your goal?

And this - it's pointless. If you're going to apply a refill cost it should be time rather than gold - but again, you have to make additional pouches difficult to acquire for any such restrictions to have teeth.

[aglondier]

Wait, so at high levels it would cost more to refill your pouch than it would to buy a brand new one? What?

And this - it's pointless. If you're going to apply a refill cost it should be time rather than gold - but again, you have to make additional pouches difficult to acquire for any such restrictions to have teeth.

A brand new pouch, 5gp, would cover the 17th level mage for his level 1 spells just fine...

Hmmm...perhaps each time you add a new spell level (at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17) there should be a cost as you upgrade your "level 1 pouch". Perhaps a cost of 5gp x the new spell level? To cover the cost of new pouch, clasps, partitions, etc and integrating them with your casting style...

[JNAProductions]

A brand new pouch, 5gp, would cover the 17th level mage for his level 1 spells just fine...

Hmmm...perhaps each time you add a new spell level (at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17) there should be a cost as you upgrade your "level 1 pouch". Perhaps a cost of 5gp x the new spell level? To cover the cost of new pouch, clasps, partitions, etc and integrating them with your casting style...

The main issue I see with this is that there are one of two outcomes, at least as far as I see:

1) The casters can easily acquire their new pouches, with minimal delays.
2) The casters cannot easily acquire their new pouches, facing significant delays, danger, or cost.

If 1, then the rule is pointless. A pittance of coin barely worth noticing. If 2, you're nerfing casters (which is not undeserved) but in a very slipshod and minuscule way. And, most importantly, in a way that feels bad, least to me-but I'd wager that many other players would agree.

[Quertus]

OP, I'm glad you know 2e - that'll make my reply make more sense.

5 GP is 500 CP. Even if the pouch itself is worth 1 GP, that's still 400 CP worth of components.

Even at 1 CP each, even with only components that are actually used, that's only 400 castings. That's… probably not enough for even a RAW 1-20 game.

So, the component pouch should be reloaded as you go along. Just like the Fighter's sword should be sharpened as you go along.

Feel free to ask your players to select from a "how is this accomplished?" drop down menu, where "other" is a valid option.

If they selected "I gather them myself as I go", give them the +2 circumstance modifier to notice absolutely anything (spiders, eyelashes, fur, minerals, poop, you name it, it's a potential spell component), and a -2 penalty to listen checks ("sorry, what was that - I was busy collecting ladybug wings and spider webs").

If they select, "I have street urchins collect what I need for me", they get an automatic discount gather information check every time they return to town (getting whatever rumors the little birds overheard as you exchange the sweets you hand them for components).

If they select "I pay full price for them in shops", they get an automatic Gather Information check, costing no extra time (beyond visiting the shop) only money, for whatever rumors the shopkeep passes on.

If they select "magical faeries refill my pouch while I sleep", they get a +2 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy when dealing with fey, or other "fairytale" creatures, and a -2 circumstance penalty to Diplomacy when dealing with working class peasants.

"My familiar deals with it" grants neither bonus nor penalty.

And allow them to select "other", and suggest an alternative, like "I spend time every night refilling it myself", "I actually transform an almost negligible portion of my XP into components, Sculpt Self style", or "my Warlock-like patron magically keeps it full".

Really, it's not worth worrying about, but could give the character (and your world) a little flavor.

[Psyren]

The main issue I see with this is that there are one of two outcomes, at least as far as I see:

1) The casters can easily acquire their new pouches, with minimal delays.
2) The casters cannot easily acquire their new pouches, facing significant delays, danger, or cost.

If 1, then the rule is pointless. A pittance of coin barely worth noticing. If 2, you're nerfing casters (which is not undeserved) but in a very slipshod and minuscule way. And, most importantly, in a way that feels bad, least to me-but I'd wager that many other players would agree.

It is, at worst, a soft-ban on spells that use material components at all. As there are plenty that don't, caster players will simply gravitate towards the ones that don't.

It's also unclear what role Eschew Materials would play if the pouch is made to matter more in this way. If left alone, it would become more or less a feat tax. If banned and pouch use is made more burdensome, see above. If altered, it would depend on how it was altered. Perhaps instead of letting you ignore a pouch entirely, Eschew Materials 2.0 would let you use any low-price component for any spell - requiring you to still restock the pouch, but not track individual honeycombs, snake tongues or pinches of guano. Or maybe it lets you use any component, but you have to burn through more of the unsuitable ones - depleting the pouch 2x-5x faster if you don't have the right component for the spell. Thus there is an incentive to track individual components without it being a hard requirement.

[icefractal]

This would be a somewhat large modification, but if I wanted spell components to matter and be tracked, what I'd do is:
1) Eliminate most material components from spells.
2) For spells that merit it balance-wise, add a component with an actual (>1 gp) cost.

Because most of the spells a caster has won't have components, the smaller set of components that do get tracked shouldn't slow things down too much. And the spells that do require said tracking will be the strongest ones, so more worth the effort.


Optional Improvements:
1) Make the component optional for some spells - you get a stronger result if you have the component, but you can cast it without. For example, what if Polymorph gave you the 3.5e version with the component (hair/scales/etc from the target form, not SCP-able), but the Pathfinder version without it?
2) Add a component availability factor in addition to the price (factoring it into the balance, ofc). Something like - A: Any settlement, B: A town or larger, with at least one resident caster, C: A city with multiple casters of the applicable type, D: Not for sale, obtain at source or hire an adventurer to get it.
3) Figure out some rules for foraging for components.

[aglondier]

The main issue I see with this is that there are one of two outcomes, at least as far as I see:

1) The casters can easily acquire their new pouches, with minimal delays.
2) The casters cannot easily acquire their new pouches, facing significant delays, danger, or cost.

If 1, then the rule is pointless. A pittance of coin barely worth noticing. If 2, you're nerfing casters (which is not undeserved) but in a very slipshod and minuscule way. And, most importantly, in a way that feels bad, least to me-but I'd wager that many other players would agree.

I don't see it that way. I don't think you walk into a general store and pick up a premade "pouch of spell components". I would say it is much more a case of mage spends a total of 5gp buying a pouch made to his specific requirements, and visiting various craftsmen and merchants and wandering around town collecting bits and bobs. For example, where does he get sand if he lives in the northern forests? Probably from a glassmaker.
As for upgrading the pouch, same thing, he buys a couple of extra pouches to add to his "casting belt" and spends the time needed to acquire or harvest the bits needed to fill it. Likewise for refilling it. And allowing skill checks to reduce the costs of upgrades or maintenance...might as well get some use from craft (leather) etc...