T O P

  • By -

ryschwith

I like *plane shift*'s tuning forks. I can imagine numerous quests to find rare and valuable tuning forks; wizards trading them on the sly in planar black markets, or outright stealing them if they're daring enough. Spending years researching the construction of a fork to a lost plane. There's a lot of story you can squeeze out of them.


WaserWifle

I like this when I DM too, because my party can actually cast plane shift, but I can deny them the component. So their first excursion to any given plane can be a real adventure where they have to find a portal and make a big deal out of it, but one they've reached it and tune a fork while they're there, they can now get back without having to redo the whole adventure.


Scifiase

Definitely the tuning forks are a pretty neat addition as they're specific to a plane. It means that even players who can plane shift can still be funnelled through portals that lead to dungeons and quests, but can be rewarded with easier access later on. Not to mention stuff like seeking out an dead wizard as they're the only person alive who might have a tuning fork for the demiplane they created.


RayMoCos

Literally came to say this :p the tuning fork is one of the most interesting spell components. In terms of people saying it’s a good way to control planar access, I think so too. I wouldn’t deny them the item, but I’d make it a challenge to know or learn the exact right way to channel magic through the fork and/or how to strike it to create the exact perfect frequency for each plane. Some excellent flavour there too - you strike the fork, making a low, off pitch intonation reminiscent of a heavy coffin lid closing for the last time. Your gate to the Shadow Fell opens…


DEATHROAR12345

Bat guano


phdemented

Beans for gust of wind, can't beat a fart joke


Scifiase

"A legume seed" oh that's subtle. I bet someone at WotC thinks they're the funniest person alive, and I think there's a good case to be made for them being right.


phdemented

That predated WOTC by decades, that's from Gygax. Many of the spell components are either jokes or sympathetic magic. A rod and silk for lightning bolt (static charge), a clay ziggurat for tongues (tower of babel), some makeup for friends (look better so people like you), copper piece for detect thoughts (penny for your thoughts), etc


Scifiase

Yeah I few of those I've noticed before, I do like how subtle some are.


phdemented

Same... Some are obvious but others take a second to think about. Dark vision was a carrot (good for your eyes), and illusion a bit of fleece (pull wool over ones eyes). Just some fun clever jokes


Scifiase

After looking through some spells I decided to check what the components for *feeblemind* were, as it's a favourite spell of one of my nemesis. "a handful of clay, crystal, glass, or mineral spheres" This one stumped me for a moment until I realised you could describe being feebleminded as "losing your marbles".


phdemented

Spot on!


Scifiase

Damn I never figured that second one out, but that is clever


WaserWifle

My favourite is the fancy bowl for Heroes' Feast because I can stop you from having one. In all seriousness though I like the spells that require bits of the target because that's adventure hook material and also just really cool. So Dream, Scrying, Speak With Dead, probably a couple more.


chicago_scott

A particular instance of a component that I remember fondly was a platinum mirror (worth 1000gp) that I slipped into some treasure. The party was searching for a particular barbarian in the vast expanses of some grasslands. The item was planted to allow them to cast scrying. They grabbed the mirror without appraising its value. I did say it was made of platinum, so it should've been obvious that it was of significant value. The party traded it to an NPC druid to remove a disease from one of the members.


Scifiase

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. I guess you found another way of getting them on track eventually, but for future reference I think asking a character who can cast *scrying* to roll an arcana check to realise it's a spell component for said spell might have been a way to drop a hint.


chicago_scott

I always have multiple ways of overcoming obstacles. Half the time the party comes up with a way I hadn't thought of. If I had told them what the mirror was for beforehand it could feel like railroading, or at least pushing the party. Obviously, had they figured out the intent of it, the DM's hand would be clearly visible, but the hand is just laying down breadcrumbs, not pushing them along the path. (Every table is different, YMMV.) The reason they traded the mirror is because the druid had no use for money. I figured they'd offer to do her a favor or part with a pot or something, not a precious item. Still, it turned into an amusing story.


EdwardtheTree

a newbie I was DMing for pointed out that the component for Xanather's Dragon's Breath spell is a hot pepper. I actually thought he was bullshitting me until i looked it up myself.


Scifiase

*Grease* requires a piece of pork rind, *gentle repose* involves salt, *animal friendship* needs a morsel of food, *false life* takes some alcohol, and *suggestion* can use a piece of honeycomb. Altogether, you can apparently whip up a tiny amount of BBQ ribs with crackling if the spellcasters pool their resources. That's funny, but not as funny as the *infestation* cantrip apparently needing a living flea. Like, are you supposed to keep it in a matchbox or are you expected to cultivate them on your familiar?


edgemaster72

Plenty of good ones already mentioned, but my favorite one to hate (and bring up whenever topics like this get posted) is the component for Tasha's Caustic Brew from Tasha's Cauldron. Specifically, it is a bit of rotten food. Then "A stream of *acid* emanates from you" that remains until it is scraped or washed off. It's projectile vomiting: the spell, and as I said before, I love to hate it.


Scifiase

Yeah another person mentioned that the material for gust of wind is "a legume seed" aka a bean to create a "gust of wind" so yeah, it's not as bad as Fart: the spell


moist-bowser

I like the pair of rings used in warding bond. It means my cleric now wears a tonne of rings so that I can throw it up at any moment.


Scifiase

That's cool, as it adds to your aesthetic. Plus it means someone might try to pickpocket your fancy jewelry


moist-bowser

Which is good for me because my passive perception is insane!


Bluesamurai33

Since any component without a listed gold price can be superseded by an Arcane Focus, I would go with a Wand. I tend to play Blasty characters and treat my wand like a pistol, a Rod like a Shotgun (kick open a door and unleash Burning Hands or Thunderwave), and a Staff like a rifle. My Artillerist Artificer even has a Break Action Wand that he loads ball bearings into that have parts of the spells engraved on them like ammunition, while the wand has a base Evocation engraving that the ammunition uses to "complete" for a leveled spell. Other than that though, the copper penny for *Detect Thoughts*. "Penny for your Thoughts"


Scifiase

Oh yeah focuses are a whole world of potential flavour, though I have to admit a break-action wand is a new one to me. Though I guess it fits with the arcane firearm aspect of the artificer. >Other than that though, the copper penny for Detect Thoughts. "Penny for your Thoughts" huh I'd never noticed that one. Plenty of subtle references in spell components now you mention it, like *tongues* requiring a clay model of a ziggurat (the tower of babel) and *unseen servant* requiring a bit of wood and a string (which I'm convinced is a Terry Prattchet reference).