As a post previously noted:
"Material Components - Some Material components must be sought after from rarer high end venders or crafted separately, requiring time and additional expenses."
This came about after noticing how hand-wavy 5e can be with the use, and utilisation of, spell components.
Eschewing materials via a component pouch or foci can only get you so far, and eventually you will need to spend some of that hard earned gold to replace expended materials or in acquiring new ones for spells you can now cast.
The impetus for this ruling came from an instance in our previous Storm Kings Thunder campaign, leading to the following ruling:
"Certain Material spell components must be acquired through seeking out 'high end speciality venders' or by having the item in question custom made yourself. This will require more time and additional expenses."
For example Soul Cage's "100gp gilded cage", would take a Waterdavian finesmith 2 workweeks (20 days) to complete, the objects size restricting how many additional hands can aid its construction. Plus a successfully Persuasion check would be required to determine what sort of mark up the smith charges (assuming the initial Social Interaction was positive).
Similarly, the "gem-encrusted bowl worth at least 1,000gp" for Heroes Feast would take a maximum of 20 workweeks (200 days) to complete, though that may be halved with the addition of another pair of hands (1 to forge the bowl, and another to inlay the gems).
And since "the spell consumes" this bowl with each casting, Player Characters might wish to get those purchase orders in early.
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Having the required component custom made is not the only option, the other is to seek out a Seller (as though one was looking to purchase a magical item - XGE Downtime Activities).
Which means at least one workweek of effort and 100gp in expenses to find a potential lead, who will require a Persuasion check, with a +1 bonus gained for every workweek beyond the first that is spent seeking a seller and an additional +1 bonus for every additional 100gp spent on the search, up to a maximum total bonus of +10.
In the above cases of the components for both Soul Cage and Heroes Feast the "DC" for the check would be 25.
Treating these components as the equivalent of a magic scroll of the same spell, as to scribe such a scroll one "must provide any material components required for the casting of the spell", this makes both the Gem Bowl and Gilded Cage "Very Rare".
Which also means the Seller has an initial asking price of 2d10 × 1,000gp.
Or half as much for any consumable.
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Just as an aside, something for DM's to mull over:
- Revivify: 3rd level spell: consumes 300gp worth of Diamonds
- Raise Dead: 5th level spell: consumes 500gp Diamond
- Reincarnate: 5th level spell: consumes 1000gp worth of Rare Oils and Ointments
- Resurrection: 7th level spell: consumes 1000gp Diamond
- True Resurrection: 9th level spell: consumes 25,000gp worth of Diamonds
While Gentle Repose is a 2nd level Ritual spell that only requires 2 reusable copper pieces, and a place to store the body.
Though I'm sure the Jewellers Guild would give discount for loyal customers.
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As it stands I have no good way, nor current idea how, to determine if such an item (or Xgp worth of precious gems) would even be in-stock. I'm aware that ACKs determines Item Availability/per month by Item Price and Market Class (determined by Settlement Population size).
Something to think on I guess...
...perhaps treat it as a Complication ala XGE, so a 10% chance. IDK...
What I will be implementing however is an idea sparked by
Mr.Wargaming over at the House of Wargaming, where he described raiding a nearby Gnome settlements vault for their precious gems.
Which led to me deciding that with enough Research a character may be able to determine what Monster may have the gems in question within its hoard, and where such a creature may reside. As per the DMG - Random Treasure Hoards: Gems.
Though I do wish they'd have included the
Treasure Maps - treasure option from older editions, as that would have made determining where a specific CR creature's treasure hoard resides on the world map far easier.
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