{"id":5366,"date":"2020-05-05T02:12:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T06:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aaronbsmith.com\/cogwheel\/?p=5366"},"modified":"2025-11-02T13:02:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T17:02:55","slug":"in-this-economy-revised-material-components-g-n","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aaronbsmith.com\/cogwheel\/2020\/05\/in-this-economy-revised-material-components-g-n\/","title":{"rendered":"In THIS Economy?: Revised Material Components, G-N"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first article in this series<\/a>, I mentioned that some material components have a crafted portion in addition to the raw materials. I neglected to mention that the caster can perform the crafting themselves if they\u2019re proficient in the tools necessary to create the component; to do so takes a cumulative number of hours equal to the level of the spell being cast squared – from 1 hour for a level 1 spell up to 81 hours for a level 9 spell – unless your DM says otherwise.<\/p>\n

Gate<\/strong>
\nOriginal: a diamond worth at least 5,000 gp
\nEquivalent: a 20-carat diamond
\nRevised: four 5-carat diamonds, placed in a T shape; the portal aligns along the crossbar and the front is in the direction indicated by the foot, and the diamonds can be picked up without interrupting the spell
\n(We\u2019ve established in Clone<\/strong> that diamonds are roughly 250gp per carat. In the real world, the price isn\u2019t linear, since larger diamonds are more rare, but we\u2019ll stick to the pattern here.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Glyph of Warding<\/strong>
\nOriginal: incense and powdered diamond worth at least 200 gp, which the spell consumes
\nEquivalent: 4 oz of incense and 3\/4 of a carat of powdered diamond, which the spell consumes
\n(Again, let\u2019s not let this be a huge amount of incense and a sprinkling of powdered diamonds.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Greater Restoration<\/strong>
\nOriginal: diamond dust worth at least 100 gp, which the spell consumes
\nEquivalent: 2\/5 carat of powdered diamond, which the spell consumes
\n(Again, standardizing on \u201cpowdered diamond\u201d.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Guards and Wards<\/strong>
\nOriginal: 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
\nEquivalent: \u2026and a silver rod 1\/2\u201d in diameter and 7\u201d long
\n(10 gp is 100sp, and 50 coins to a pound. A silver rod of these dimensions weighs about two pounds.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Hallow<\/strong>
\nOriginal: herbs, oils, and incense worth at least 1,000 gp, which the spell consumes
\nEquivalent: 75 pounds in combination of herbs, oils, and incense, which the spell consumes
\nRevised: one pound each of herbs, oils, and incense, soaked in holy water for the full casting time, all of which the spell consumes
\n(This is an enormous amount of herbs, oils, and incense even in the original – especially since, again, no prices are listed for any of these items. 1000gp will buy you five gallons of holy water\u2026 which has inspired the revised component.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Heroes\u2019 Feast<\/strong>
\nOriginal: a gem-encrusted bowl worth at least 1,000 gp, which the spell consumes
\nRevised: a cornucopia made of wood, eight inches long and four across at the mouth, traced with 8oz of gold and filled with 3 carats of diamonds, 5 carats of emeralds, or 10 carats of rubies and sapphires, all of which the spell consumes
\n(Being a little more specific limits the caster\u2019s options a little, but adds flavor to the spell.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Holy Aura<\/strong>
\nOriginal: a tiny reliquary worth at least 1,000 gp containing a sacred relic, such as a scrap of cloth from a saint\u2019s robe or a piece of parchment from a religious text
\nEquivalent: a reliquary made of at least two pounds of platinum, containing a sacred relic\u2026
\n(Real-world reliquaries are often gold. Platinum allows the reliquary to be smaller and lighter while retaining the cost equivalency.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Identify<\/strong>
\nOriginal: a pearl worth at least 100 gp and an owl feather
\nEquivalent: a 110-carat pearl and an owl feather
\n(Rounding down for the sake of round numbers.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Illusory Script<\/strong>
\nOriginal: a lead-based ink worth at least 10 gp, which the spell consumes
\nEquivalent: a 1oz vial of lead-based ink, which the spell consumes<\/p>\n

Imprisonment<\/strong>
\nOriginal: a small mithral orb, a fine chain of precious metal, a miniature representation of the prison made of jade, a large transparent gemstone, or rare soporific herbs, worth at least 500gp per hit die of the target
\nEquivalent:<\/p>\n