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Icewolf
Learned Scribe
USA
214 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Jan 2004 : 04:18:52
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Hello everybody.
I am DMing my first 3e campaign, and one of my players had a question that I cannot answer as of yet.
The question: For a Sorceror's spells, since the magical ability is in their blood, do they still require the use of component's, such as the special items or specific motions?
The only real reason I can think of to say no to this is that he would be unbalanced, since he could cast a spell after his material component bag was stolen (okay, that was a weak example, but hopefully I got my point across)
To counterbalance this fact though, is that while a wizard can learn new spells just by researching them and writing in his spellbook, he needs to use the material components to invoke the magic. The sorceror, however, can only learn new spells upon gaining a level, so wouldn't it be okay for hm to not need the material components?
Maybe I rambled a bit, but I tend to do that from time to time, so please don't hold it against me.
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2004 : 04:45:19
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| Well, officially, they do. It doesn't actually say this anywhere, it's just generally understood. Occasionally, divine spellcasters(clerics and druids) use their divine focus instead of the material components used in an arcane spell(see magic circle against evil for this). Note that the possibility that a sorcerer may have magical blood coursing through his veins is just that: a possibility. If you do decide that this is true, an article in Dragon 311 expands upon this. I've always viewed material components as aids when calling power from the force of magic(called the Weave in the Forgotten Realms). Both sorcerers and wizards need them. They've just learned different ways to access it: one through innate force, one through study and knowledge. |
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Icewolf
Learned Scribe
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2004 : 07:28:05
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Thanks! Before I posted here, I was about to call upon the old stand back for saying no...: "Because I said so!!"  |
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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore
USA
1298 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2004 : 15:58:29
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Hmmm, then it is good Arivia answered, we would not wish for you to resort to that. |
The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri. |
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Knightcrawler
Acolyte
22 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2004 : 19:11:15
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A lot of people like to tweak the Sorcerer by giving them Eschew Materials free at first level. This just makes it so that they can ignore any material components costing less than 1 gp. But they still are required to do the somantic (motions) and verbal components of spell.
How I handle Socerer's in my campaign is to allow them to ignore any spell component that costs less then 5 gp. Then when they reach 10th level they can ignore any material component worth up to 50 gp. This seems to have worked very well for me so far.
Also let us remember the rules of gaming
RULE 0 - Have Fun
RULE 1 - Your the DM. Its your game, you decide what rules to use and what rules to lose. If you want an alternate rule use it, if you don't like it make up your own. Make sure any changes are clearly spelled out and you should be fine. |
Knightcrawler
I Am Become Death, Destroyer Of Worlds |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2004 : 08:34:30
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The essence of the sorcerer's power is that he can pluck out of the Weave what a wizard has to shape first (by memorizing it, which is the first part of casting a spell for a wizard). He still has to use all components listed in the spell, unless the spell says differently (and I'm not aware of any Sorcerer-specific spells).
Yes, he can take the Eschew Materials feat, but that's a metamagic feat -- and the rule is that spontanious castings with metamagic feats take a full round action or longer. Personally, if I were DMing, I'd let a sorcerer "learn" to cast it quicker -- say, at the next level up (if he's at least seventh level), there's no time penalty. I wouldn't do that for any other metamagic feat, though. The rules are there for a reason, and you need to be sure of what you're doing when you start messing with game balance. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Icewolf
Learned Scribe
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2004 : 20:11:57
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Well, good news and bad news on this front...
Good News: Problem resolved.
Bad News: After all this, he decided he wanted to be a Monk isntead of a sorceror...can anyone say "Tarrasque attack"? |
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Sorceror's Spells?
