Secret Lesson 75

Verbal, Somatic, and Material Components: What a Spellcaster Must Physically Do to Cast a Spell

In the previous lessons, we learned:

WHICH SPELLS YOU CAN CAST

WHICH SPELL SLOTS POWER THEM

WHEN YOU CAN CAST THEM

and:

WHERE THEIR EFFECTS CAN REACH

Now we answer another fundamental question:

WHAT MUST THE SPELLCASTER PHYSICALLY DO TO MAKE THE SPELL HAPPEN?

The answer is found in:

SPELL COMPONENTS

A spell's Components entry tells you whether the spell requires:

VERBAL — V

SOMATIC — S

and/or:

MATERIAL — M

These are not decorative descriptions.

They are:

ACTUAL REQUIREMENTS

If you cannot provide one or more of the components required by a spell:

YOU CAN'T CAST THAT SPELL

 

PART ONE — COMPONENTS ARE PART OF CASTING THE SPELL

A spell description might say:

Components: V, S

or:

Components: V, S, M

or perhaps:

Components: S

Every letter matters.

The spell requires exactly the types listed.

EXAMPLE — FIRE BOLT

Fire Bolt has:

COMPONENTS: V, S

 

So the caster must provide:

VERBAL

and:

SOMATIC

components.

Fire Bolt does not require:

A MATERIAL COMPONENT

EXAMPLE — COUNTERSPELL

Counterspell has:

COMPONENTS: S

 

So its spell description requires:

SOMATIC

but not:

VERBAL

and not:

MATERIAL

EXAMPLE — VICIOUS MOCKERY

Vicious Mockery has:

COMPONENTS: V

 

It requires:

VERBAL

but doesn't list:

SOMATIC

or:

MATERIAL

EXAMPLE — ICE KNIFE

Ice Knife has:

COMPONENTS: S, M

 

It doesn't have:

V

Therefore the general Verbal-component requirement does not apply to that spell.

PART TWO — DON'T ADD COMPONENTS THAT AREN'T LISTED

A beginner might imagine:

"ALL MAGIC REQUIRES MAGIC WORDS."

That is:

NOT THE RULE

Some spells have:

NO VERBAL COMPONENT

Another player might assume:

"ALL SPELLS REQUIRE HAND GESTURES."

Also false.

Some spells don't list:

S

The rule is simple:

READ THE COMPONENTS ENTRY

PART THREE — VERBAL COMPONENTS

A:

VERBAL COMPONENT

is the chanting of:

ESOTERIC WORDS

The SRD says the words sound like:

NONSENSE TO THE UNINITIATED

But the exact semantic meaning of the words is not what creates the spell.

Instead, the particular:

SOUNDS

PITCH

and:

RESONANCE

set the magic in motion.

PART FOUR — THE VOICE MUST BE NORMAL SPEAKING VOLUME

The SRD specifically says Verbal components must be uttered in:

A NORMAL SPEAKING VOICE

 

That means the rule does not describe Verbal spellcasting as:

SILENT THOUGHT

or:

MOUTHING THE WORDS

or:

WHISPERING SO QUIETLY THAT YOU AREN'T SPEAKING NORMALLY

The requirement is:

NORMAL SPEAKING VOICE

PART FIVE — YOU CANNOT SUBSTITUTE THOUGHT FOR SPEECH

Suppose a Wizard is completely silent but thinks:

THE MAGIC WORDS

with perfect concentration.

Can that provide:

V?

NO

Verbal components require:

UTTERED WORDS

PART SIX — A GAG BLOCKS VERBAL SPELLS

The SRD gives an explicit example.

A creature that is:

GAGGED

can't cast a spell requiring:

VERBAL COMPONENTS

 

EXAMPLE

A Sorcerer is tied up and gagged.

They want to cast:

VICIOUS MOCKERY

Components:

V

Can they cast it normally?

NO

The gag prevents the required:

VERBAL COMPONENT

PART SEVEN — MAGICAL SILENCE BLOCKS VERBAL SPELLS

The other explicit example is:

MAGICAL SILENCE

A creature in an area of magical silence can't cast a spell requiring:

V

 

EXAMPLE

Wizard stands inside the area of:

SILENCE

The Wizard wants to cast:

FIRE BOLT

Components:

V, S

Can the Wizard cast it normally?

NO

Even if the Wizard can provide:

S

they cannot provide:

V

And the general rule says that if even one required component is unavailable:

THE SPELL CAN'T BE CAST

PART EIGHT — A SPELL WITHOUT V IS DIFFERENT

Now imagine the Wizard wants to cast:

COUNTERSPELL

Components:

S

Counterspell doesn't require:

V

Therefore magical silence does not block it merely through:

THE VERBAL-COMPONENT RULE

Other circumstances can still matter, but:

SILENCE DOESN'T INVENT A VERBAL COMPONENT THAT THE SPELL DOESN'T HAVE

PART NINE — ICE KNIFE IN SILENCE

Ice Knife:

S, M

No:

V

A creature in magical silence isn't prevented from casting Ice Knife merely because:

NO SOUND CAN BE PRODUCED

The caster must still provide:

S

and:

M

PART TEN — VERBAL DOES NOT MEAN "TARGET MUST HEAR YOU"

A spell requiring V means:

THE CASTER MUST SPEAK

It does not automatically mean:

THE TARGET MUST HEAR THE VERBAL COMPONENT

Whether a target needs to hear something is determined by:

THE SPELL'S OWN DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLE — VICIOUS MOCKERY

Vicious Mockery specifically targets one creature you can:

SEE OR HEAR

within range.

That target rule belongs to:

VICIOUS MOCKERY

Do not generalize it to:

EVERY V SPELL

PART ELEVEN — VERBAL DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN A PARTICULAR LANGUAGE

The general Components rule says the caster chants:

ESOTERIC WORDS

It does not establish:

"YOU MUST SPEAK COMMON"

or:

"THE TARGET MUST UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE"

unless:

THE SPELL ITSELF

creates such a requirement.

PART TWELVE — SOMATIC COMPONENTS

A:

SOMATIC COMPONENT

is:

FORCEFUL GESTICULATION

or:

AN INTRICATE SET OF GESTURES

The caster must use:

AT LEAST ONE HAND

to perform those movements.

CORE SOMATIC RULE

S = AT LEAST ONE HAND PERFORMS THE REQUIRED GESTURES

PART THIRTEEN — SOMATIC DOES NOT REQUIRE SPEECH

Counterspell demonstrates this perfectly.

Components:

S

No:

V

Therefore Counterspell can be cast without:

VERBAL COMPONENTS

assuming all of its other requirements are met.

PART FOURTEEN — SOMATIC COMPONENTS REQUIRE A HAND

Suppose a magical or physical effect leaves a caster unable to use:

ANY HAND

A spell requiring:

S

can't be cast normally because the caster can't perform:

THE REQUIRED MOVEMENTS

PART FIFTEEN — EXACT WORDING MATTERS

The SRD 5.2.1 says for Somatic components:

USE AT LEAST ONE HAND

It does not phrase the Somatic rule itself as:

"YOU MUST HAVE A FREE HAND"

That phrase appears explicitly under:

MATERIAL COMPONENTS

This is important because we should not silently import different wording from older rules.

For Somatic components, follow:

THE ACTUAL SRD 5.2.1 TEXT

PART SIXTEEN — MATERIAL COMPONENTS

A:

MATERIAL COMPONENT

is a particular physical material used in:

THE SPELL'S CASTING

The required material appears in:

PARENTHESES

inside the spell's Components entry.

EXAMPLE — FIRE SHIELD

Fire Shield:

Components: V, S, M

Material:

A BIT OF PHOSPHORUS OR A FIREFLY

 

The material is part of:

THE CASTING REQUIREMENT

EXAMPLE — CONTROL WATER

Control Water requires:

A MIXTURE OF WATER AND DUST

 

EXAMPLE — ROPE TRICK

Rope Trick requires:

A SEGMENT OF ROPE

 

PART SEVENTEEN — MATERIAL COMPONENTS ARE NOT AUTOMATICALLY CONSUMED

The default SRD rule is:

MATERIAL COMPONENTS ARE NOT CONSUMED

unless:

THE SPELL DESCRIPTION SAYS OTHERWISE

 

This is extremely important.

WRONG

"I CAST A SPELL WITH A MATERIAL COMPONENT, SO THE MATERIAL DISAPPEARS."

Not necessarily.

CORRECT

Ask:

DOES THE SPELL SAY THE MATERIAL IS CONSUMED?

If no:

KEEP IT

PART EIGHTEEN — REUSABLE MATERIAL EXAMPLE

Identify requires:

A PEARL WORTH 100+ GP

The spell does not say:

THE PEARL IS CONSUMED

 

Therefore the normal rule applies:

THE PEARL REMAINS

after the casting.

You can potentially use:

THE SAME QUALIFYING PEARL AGAIN

PART NINETEEN — COSTLY DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN CONSUMED

This is another major distinction.

Identify:

100+ GP PEARL

Costly:

YES

Consumed:

NO

Revivify:

300+ GP DIAMOND

Costly:

YES

Consumed:

YES

 

These are:

TWO DIFFERENT MATERIAL CATEGORIES

PART TWENTY — MATERIAL COMPONENTS REQUIRE A FREE HAND TO ACCESS

The SRD explicitly says:

THE SPELLCASTER MUST HAVE A HAND FREE TO ACCESS MATERIAL COMPONENTS

 

This wording is stronger and more specific than the Somatic rule.

M RULE

FREE HAND TO ACCESS MATERIAL

PART TWENTY-ONE — THE SAME HAND CAN HANDLE S AND M

The Material rule then adds:

THE SAME HAND CAN BE USED TO PERFORM SOMATIC COMPONENTS

if the spell has them.

This means you don't automatically need:

ONE HAND FOR S

plus:

ANOTHER HAND FOR M

EXAMPLE

Spell:

V, S, M

Caster has one hand available to:

ACCESS THE MATERIAL

That same hand can also perform:

THE SOMATIC GESTURES

The component system does not require:

TWO SEPARATE COMPONENT HANDS

PART TWENTY-TWO — HAND MANAGEMENT EXAMPLE

Wizard has:

ONE HAND AVAILABLE

Spell requires:

S, M

The Wizard uses that hand to:

ACCESS THE MATERIAL

and:

PERFORM THE SOMATIC COMPONENT

That is explicitly permitted.

PART TWENTY-THREE — MATERIALS WITH NO SPECIFIED COST

Many spells use inexpensive materials.

Examples include:

Fire Shield:

PHOSPHORUS OR FIREFLY

Control Water:

WATER AND DUST

Ice Knife:

DROP OF WATER OR PIECE OF ICE

Vitriolic Sphere:

DROP OF BILE

 

These spells don't assign those materials:

A GP VALUE

PART TWENTY-FOUR — COMPONENT POUCHES AND FOCUSES

The SRD provides a shortcut for many ordinary materials.

If a spell's Material component:

IS NOT CONSUMED

and:

HAS NO SPECIFIED COST

the caster can substitute:

A COMPONENT POUCH

or, if their feature allows it:

A SPELLCASTING FOCUS

 

We will study this substitution system in full in:

LESSON 76

For now, remember the basic threshold:

NO COST + NOT CONSUMED = POTENTIALLY REPLACEABLE

PART TWENTY-FIVE — WHAT IS A COMPONENT POUCH?

The Equipment section says a Component Pouch is:

WATERTIGHT

and contains compartments holding:

ALL THE FREE MATERIAL COMPONENTS OF YOUR SPELLS

 

The important word is:

FREE

It doesn't magically contain:

300 GP DIAMONDS

1,500 GP STATUETTES

or:

OTHER EXPENSIVE COMPONENTS

PART TWENTY-SIX — USING A COMPONENT POUCH STILL NEEDS A HAND

To use the Component Pouch:

YOU NEED A HAND FREE TO REACH INTO IT

 

Owning one in your backpack isn't enough if you cannot:

ACCESS IT

during the casting.

PART TWENTY-SEVEN — SPELLCASTING FOCUS BASICS

A permitted Spellcasting Focus can substitute for qualifying:

M

components.

To use a Spellcasting Focus:

YOU MUST HOLD IT

unless:

ITS DESCRIPTION SAYS OTHERWISE

 

Again, the full Focus system belongs to:

LESSON 76

PART TWENTY-EIGHT — COSTLY MATERIALS CANNOT BE REPLACED BY THE NORMAL FOCUS RULE

If the spell specifies:

A COST

the ordinary Component Pouch/Focus substitution rule does not apply.

EXAMPLE — IDENTIFY

Material:

PEARL WORTH 100+ GP

You need:

THE QUALIFYING PEARL

A normal Arcane Focus does not replace it through the general rule.

 

PART TWENTY-NINE — TRUE STRIKE IS A GREAT EDGE CASE

True Strike has:

COMPONENTS: S, M

The Material component is:

A WEAPON WITH WHICH YOU HAVE PROFICIENCY

and that weapon must be worth:

1+ CP

 

Because the component:

HAS A SPECIFIED COST

the ordinary Focus substitution rule does not replace it.

The spell specifically uses:

THAT WEAPON

in its casting.

PART THIRTY — CONSUMED COMPONENTS

Some spells explicitly say a Material component is:

CONSUMED

Then the material is:

USED UP BY THE CASTING

EXAMPLE — REVIVIFY

Material:

A DIAMOND WORTH 300+ GP

and the spell says:

THE SPELL CONSUMES IT

 

After the successful casting procedure:

THAT DIAMOND IS USED UP

PART THIRTY-ONE — RAISE DEAD

Raise Dead requires:

A DIAMOND WORTH 500+ GP

which the spell:

CONSUMES

 

So each normal casting requires:

ANOTHER QUALIFYING DIAMOND

PART THIRTY-TWO — RESURRECTION

Resurrection requires:

A DIAMOND WORTH 1,000+ GP

which the spell:

CONSUMES

 

PART THIRTY-THREE — TRUE RESURRECTION

True Resurrection requires:

DIAMONDS WORTH 25,000+ GP

which the spell:

CONSUMES

 

The escalating material requirements are part of:

THE ACTUAL SPELL COST

not flavor text.

PART THIRTY-FOUR — CONTINUAL FLAME

Continual Flame requires:

RUBY DUST WORTH 50+ GP

and consumes:

THAT RUBY DUST

 

So even though the spell is only:

LEVEL 2

it has a real recurring material expense.

PART THIRTY-FIVE — PROTECTION FROM EVIL AND GOOD

This spell requires:

A FLASK OF HOLY WATER WORTH 25+ GP

which it:

CONSUMES

 

That means a normal Component Pouch or ordinary Focus cannot replace it under the general rule.

PART THIRTY-SIX — A COSTLY COMPONENT CAN BE NON-CONSUMED

Now compare:

CONTINGENCY

It requires:

A GEM-ENCRUSTED STATUETTE OF YOURSELF WORTH 1,500+ GP

The component isn't stated to be consumed.

In fact, the spell ends if that component is ever:

NOT ON YOUR PERSON

 

This is a perfect demonstration that:

COST

and:

CONSUMPTION

are separate questions.

COMPONENT CHECK

Cost?

YES

Consumed?

NO

Still required after casting?

For Contingency specifically:

YES

because the spell says so.

PART THIRTY-SEVEN — MATERIAL COST NOTATION

The SRD uses wording such as:

100+ GP

300+ GP

1,500+ GP

This means the object must be worth:

AT LEAST THAT AMOUNT

EXAMPLE

Identify:

PEARL WORTH 100+ GP

A pearl worth:

90 GP

does not satisfy the listed cost.

A pearl worth:

100 GP

does.

A pearl worth:

150 GP

also does.

PART THIRTY-EIGHT — DIFFERENT COMPONENT COMBINATIONS

Spells can use different combinations of V, S, and M.

V ONLY

Example:

VICIOUS MOCKERY

 

S ONLY

Example:

COUNTERSPELL

 

V + S

Example:

FIRE BOLT

 

S + M

Example:

ICE KNIFE

 

V + S + M

Example:

FIRE SHIELD

 

PART THIRTY-NINE — EVERY COMBINATION CHANGES WHAT CAN STOP THE SPELL

Consider:

VICIOUS MOCKERY — V

Magical Silence:

BLOCKS IT

Lack of Material component:

IRRELEVANT

COUNTERSPELL — S

Magical Silence:

DOES NOT BLOCK IT THROUGH V

No usable hand for Somatic gesture:

BLOCKS IT

FIRE SHIELD — V, S, M

Caster needs:

ALL THREE

Lose any one:

CAN'T CAST NORMALLY

PART FORTY — COMPONENTS ARE NOT OPTIONAL FLAVOR

A player cannot normally say:

"MY WIZARD DOESN'T LIKE SAYING MAGIC WORDS, SO I CAST FIRE BOLT SILENTLY."

Fire Bolt requires:

V

That requirement exists independently of:

CHARACTER PERSONALITY

Likewise:

"MY SPELLCASTER DOESN'T USE HAND GESTURES."

If the spell has:

S

the character must still satisfy:

SOMATIC COMPONENTS

unless:

A SPECIFIC RULE REMOVES THEM

PART FORTY-ONE — COMPONENTS AND STEALTH

The SRD establishes physical requirements for casting.

It does not establish a universal rule such as:

"MAKE A STEALTH CHECK TO HIDE VERBAL COMPONENTS"

or:

"MAKE SLEIGHT OF HAND TO HIDE SOMATIC COMPONENTS"

Therefore don't invent such a universal mechanic.

The GM should use:

ACTUAL RULES AND SPECIFIC FEATURES

when determining whether casting can occur unnoticed.

PART FORTY-TWO — COMPONENTS CAN SIGNAL THAT A SPELL IS BEING CAST

The monster Spellcasting rules explicitly tell the GM that when a monster's spell requires components, the GM should describe its use of:

VERBAL

SOMATIC

or:

MATERIAL

components to signal to characters that it is:

CASTING A SPELL

 

So components are not merely accounting entries.

They can also make spellcasting:

PERCEPTIBLE IN THE FICTION

PART FORTY-THREE — COUNTERSPELL SPECIFICALLY CARES ABOUT COMPONENTS

Counterspell's trigger occurs when you see a creature within:

60 FEET

casting a spell with:

VERBAL

SOMATIC

or:

MATERIAL

components.

This means components can have tactical consequences beyond:

"CAN I CAST?"

They can also affect whether:

ANOTHER SPELL'S TRIGGER EXISTS

PART FORTY-FOUR — DON'T TURN COUNTERSPELL INTO A UNIVERSAL OBSERVATION RULE

Counterspell has:

ITS OWN TRIGGER

Don't reverse-engineer that into an unsupported universal claim such as:

"EVERYONE ALWAYS AUTOMATICALLY IDENTIFIES EVERY SPELL WITH COMPONENTS."

The SRD separately has rules for identifying an ongoing non-instantaneous spell through:

STUDY

and:

DC 15 INTELLIGENCE (ARCANA)

 

Perceiving:

THAT MAGIC IS BEING CAST

and knowing:

EXACTLY WHICH SPELL IT IS

are not automatically the same thing.

PART FORTY-FIVE — SUBTLE SPELL: A SPECIFIC EXCEPTION

Sorcerers have a Metamagic option called:

SUBTLE SPELL

Cost:

1 SORCERY POINT

When casting a spell, Subtle Spell can remove:

VERBAL

SOMATIC

and:

MATERIAL

components.

But there is an important exception.

It does not remove Material components that:

ARE CONSUMED

or:

HAVE A COST SPECIFIED IN THE SPELL

 

PART FORTY-SIX — SUBTLE SPELL EXAMPLE: FIRE BOLT

Fire Bolt:

V, S

Use:

SUBTLE SPELL

Result:

No:

V

No:

S

required for that casting through the feature.

PART FORTY-SEVEN — SUBTLE SPELL EXAMPLE: FIRE SHIELD

Fire Shield:

V, S, M

Material:

PHOSPHORUS OR FIREFLY

No specified cost.

Not consumed.

Subtle Spell can remove:

V

S

and:

THAT ORDINARY M REQUIREMENT

for this casting.

PART FORTY-EIGHT — SUBTLE SPELL DOES NOT REMOVE REVIVIFY'S DIAMOND

Revivify:

V, S, M

Diamond:

300+ GP

Consumed:

YES

Subtle Spell can remove:

V

and:

S

but cannot remove the requirement for:

THE DIAMOND

because it is both:

COSTLY

and:

CONSUMED

 

PART FORTY-NINE — SUBTLE SPELL DOES NOT REMOVE IDENTIFY'S PEARL

Identify's pearl:

100+ GP

Not consumed.

But it still has:

A SPECIFIED COST

Therefore Subtle Spell does not remove that:

MATERIAL REQUIREMENT

 

This demonstrates again:

COST ALONE IS ENOUGH TO PRESERVE THE MATERIAL REQUIREMENT UNDER SUBTLE SPELL

PART FIFTY — MAGIC ITEMS CAN CREATE ANOTHER EXCEPTION

The general Magic Item rules say that when a magic item allows a user to:

CAST A SPELL FROM THE ITEM

the spell requires:

NO COMPONENTS

unless:

THE ITEM'S DESCRIPTION SAYS OTHERWISE

 

This is another:

SPECIFIC EXCEPTION

to the normal V/S/M system.

IMPORTANT

Do not apply that rule to:

YOUR ORDINARY CLASS SPELLCASTING

It applies to spells:

CAST FROM MAGIC ITEMS

under that rule.

PART FIFTY-ONE — MONSTERS CAN ALSO HAVE COMPONENT EXCEPTIONS

Monster Spellcasting traits can specify that the monster ignores:

CERTAIN SPELL COMPONENTS

The Monster rules explicitly tell the GM to check whether the Spellcasting trait removes:

V

S

or:

M

requirements.

Again:

SPECIFIC STAT BLOCK OVERRIDES GENERAL RULE

PART FIFTY-TWO — COMPONENTS AND SPELL SLOTS ARE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS

Suppose you have:

THE SPELL PREPARED

and:

THE SPELL SLOT

but cannot provide:

V

Can you cast a V spell?

NO

Suppose you have:

THE SPELL PREPARED

THE SLOT

THE VERBAL WORDS

but lack a required costly Material component.

Can you cast it?

NO

Spell access and Spell Slots do not override:

COMPONENT REQUIREMENTS

PART FIFTY-THREE — COMPLETE CASTING CHECKLIST

Before casting, ask:

STEP 1 — DO I HAVE ACCESS TO THE SPELL?

STEP 2 — DO I HAVE THE NECESSARY SPELL SLOT OR OTHER CASTING METHOD?

STEP 3 — WHAT IS THE CASTING TIME?

STEP 4 — WHAT IS THE RANGE?

STEP 5 — WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS?

V?

S?

M?

STEP 6 — CAN I PROVIDE V?

Can I speak:

IN A NORMAL SPEAKING VOICE?

Am I:

GAGGED?

Inside:

MAGICAL SILENCE?

STEP 7 — CAN I PROVIDE S?

Can I use:

AT LEAST ONE HAND

for the required gestures?

STEP 8 — CAN I PROVIDE M?

Do I have:

THE REQUIRED MATERIAL?

or a legal:

COMPONENT POUCH / FOCUS SUBSTITUTE?

STEP 9 — IF M HAS A COST

Do I actually have:

THE REQUIRED COSTLY COMPONENT?

STEP 10 — IF M IS CONSUMED

Mark it as:

USED UP

when the spell consumes it.

PART FIFTY-FOUR — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: FIRE BOLT

Fire Bolt:

V, S

Caster:

Can speak normally:

YES

Can use a hand:

YES

Material:

NONE

Result:

COMPONENT REQUIREMENTS SATISFIED

Now put the caster in:

MAGICAL SILENCE

V:

CANNOT BE PROVIDED

Result:

FIRE BOLT CAN'T BE CAST NORMALLY

PART FIFTY-FIVE — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: COUNTERSPELL

Counterspell:

S

Caster is in:

MAGICAL SILENCE

Can use a hand:

YES

Does Silence block Counterspell because it has no V?

NO

The spell doesn't require:

VERBAL COMPONENTS

Assuming the trigger and all other rules are satisfied:

COUNTERSPELL CAN STILL BE CAST

PART FIFTY-SIX — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: ICE KNIFE

Ice Knife:

S, M

Material:

DROP OF WATER OR PIECE OF ICE

No cost.

Not consumed.

Caster has:

A COMPONENT POUCH

and a free hand to access it.

The general substitution rule can supply the qualifying Material requirement.

The same hand can also perform:

S

Result:

CASTING REQUIREMENTS SATISFIED

PART FIFTY-SEVEN — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: IDENTIFY

Identify:

V, S, M

Material:

PEARL WORTH 100+ GP

Caster has:

ARCANE FOCUS

but no:

PEARL

Can the Focus replace it?

NO

The pearl has:

A SPECIFIED COST

Result:

IDENTIFY CAN'T BE CAST THROUGH THAT NORMAL FOCUS SUBSTITUTION

PART FIFTY-EIGHT — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: REVIVIFY

Revivify:

V, S, M

Material:

DIAMOND WORTH 300+ GP

Consumed:

YES

Caster has:

  • spell prepared

  • available level 3 slot

  • Holy Symbol

  • no diamond

Can they cast Revivify?

NO

The Spell Slot does not replace:

THE COMPONENT

The Holy Symbol doesn't replace:

THE COSTLY CONSUMED MATERIAL

They need:

THE DIAMOND

PART FIFTY-NINE — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: TRUE STRIKE

True Strike:

S, M

Material:

A PROFICIENT WEAPON WORTH 1+ CP

 

Suppose the caster has a qualifying Longsword.

They use that weapon as:

THE MATERIAL COMPONENT

and the spell's effect then uses:

THE WEAPON USED IN THE CASTING

This is a spell where the Material component is tightly integrated into:

THE SPELL EFFECT ITSELF

PART SIXTY — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: ILLUSORY SCRIPT

Illusory Script:

S, M

Material:

INK WORTH 10+ GP

Consumed:

YES

 

No:

VERBAL COMPONENT

So magical silence doesn't stop it through V.

But the caster must still provide:

S

and:

THE COSTLY CONSUMED INK

PART SIXTY-ONE — AT THE TABLE: FAST COMPONENT READING

When you look at a spell card, develop this habit:

If you see:

V

think:

CAN I SPEAK NORMALLY?

If you see:

S

think:

CAN I USE A HAND FOR THE GESTURE?

If you see:

M

think:

WHAT IS IN THE PARENTHESES?

Then ask:

COST?

CONSUMED?

This takes only:

A FEW SECONDS

once you learn the system.

COMMON BEGINNER MISTAKES

MISTAKE 1 — THINKING COMPONENTS ARE ONLY FLAVOR

They are:

CASTING REQUIREMENTS

MISTAKE 2 — CASTING WHEN ONE REQUIRED COMPONENT IS MISSING

Missing:

EVEN ONE REQUIRED COMPONENT

means:

CAN'T CAST

under the general rule.

MISTAKE 3 — THINKING EVERY SPELL REQUIRES V, S, AND M

Each spell lists:

ITS OWN COMPONENTS

MISTAKE 4 — ASSUMING EVERY SPELL HAS VERBAL COMPONENTS

Counterspell:

S ONLY

Ice Knife:

S, M

MISTAKE 5 — ASSUMING EVERY SPELL HAS SOMATIC COMPONENTS

Vicious Mockery:

V ONLY

MISTAKE 6 — THINKING VERBAL COMPONENTS CAN BE PURELY MENTAL

They must be:

UTTERED

MISTAKE 7 — WHISPERING INSTEAD OF USING A NORMAL SPEAKING VOICE

The SRD specifies:

NORMAL SPEAKING VOICE

MISTAKE 8 — CASTING A V SPELL WHILE GAGGED

A gag prevents:

VERBAL COMPONENTS

MISTAKE 9 — CASTING A V SPELL IN MAGICAL SILENCE

The SRD explicitly prohibits this.

MISTAKE 10 — THINKING MAGICAL SILENCE BLOCKS EVERY SPELL

It blocks spells requiring:

V

through the Verbal-component rule.

A spell with no V may still be cast if:

ALL ITS OTHER REQUIREMENTS ARE MET

MISTAKE 11 — THINKING A TARGET MUST HEAR EVERY V SPELL

V describes:

THE CASTER'S REQUIREMENT

Target hearing requirements come from:

THE SPELL DESCRIPTION

MISTAKE 12 — THINKING A VERBAL COMPONENT MUST USE COMMON

The general rule does not say that.

MISTAKE 13 — THINKING S REQUIRES TWO HANDS

It requires:

AT LEAST ONE HAND

MISTAKE 14 — IMPORTING OLD WORDING INTO SRD 5.2.1

For S, use the exact current rule:

AT LEAST ONE HAND

Do not silently replace it with wording from older rules.

MISTAKE 15 — THINKING M NEVER REQUIRES A HAND

Material components require:

A FREE HAND TO ACCESS THEM

MISTAKE 16 — THINKING S AND M ALWAYS REQUIRE TWO DIFFERENT HANDS

The same hand can handle:

M

and:

S

MISTAKE 17 — CONSUMING EVERY MATERIAL COMPONENT

Default:

NOT CONSUMED

unless the spell says otherwise.

MISTAKE 18 — THINKING COSTLY COMPONENTS ARE ALWAYS CONSUMED

Identify's 100+ GP pearl:

NOT CONSUMED

MISTAKE 19 — THINKING NON-CONSUMED COMPONENTS CAN ALWAYS BE REPLACED BY A FOCUS

A specified:

COST

also prevents the normal substitution.

MISTAKE 20 — USING A FOCUS INSTEAD OF IDENTIFY'S PEARL

No.

Pearl:

100+ GP

MISTAKE 21 — USING A FOCUS INSTEAD OF REVIVIFY'S DIAMOND

No.

Diamond:

300+ GP

and:

CONSUMED

MISTAKE 22 — THINKING COMPONENT POUCH CONTAINS EXPENSIVE COMPONENTS

It contains:

FREE MATERIAL COMPONENTS

MISTAKE 23 — HAVING A COMPONENT POUCH BUT NO HAND TO ACCESS IT

The general rule requires:

A FREE HAND TO REACH INTO IT

MISTAKE 24 — THINKING A SPELLCASTING FOCUS WORKS FOR EVERY CHARACTER

You need:

A FEATURE ALLOWING THE SUBSTITUTION

MISTAKE 25 — THINKING ANY FOCUS REPLACES COSTLY MATERIALS

No.

MISTAKE 26 — THINKING SUBTLE SPELL REMOVES EVERY POSSIBLE COMPONENT

It doesn't remove M components that:

ARE CONSUMED

or:

HAVE A SPECIFIED COST

MISTAKE 27 — THINKING SUBTLE SPELL CAN REMOVE REVIVIFY'S DIAMOND

It cannot.

MISTAKE 28 — THINKING SUBTLE SPELL CAN REMOVE IDENTIFY'S PEARL

It cannot.

The pearl has:

A SPECIFIED COST

MISTAKE 29 — THINKING SPELLS CAST FROM MAGIC ITEMS ALWAYS USE NORMAL V/S/M

The general magic-item rule says:

NO COMPONENTS

unless the item says otherwise.

MISTAKE 30 — THINKING EVERY MONSTER USES NORMAL COMPONENTS

A monster's Spellcasting trait can state:

COMPONENT EXCEPTIONS

MISTAKE 31 — THINKING COMPONENTS AUTOMATICALLY REVEAL THE EXACT SPELL

Components can signal:

SPELLCASTING

but exact identification is:

A SEPARATE QUESTION

MISTAKE 32 — INVENTING A UNIVERSAL STEALTH CHECK TO HIDE SPELLCASTING

The Components rules do not establish one.

Use:

ACTUAL FEATURES AND RULES

QUICK RECAP

Spell components are:

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

If one required component can't be supplied:

THE SPELL CAN'T BE CAST

 

V — VERBAL

Requires:

ESOTERIC WORDS

spoken in:

A NORMAL SPEAKING VOICE

Blocked by:

GAG

or:

MAGICAL SILENCE

when V is required.

S — SOMATIC

Requires:

FORCEFUL OR INTRICATE GESTURES

using:

AT LEAST ONE HAND

M — MATERIAL

Requires:

THE MATERIAL IN PARENTHESES

Default:

NOT CONSUMED

unless the spell says otherwise.

Requires:

A FREE HAND TO ACCESS

The same hand may also perform:

S

ORDINARY NON-CONSUMED M

If:

NO COST

and:

NOT CONSUMED

it can potentially be replaced by:

COMPONENT POUCH

or permitted:

SPELLCASTING FOCUS

COSTLY M

Normal Focus/Pouch substitution:

DOES NOT APPLY

CONSUMED M

The material:

IS USED UP

as specified.

EXAMPLES

Identify:

100+ GP PEARL

NOT CONSUMED

Revivify:

300+ GP DIAMOND

CONSUMED

Raise Dead:

500+ GP DIAMOND

CONSUMED

True Resurrection:

25,000+ GP DIAMONDS

CONSUMED

True Strike:

WEAPON WORTH 1+ CP

NOT CONSUMED

SUBTLE SPELL

Can remove:

V

S

and many:

M

components.

But not M components that:

HAVE A SPECIFIED COST

or:

ARE CONSUMED

PRIME HERO CHALLENGE

A Sorcerer knows four spells.

SPELL A

Components:

V, S

The Sorcerer is:

GAGGED

Can they cast Spell A normally?

NO

They cannot provide:

V

SPELL B

Components:

S

The Sorcerer is inside:

MAGICAL SILENCE

and can use a hand normally.

Can they cast Spell B?

YES

The spell doesn't require:

V

SPELL C

Components:

V, S, M

Material:

A FEATHER

No cost.

Not consumed.

The Sorcerer has:

A COMPONENT POUCH

and:

A FREE HAND

Can the Pouch provide the qualifying M?

YES

QUESTION

Can that same hand also perform:

S?

YES

The Material-component rule explicitly permits it.

SPELL D

Components:

V, S, M

Material:

A GEM WORTH 500+ GP

The gem is not consumed.

The Sorcerer has:

ARCANE FOCUS

but no gem.

Can they cast it using only the Focus?

NO

The component has:

A SPECIFIED COST

SUBTLE SPELL CHALLENGE

The Sorcerer uses:

SUBTLE SPELL

on Spell A.

Spell A:

V, S

What components remain?

NONE

through Subtle Spell.

Now use Subtle Spell on Spell D.

Material:

GEM WORTH 500+ GP

Does Subtle Spell remove the gem?

NO

because it has:

A SPECIFIED COST

REVIVIFY CHALLENGE

A Cleric has:

REVIVIFY PREPARED

A LEVEL 3 SPELL SLOT

HOLY SYMBOL

but:

NO 300+ GP DIAMOND

Can the Cleric cast Revivify?

NO

The Material component is:

REQUIRED

COSTLY

and:

CONSUMED

IDENTIFY CHALLENGE

Wizard has:

IDENTIFY

and:

ONE PEARL WORTH 100 GP

After casting Identify once, does the pearl disappear?

NO

Identify doesn't say:

THE PEARL IS CONSUMED

Can it therefore be used again for another casting?

YES

provided the Wizard still has the qualifying component and meets all other requirements.

LESSON 75 — KEY TAKEAWAYS

A spellcaster doesn't cast magic merely because:

THEY KNOW THE SPELL

and:

HAVE THE SPELL SLOT

They must also satisfy:

THE SPELL'S PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Those requirements are written directly into:

V

S

and:

M

VERBAL

asks:

CAN YOU SPEAK AS REQUIRED?

SOMATIC

asks:

CAN YOU PERFORM THE REQUIRED HAND GESTURES?

MATERIAL

asks:

DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE REQUIRED PHYSICAL COMPONENT?

Then Material components add two critical questions:

DOES IT HAVE A COST?

and:

IS IT CONSUMED?

Those questions determine whether:

THE ACTUAL COMPONENT

must be present or whether a:

COMPONENT POUCH

or:

SPELLCASTING FOCUS

might substitute.

The most important habit is therefore:

NEVER SKIP THE COMPONENTS LINE

When you learn a new spell, read:

CASTING TIME

RANGE

COMPONENTS

DURATION

before focusing only on:

DAMAGE

or:

EFFECT

Because sometimes the difference between:

"I CAST THE SPELL"

and:

"I CAN'T CAST THE SPELL"

is nothing more than:

A VOICE

A HAND

or:

ONE VERY EXPENSIVE DIAMOND

NEXT LESSON

LESSON 76 — SPELLCASTING FOCUSES, COMPONENT POUCHES, COSTLY MATERIALS, AND CONSUMED COMPONENTS

Now that we understand:

V

S

and:

M

we can examine Material components in much greater depth.

Lesson 76 will explain exactly how:

COMPONENT POUCHES

ARCANE FOCUSES

DRUIDIC FOCUSES

HOLY SYMBOLS

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

and:

WIZARD SPELLBOOKS

interact with Material components.

We will distinguish:

FREE MATERIALS

COSTLY MATERIALS

CONSUMED MATERIALS

COSTLY + CONSUMED MATERIALS

and show exactly when a Focus:

WORKS

and:

DOES NOT WORK

We will also examine the practical hand-management implications of:

HOLDING FOCUSES

ACCESSING COMPONENT POUCHES

WEAPONS

SHIELDS

and special exceptions such as:

SUBTLE SPELL

before Lesson 77 moves into:

SPELL DURATION AND CONCENTRATION

SRD 5.2.1 ATTRIBUTION

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.