[Feat]Eschew Component

[Glim]

This feat is listed as a normal feat in D20, but I really think it would be better as a metamagic feat. It seems to go along the lines of still and silent spell.

So since those two make a spell 1 spell level higher, perhaps this one should make it 2 levels higher?

Two variants:

A. It could mean that the spell does not need components.

B. It could mean the spell does not need components as long as the components it eschews are not worth more than 1 plat.

A requirement could be that you need to learn still and silent spell feats.

These numbers could, of course be changed. Please post with your opinion on what a fair cost would be.

Thanks,

[Japcil]

I thought originally that it said cashew...

I support it for wizards, my cleric hardly buys components anyways since most spells are noncomponent for him. Lets keep it balanced.

[Kelemvor]

I think this feat would have some positive uses in tight situations - the wizard or cleric in your party runs out of a vital component (or hey, they absentmindedly forgot to stock up), but they are still able to deflect or vaporise that horde of monsters coming for you.

One minor problem I see, though, is the ability to spam-cast spells without using up components. For some spells, the rarity or scarcity of components is one aspect of balancing the use.

Setting a bar on expensive components would keep some of that balance, but would also spoil the original example I gave.

Hmmm, added to that, many of the spells a player might wish to spam cast have quite low value components. So a bar would not hinder them and only hinder the absentminded... that's a bugger isn't it?

I like the idea, but I'm not sure how it could be implemented without unbalancing things.

[Raona]

I don't have a spellcaster, but being able to cast without components at all seems a pretty darn overpowered feat at first blush, no?

Maybe rather than eschew component, it could be "Substitute Component," allowing one to utilize an expensive substitute. Ok, this generalized substitute component would be more expensive/hard to get than anything it might substitute for (a bundle of energy or somesuch?) but it would fill in for any component you might need, in a pinch.

[Jaenoic]

You'd think it might be overpowered, but when you stop and think about what components are, they're really just spending about 3 gold to cast the spell 5 times or so. Sometimes its spend a silver to cast it forever, sometimes its 20 platinum for one time.

I don't really see this feat being overpowering, if anything it'll only save wizards some money, or like Kelemvor said save a party from being squashed. This feat wouldn't exactly be a way to spam-cast higher level spells that may be limited by rare and/or expensive components because it is a metamagic feat: meaning it will boost the spell up one or two spell slots.(I'm in favor of two.) This means you cannot use this feat on spells that are two or less spell slots away from your highest level, and you could never use it on 7th or 8th level spells. Thus you cannot use this feat on your most powerful spells.

I'm in support of it, but then I don't really care for buying components... Or seeking out trainers for spells... Or memorizing spells. So I don't know why I play a spellcaster at all. ><

[Lathander]

the wizard or cleric in your party runs out of a vital component (or hey, they absentmindedly forgot to stock up), but they are still able to deflect or vaporise that horde of monsters coming for you.

That's their problem! No bail outs!!

[Nysan]

Restrict it to a metafeat, the lines of 3 levels above guideline or something similar, and the overpoweredness fades away. I would use this for certain spells often on several of my characters. Cutting the manure harvesting time is always good in my book.