[OOC] Noble Hubris

[Mindsiege]

Originally Posted by Mindsiege

I won't mind if everybody does multiple posts before the next GM update. I know it sometimes gets difficult to get the interparty roleplay under your belt when the adventure's action demands the adventurers' attention, so I think it's good to get Baxan, Namfoodle, and Punxl caught up as soon as possible now that you chose to do so.

Also, I just realized that your party in particular might want to acquire a brass brazier if and when you'll make your excursion into the West Marches. It's an important part of the component for summoning a familiar.

[secretID]

I had a lot of questions about that when I started playing 5e. Nothing like that item is in the PHB. Crawford has since said that's it's not really required, and every DM I've played with has just required some means of controlled fire, or has just completely ignored it.

[Mindsiege]

Originally Posted by secretID

I had a lot of questions about that when I started playing 5e. Nothing like that item is in the PHB. Crawford has since said that's it's not really required, and every DM I've played with has just required some means of controlled fire, or has just completely ignored it.

I've come to take what Crawford stipulates with a grain of salt. Like any rules lawyer, he'll spin the rules in order to make them fit his own way of doing things. One time he'll say that the RAW are so supreme that they should override logical fallacies in the game system ("it's not a bug, it's a feature"), the next time he'll tell you to ignore a very clear-cut descriptor of a highly common spell's material component.

The way I see it, summoning a familiar requires a ceremonial bowel to burn the incense and other components in it. I know that there are a lot of GMs that handwave material components entirely (let me warn anybody who runs the Identify spell that I don't), but I take them to be an important part of the game. Not only do they add verisimilitude to the game world by demonstrating that dealing with magic takes study and preparation, but they also provide an opportunity cost to very strong mechanical benefits.

All of that said, the rules are pretty clear about this. Your spellcasting focus can function as any material component without a gold cost. So I suppose that I'm fine to rule that simply burning the incense material while channeling the summoning magic through your spellcasting focus will suffice. There you are.

About the brass brazier, I expect it to be up to the GM to figure out a price for it. I also commonly tell my players to check the PHB for obvious items that they might wish to purchase, but ultimately the game world should be far more populated with purchasable items than what's mentioned in the PHB.

@edit:
This ruling is particularly relevant for Derek and Namfoodle, who do not possess an arcane focus at this time.

[Togot]

i don't mind purchasing a brazier, how much do they cost? also i bought ten days of travel rations since we are going into the wild. not sure if that will be enough or not but i figured we'd only be gone a day since west march games don't give long rests until they are finished

[secretID]

Yeah, I think it's perfectly reasonable to require the purchase, but guidance on pricing is needed. My first Wizards just bought iron pots, the closest thing listed. I think Crawford's interpretation that "they just mean any dish" is silly given the clear language of the spell, but I think he just realized that the designers screwed up by forgetting this very common item, and he didn't want to just make up a price.

[Mindsiege]

Originally Posted by Togot

i don't mind purchasing a brazier, how much do they cost? also i bought ten days of travel rations since we are going into the wild. not sure if that will be enough or not but i figured we'd only be gone a day since west march games don't give long rests until they are finished

1) It depends a bit on how fancy you want your brazier to be. I imagine that Derek would be able to find a brass brazier in a range between 5gp and 10gp. Let me know your preference about the cost and please give me a corresponding Investigation check, then I'll tell you Derek's available options on this short of a notice.

2) How much rations you need will depend on how many days you'll be adventuring outside the walls of West Haven.

3) The rules for long rests and the rules for sleeping can be separated. The adventure may take more than a single day but mechanically you'll not receive a long rest, no matter how often you sleep. Since replenishing mechanical resources through "resting" is a rather abstract concept, I'll let you flavour your lack of resources as you will. Just consider that your characters may have slept very well but your mechanical resources will not get restored by a night of good sleep.

Originally Posted by secretID

but I think he just realized that the designers screwed up by forgetting this very common item, and he didn't want to just make up a price.

That might very well be how his answer came about. It's how he strikes me at least.

[Togot]

Since Derek has some money now, and Nephala is important to him, he'd like a decent one,

Dice instigation:

d20+5

(11)+5

Total = 16

but isn't too picky.

[Mindsiege]

Originally Posted by Togot

Since Derek has some money now, and Nephala is important to him, he'd like a decent one, but isn't too picky.

The 10gp ones are definitely the easiest to come by as there are a few merchants prepared for Westhaven's wizarding scene. They are both decent work and prettier to look at than the other options.

[Togot]

alright i'll take one of those then, thanks

[Mindsiege]

@LeDragon:
While looming over the character sheets a bit more, I've noticed that Namfoodle might have one spell too many prepared. I think for a level 2 (on his sheet he is noted as lvl 1) wizard with 16 INT it would be five spells that he can prepare. If that's right you will have to prepare one spell less, in which case I would recommend unpreparing Protection from Evil & Good which has a material component with a gold cost that Namfoodle currently doesn't have in his possession.

[BarrowB]

Aurora's shopping list:

-1cp Sack
-1cp Whetstone
-6sp Oil (flask) x6
-5sp Blanket
-2gp Dagger
-2gp Vial x2
-4gp Bottle, Glass x2 (I was looking for glass jars but couldn't find any. If allowed, I would like to make those two bottles glass jars instead.)
-2gp Crowbar
-2gp Grappling Hook
-2gp Manacles

Full cost: 15,12 GP

[Togot]

do i want to know what the manacles are for?

[BarrowB]

Originally Posted by Togot

do i want to know what the manacles are for?

They are for negotiations.

We don't want our victims informants to struggle, while we torture ask questions.

[Mindsiege]

@BarrowB:
That shopping list checks out for me and is readily available. Let's say for that 2gp per jar, Aurora was able to acquire some jars with pretty nice glasswork.

@Togot:
Incidentally, Derek appears to be lugging a pair of manacles around with him as well.

[Togot]

those came with my background, though i was planning to role play it as him putting them on the first undead he raises just to be safe in case it isn't under his control