Use for Prestidigitation?

[Tboy1492]

So I’m looking through and concidering spells for my Kobold sorcerer for when my group resumes. We are converting to 5e from 3.5 and are basically restarting since we lost a number of players due to irl stuffs. One of the issues i see is we are unlikely to have material components. Given Prestidigitation allows you to create snob magical object, could I use that object as a component or focus? Or a tool (even though it doesn’t last long..)

[ImproperJustice]

Yeesh, why would you not have material components?

Will your fighters be without swords and theives without tools?

If you have an arcane focus (could be a wand, a hat, or any object of your choice), you can ignore the requirements for material components.

[Avonar]

Yeesh, why would you not have material components?

Will your fighters be without swords and theives without tools?

If you have an arcane focus (could be a wand, a hat, or any object of your choice), you can ignore the requirements for material components.

Almost. If the material has a stated value (a diamond worth 300GP for example) then you must have it. Otherwise, a focus will replace any material components. Bear in mind this can just be a simple wand or staff that you can buy for 10GP or so.

[Asmotherion]

It's very usefull for various reasons.

One of the most important reasons I never leave it out of my picks on every character I play is hygien. With the ability to Clean or Soil 1 cubic foot, I use it to keep my characters clean during the adventuring day; No more questions of "how do you shower since we're in the middle ages, esspecially since you're camping most of your time?". This is my RP justification of "Because Magic". :3

Then, all the flashy tricks, from firecrackers, to lighting a campfire like a real mage; Say some worlds, wave your hand, and there you go, magic...
-I don't like the taste of my food? No problem, some magic will fix that.
-The barbarian took the liberty of drinking from my waterskin without asking... let's see how he likes the taste of what I ate last night... after the fact, obviously.
-You know how it is when you really need a small item at hand like a quill for a quick note or a knife to cut something really quickly, but you just can't find one at hand? Well, I don't know how that feels.

I could go on...

This, combined with Mending give you an insane abound of utility, only limited by the DM and what he does/does not want to allow. Some DMs love Creativity (including myself as a DM). Be creative, it's very rewarding in it's own right.

PS: Arcane Focci are kinda the "default" option for most who don't want to deal with material components... Those who do, (aka choose to play more old school casters on their own account), use component pouches. Either way, you can't substitute a material component that has a cost, because something made with prestidigitetion...well has no RAW cost, as it was not bought :P You can always try to use something like that as a material component, but it's like practically asking your DM to create an Arcane Accident of variable magnitude.

If you're willing to invest a homebrew feat on it, and buy/create during downtime a homebrew Improved Arcane foccus that would cost something above 1000 GP, I as a DM would be willing to allow you to "never consume spellcasting components when you cast a spell". You would still need to buy and provide said components, as part of casting the spell, just be able to recycle them for economy. None of this is Raw, I'm just giving my views on your issue.

[Tboy1492]

Yeesh, why would you not have material components?

Will your fighters be without swords and theives without tools?

If you have an arcane focus (could be a wand, a hat, or any object of your choice), you can ignore the requirements for material components.

Our situation were starting without equipment or even clothing, or memories, in chains. On the way to a prison with super anti magic zoning (at the prison. We’re in transit to it still. Fun times right?)
originally with 3.5 I was using escrow materials to bypass most of the non costly components.

[Tboy1492]

It's very usefull for various reasons.

One of the most important reasons I never leave it out of my picks on every character I play is hygien. With the ability to Clean or Soil 1 cubic foot, I use it to keep my characters clean during the adventuring day; No more questions of "how do you shower since we're in the middle ages, esspecially since you're camping most of your time?". This is my RP justification of "Because Magic". :3

Then, all the flashy tricks, from firecrackers, to lighting a campfire like a real mage; Say some worlds, wave your hand, and there you go, magic...
-I don't like the taste of my food? No problem, some magic will fix that.
-The barbarian took the liberty of drinking from my waterskin without asking... let's see how he likes the taste of what I ate last night... after the fact, obviously.
-You know how it is when you really need a small item at hand like a quill for a quick note or a knife to cut something really quickly, but you just can't find one at hand? Well, I don't know how that feels.

I could go on...

This, combined with Mending give you an insane abound of utility, only limited by the DM and what he does/does not want to allow. Some DMs love Creativity (including myself as a DM). Be creative, it's very rewarding in it's own right.

PS: Arcane Focci are kinda the "default" option for most who don't want to deal with material components... Those who do, (aka choose to play more old school casters on their own account), use component pouches. Either way, you can't substitute a material component that has a cost, because something made with prestidigitetion...well has no RAW cost, as it was not bought :P You can always try to use something like that as a material component, but it's like practically asking your DM to create an Arcane Accident of variable magnitude.

If you're willing to invest a homebrew feat on it, and buy/create during downtime a homebrew Improved Arcane foccus that would cost something above 1000 GP, I as a DM would be willing to allow you to "never consume spellcasting components when you cast a spell". You would still need to buy and provide said components, as part of casting the spell, just be able to recycle them for economy. None of this is Raw, I'm just giving my views on your issue.

I’m more thinking just for the non costly bits like “some wool” or “colored sand” types, but apparently it only makes trinkets (my bad for not reading the spell as thoroughly as I aught to have

[Eradis]

If you have an arcane focus (could be a wand, a hat, or any object of your choice), you can ignore the requirements for material components.

I am curious, I will probably read the rules in the book again soon for this, but does it work with ritual casting too (ex.: Find Familiar)?

[JackPhoenix]

I am curious, I will probably read the rules in the book again soon for this, but does it work with ritual casting too (ex.: Find Familiar)?

Find Familiar has costly component that is consumed during the casting. Foci nor component pouch work, you'll have to buy it.

[Eradis]

Find Familiar has costly component that is consumed during the casting. Foci nor component pouch work, you'll have to buy it.

What is considered costly then? Where is the line between you can skip component if you use your focus or not?

[Crgaston]

What is considered costly then? Where is the line between you can skip component if you use your focus or not?

If there is a cost indicated for the component in the spell description, a focus won’t work... you have to have that specific component. Not that unlike previous editions, the component is only consumed if indicated in the spell description. So some can be reused.

[Wilko]

What is considered costly then? Where is the line between you can skip component if you use your focus or not?

There are three versions of material components now;
Basic ones which can be replaced by an arcane focus,
Required components - anything with a quoted price not noted as consumed, which you are required to have before you can cast the spell.
Consumed components - anything with a quoted price and the notation "which the spell consumes" or similar.

Mage Armour needs;

Components: V, S, M (a piece of cured leather)

you can replace the whole thing with a focus, or use the a piece of leather, which will be just fine and can be used again. (Basic)

The identify spell requires the following;

Components: V, S, M (a pearl worth at least 100 gp and an owl feather)

which means you MUST have the pearl, the feather can be replaced by a focus, but you KEEP the pearl, it can be used again and again. (Required)

Find Familiar requires;

Components: V, S, M (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier)

So you MUST have the charcoal, incense, and herbs, and after the spell they are GONE. (Consumed)

[Sigreid]

Our situation were starting without equipment or even clothing, or memories, in chains. On the way to a prison with super anti magic zoning (at the prison. We’re in transit to it still. Fun times right?)
originally with 3.5 I was using escrow materials to bypass most of the non costly components.

Sounds like you're playing Elder Scrolls.

[The_Jette]

Our situation were starting without equipment or even clothing, or memories, in chains. On the way to a prison with super anti magic zoning (at the prison. We’re in transit to it still. Fun times right?)
originally with 3.5 I was using escrow materials to bypass most of the non costly components.

You're just not going to be able to cast spells until you get an arcane focus, or a spell component pouch. Sounds like a terrible situation to start your game out, but I'm not your DM. With any luck, you'll kill a first level wizard on your way to escaping the transport that you're in, and be able to cast from that point on. Check through your spells and cantrips for anything that doesn't have a material component. Maybe you'll get lucky. But, that being said, you're pretty well screwed if you don't even have your spell book.

[Tboy1492]

You're just not going to be able to cast spells until you get an arcane focus, or a spell component pouch. Sounds like a terrible situation to start your game out, but I'm not your DM. With any luck, you'll kill a first level wizard on your way to escaping the transport that you're in, and be able to cast from that point on. Check through your spells and cantrips for anything that doesn't have a material component. Maybe you'll get lucky. But, that being said, you're pretty well screwed if you don't even have your spell book.

Yeah, it’s a rough starting campaign. I wish we could continue from where we were before but were converting editions because we had irl strife with some of the players. I used Mage Hand last time to lift the key from the jailers belt while he was whipping one of the other players unconscious. Had a nice little escape fight which ultimately failed. We had a sort of successful escape with help from one of our favorite npc’s whom was missing from one of my Halfling Druid’s screwups. It was a 1 in 14,000 chance for the event of that npc appearing so i am a little upset about the reset. But still, I’ve got my answer for the cantrip for 5e.
I was hoping to use the sleep spell to knock out NPC’s so we don’t have as hard a fight escaping, but without components or a way around it I’ll have to be a bit more selective in my spell selection.

Thanks all for the advice and comments!

[Tboy1492]

Sounds like you're playing Elder Scrolls.

Certainly does lol! Yeah basically the only city on this just messed up area in the south has a noble house that uses prisoners as slavery labor to mine salt. You go in, you don’t come out. I think they are being checked for necromancy, and I think we might be part of that check, which could be part of why they don’t have proper paperwork on us or our abilities. The mind wipe was a player idea for ways to keep the prisoners in check, it was created by players by the way :-)

[tieren]

I would make a list of the actual components you need and keep an eye out for them. If its a bit of charcoal or a scrap of leather, you may be able to find them in the environment as you play.

Sleep for example requires a pinch of fine sand, rose petals, OR a cricket. I would expect to find sand, and possibly even a cricket in a prison. If you find sand and it isn't fine enough maybe your character walks along with some coarse sand in his hand and a couple of pebbles he keeps rubbing together (eventually to create fine sand).

[Tboy1492]

I would make a list of the actual components you need and keep an eye out for them. If its a bit of charcoal or a scrap of leather, you may be able to find them in the environment as you play.

Sleep for example requires a pinch of fine sand, rose petals, OR a cricket. I would expect to find sand, and possibly even a cricket in a prison. If you find sand and it isn't fine enough maybe your character walks along with some coarse sand in his hand and a couple of pebbles he keeps rubbing together (eventually to create fine sand).

The sand is a maybe, this specific instance were in a ship. Might be some sand kicking about. The prison has strong anti magic stuff going on, basically any kind of supernatural or magic ability dies not work. Though we won’t be starting there, just on the way there. Once there I’m sure getting sand will be easy assuming we don’t escape before then. And if we can’t and manage to escape it would be useful once away at least.

[Zene]

One of my characters needs to eat a pound of bones every day or die. He uses prestidigitation to clean the meat/blood/etc off of the dead bodies he runs across while adventuring, to get nice clean bones.

[Eradis]

One of my characters needs to eat a pound of bones every day or die. He uses prestidigitation to clean the meat/blood/etc off of the dead bodies he runs across while adventuring, to get nice clean bones.

I'm guessing your character is hoarding some for rainy days. Traveling through plains and peaceful hamlets won't get you enough corpses to satisfy your character's troublesome needs without killing.

[Spacehamster]

If there is a cost indicated for the component in the spell description, a focus won’t work... you have to have that specific component. Not that unlike previous editions, the component is only consumed if indicated in the spell description. So some can be reused.

Speaking of item cost components, our group always hand waves the item and have it reduce the casters gold supply by its value instead, any of you do this?

[Eradis]

Speaking of item cost components, our group always hand waves the item and have it reduce the casters gold supply by its value instead, any of you do this?

I'm from the school of thought that one necessity of playing a Wizard is to think ahead, hence the spell preparation and the components required when the focus is not enough. You want to always be prepared no matter what? That's the Monk's job (no armor, nor weapon needed). Otherwise, the scholars have to get their supply before hand. Though I did put a number of general use from the component pouch in the past. So whatever spell you used, you had the requirement in that pouch up to X uses. It's cheating it a bit, but still in a limited way. The more experience the group I play with, the less tweaking I put in management. Only thing I never care to manage is the carrying weight as I just go with common sense there, and if needed (never happened), we run the numbers.