Spell Components and Item Crafting

I've put together a bunch of my thoughts on spell components and magic item crafting (and, actually, Wizards learning spells too). Here's what I've come up with:

Spell Components

• Expensive material components are removed from all spells. In theory, the spells should be rebalanced for their omission, but since spell balance is a joke, there's no point.
• Every spell has V, S, and M components. The material component can be anything thematically appropriate, either to the spell or to the caster. Casters are encouraged, but not required, to provide some description of how they cast their spells, just as martial characters are encouraged, but not required, to provide some description of their attacks.
• A character with a spell focus can omit any one of the three components. Most casters therefore cast spells with a flourish of their wand and a magic word.
• A character can use an action to pre-cast a spell, and thus omit any one of the three components. The pre-casting only lasts until the end of their next turn, and then fades without effect. This can be combined with the use of a focus to require only one component.
• A character can omit all three components by casting the spell with a slot one level higher. Doing so gives no additional effect (so is seldom worthwhile).
• There are four types of Power Components: Lore, Special Materials, Reagents, and Residuum. A character may choose to expend a quantity of Power Components (any type) when casting a spell. Doing so causes the spell to be treated as though cast with a slot one level higher than is actually used, to a maximum of the highest slot the character can cast normally. (So a 7th level caster could boost a fireball but not an ice storm.) The Power Component boost is always added last, and the quantity of components expended is the level of the final spell slot squared.

Lore, Special Materials, Reagents, Residuum

• Lore is an accumulation of mystic secrets. It can take the form of written lore, secret knowledge, or even just captured memories.
• Special Materials are things like meteorite iron, orichalcum, powdered unicorn horn, sacred artifacts, and similar - anything of mystic significance that is reasonably durable.
• Reagents are similar, but typically organic in nature. They are also prone to decay - reagents must be used during the adventure in which they are recovered, or by the end of the downtime period immediately thereafter, or they are lost.
• Residuum is raw, unprocessed magic.

Power Components cannot be bought. In general they can be accumulated as treasure. Additionally, when Wizards gain levels they gain enough Lore to learn two spells of the highest level they can cast. Artificers gain the same number of Power Components; these can be in any form the character prefers.

Crafting Magic Items

To craft a magic item, a character must meet three prerequisites:

1. They must be of the stated character level or above. (Class doesn't matter.)
2. They must purchase materials for crafting equal to a quarter of the base price of the item.
3. They must provide the required Power Components needed to construct the item (which will vary from item to item - scrolls require Lore, potions require Reagents, and almost everything else requires some combination).

That done, the character can spend a downtime period crafting the desired item.

Magic items can also be broken down into Power Components - doing so recovers half the components used in the construction of the item (with each component rounded down). The gold expended is lost.

Buying and Selling Magic Items

In any given settlement, one or more magic items can be found for sale - the specific items should be rolled if characters go looking. Items can be purchased at their modified base price. Magic items can be sold at their modified sale price.

A character can also commission an item construction (for instance, if they don't meet the level requirement). Doing so requires them to supply the Power Components. At the end of the next downtime period, they can then purchase the item at the base price (unmodified).

Learning Spells

A Wizard can no longer learn spells from captured spellbooks or scrolls. These items now provide a source of Lore that can be used for any applicable purpose.

Wizards instead learn spells by expending Lore. Learning a spell requires an expenditure of Lore depending on the level of the spell. At the end of the next period of downtime, the Wizard adds the spell to his spellbook.