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Pathfinder Unchained / Esoteric Material Components / Implementing Esoteric Components

Mandatory Components

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 151
If esoteric components are mandatory, casting any spell that requires a material component requires expending the proper amount of esoteric material components instead. A 6th-level wizard casting fireball must expend 18 gp worth of entropic resin, and can expend 36 gp worth to make the spell more powerful with its greater component effect. If he doesn’t have enough components, he can’t cast the spell. However, if he had 15 gp worth of entropic resin, he could cast the fireball at caster level 5th. A spell that doesn’t require material components can be cast normally, but the caster can choose to expend esoteric components for the greater component effect.

Under this system, a spell component pouch includes 1 gp worth of each common component, plus an additional 1 gp worth of a common type of the buyer’s choice. Requiring esoteric components significantly impacts a spellcaster’s treasure acquisition, so the mandatory components variant should be used with caution, especially if the campaign already uses variants that make spellcasting less powerful (such as limited magic; see page 146). Include esoteric components in most treasure hoards and in NPC spellcasters’ gear.

Lowering Your Caster Level

A spellcaster using esoteric material components can voluntarily cast a spell as though she had a lower caster level. This means if she doesn’t have enough components—or would like to save some money—she can still cast a less effective version of the spell. She can’t lower her caster level to be lower than the level at which she could cast the spell. Table 4–7: Esoteric Material Component Cost shows this value for clerics, druids, and wizards, but a spellcaster with a slower progression has the same limitation. A bard couldn’t cast a 3rd-level spell at a caster level lower than 7th, for example.

For spells that don’t continue to increase in power after a certain caster level, it’s usually best for the spellcaster to cast that spell as though she were a lower caster level to reduce the cost of her esoteric components.