Spell Components

The rules about how spell components work when casting are located here. But it can also help to understand what these components might mean to spellcasters.

Shouting out verbal components forces magic out into the world via a word laden with magical power. Spells that require only a verbal component tend to be direct and forceful, such as power word kill or power word stun. Verbal components are especially unsubtle, so spells that benefit from stealth, such as invisibility, might not have any verbal components in favor of having somatic components, material components, or both.

Somatic components, such as twisting your hand in a complex gesture, shape magical energy into directed forms. While verbal components bring forward powerful forces, somatic components compel those forces to obey the spellcaster's wishes. Spells that have only somatic components typically have a physical effect or require touching a creature.

Material components aren't ubiquitous like somatic and verbal components. They're used primarily for spells with physical effects, especially ones with a longer duration or that alter or control a large area, such as walls or zones of dangerous terrain. A material component pouch typically contains everything you need. This doesn't mean the materials are interchangeable, though—one spell might need powdered iron and another a particular gemstone.

Certain spells have focus components, objects of concentrated power that don't get used up in the same way that material components do. Essential for shaping and attuning the magic of the spell, these might be intriguing and elegant items in their own right.