Mage's Bag of Tricks

As stated on p. M9, all mages have a bag of that contains various substances used as spell components. But there are no rules to deal with spell components. These rules attempt to rectify this gap.

The magic bag is usually a small pouch filled with herbs, stones, chalk, etc. Treat this as $100 worth of miscellaneous materials, including the pouch.

Every month the mage needs to replenish some supplies that have been used, gone stale, or otherwise become useless. The cost of maintaining the ingredients is approximately $10/month. Various penalties will accrue if this is not done.

If a mage is without his "bag of tricks", all spellcasting is at -1, and all ceremonial magic is at -3. If a mage has not replenished for a month, one college of spells, GM's choice, is at a -1 penalty. Each further month that the pouch is not replenished, another college gets the -1 penalty. After four months, treat as if the mage had lost his pouch, including the need to replace the whole pouch.

These rules can be used as a control mechanism by the GM. As long as the GM feels things are going well and players are not abusing spells, price and availability remain stable. This cost or availability could change if mages or spells get out of hand. The mage bag could also be the reason for adventuring. Perhaps the mage needs a component for his Teleport spell that has suddenly become rare. He needs to hire some stout adventurers to accompany him on the quest for Mountain Goat bladder.