ge of ~ewt ano.
Toe of froil
115I1{(1POWEIZ
o
by Jim Bishop and F. Wesley Schneider· illustrated by David Walhstrum
TI
power componenTs optional rule in the lJuNacON
MASTfR's Guide gi ....es an alternaTive to spending XP
on spells and magic items. Instead of using personal
energy to power a spell, a spellcasler may SUbslilule
a special maTerial componenT. These "power components"
arc rare and very valuable, and mighT even be a secret
known only 10 a few spellC3$1ers.
InTroducing power components InfO a campaign has many
advantages. You can use them 10 motivale the player char-
acters, draWing them inlo sITuations They wouldn', olher'Nise
consider wilh queSTS for rare maTerials. Power components
also serve as a form of freasure for monsters Ihal do nOI
hoard wealth, most notably animals, many magical beasts.
and vermin. Because the martel for power components is
entirely up 10 The OM, rnis form of freasure is easily con-
Irollable and carries a low risk of unbalancing a game.
Using obscure parIS of monSlers as ingredients for spell-
casling also adds flavor 10 lhe game. You're free 10 decide
exaClly how much Ihe PCs and olher inhabitants of your
.....orld know about Ihe subjecl-a quest for a power compo-
nent might begin with locaTing a sage or intelligenl monSTer
who can provide the necessary recipe. Once The informa-
tion is In hand, The parly sli11 musT hun! down the creature
in question.
f inally. if power components can be boughl on the open
market, ,hey provide a handy way of .separating PCs from
'heir hard-earned gold. While low-end components don',
break The bank. a' higher levels. ,hey run inlO The lens of
Thousands of gold pieces.
INJl(ODUCl/irA.'lP lISI~l'O\fER. COA\PO/IENT';-
Although the lJuNGcON MAsrrRs Guick warns thaI power
componentS have the po'enllallo remove the only hard
coorrol on creating magic items and casting powerful speJis
(XP), this is largely dependant on their implementation and
use. Being bonuses for making skillful use of defeated
threats, power components can offer new options and
resources TO canny characters of various classes. Also, by
following The rules and suggeSTions presen,ed in This article,
these campaign options should pose lillIe risk of unbalancing
your game.
Power components do have Ihe potential 10 slgniflcanlfy
influence a game-world's economy. Because of their markel
value and the dense population of monslers in moSt cam-
paigns, a party could honl down low-CR creaTures 10 col-
lect power componenTS land profit) with Unle personal risk.

POWEl( COA\po~S'fO!Z SI'ElLXP Co...,.,;-

'pol Creature Co"'ponefll XP Value MINt Prite
A/OfIemt!rlf
(ell~ or neuIral C41~'er)
Uadrin, ghaele ""n 5" 2,500 gp

Af~1 De... ,I, k:e I~) H<o" 5" ~,500 til

(good or neurral casler)
A""'~ Elder elemental 1II1"I)I) Vile! esscrl(:e '50 1.250 IP
C- Ta,1
(ev~ or neutr;,! casler) """"
Dtmon. sua:lb.I,
~ 5 OO 8P

C""'"""'"
(good or nevi'" ~Ier) "'" '00 5 00 lip

.
G~fe Devil. homed Icomugonl

,..-
Powdered br.kn '.000 ~ooo ..
.... R. "'"
,.-
lJrrolr«J wdh
"'~ '00 1.500 gp
TreMll, eIdef"' Roors III) ~ ,~

(evil Of" neulrai USfCl")

SIa.ad. bIId;'
(sood Of" IleUr,.., U$ferl '''' ~ooo ~5,000 gp

p""""""Y
lMrlo--. NlghrsNde. ~ '.000
'''' ~ooogp

--
Defa:,~ M.Jmmy lord 'Wrappongs I..) 500 ~·SOO !P
!of.Ieic (illig. gr"UW" Oraton. bbd:., ...ery old 'M8' 1.500 7,500 gp ~.~ l\0IJf: \Thllllt50.>{u1 In
Anaxlm' •riw c~M\On of fL1~"CW"'~ olJ><\~
"".,.
""-flC SpMre ~. pIlSlmlIOC, """ ""'"
Powdered g,uiI
3,500
4.500
17,500 gp
n·500Sp flre-l\~i;rtn!3 \t~ CMl' nt~
r..u...'11 In ~·qllir\n.9 611Ck. pr\1~ ~
",,",..
young .0011. cdestial'
Symbol o( de~lh W,rlle .....,gh'· 4.000 20.000 !P \nwort,w to 11OC~
Symbol of pollrl ( ... ,1 Cle-ric. 20lh Ie...el or h.gher 2·500 12,500 til It \; ~~\W~ df\: ,~¥.;..~
c~6.run~ .
Pt.mM" ./Iy Nlghlmare. Clychemar Hooves 1~1Il '50 1~50 gp .IDO. QangZroll.. lx3.st~.
PbnM" "Ny, 8'"Nfer $l;tild. deMh Crushed ct(JW1 !II) 500 2..500 8P IN! ,"uptniMuri! fi re t\o.M bl.Lm~
Pt.JnM" ~lfy, kwet" Staad, red Powdered foang, '00 sootp 11\11 tNn: \h'~ f~ quicklY upvi'
NJo'..\....
ResfOl"MIOn, ~"tr
SlffIul.Jcrum
Unicom, celestial ehlrser
GoIem. greatef Slone
Hom

"'"
500
1,000
2.500 gp
~.ooo gp /<"" Thu<.• &.!ir
Vi e
\.\l'
cd\ect:~ qu\c
01"" t\o.n
t\?
olJ><\
ntUSf
In>
V-...., U.r hill Facered eyes
'" 500 gp f\I\eO. "in-. il ~cl~ oil
..,."'" 0rwtI~ !oId. wyrm
"'~ ~ooo 15-000 8P ~ov.-.; ~ fWna.~ to bum.
'From me epic level ~
 However, a party could do this regardless of whether
power components are avaUable or not, MOST groups
choose nOI to, though, simply because Ihere are more
interesTing Ihings to do.
How power components are presented is also largely up
to Ine OM and Ine campaign's flavor. Rather Inan being
widely accepted, there could be prohibiTions <lg<linsl buying
<lnd selling power components. M<lybe Ihe local council of
druids has outlawed trading in creature pans, or the mar-
ket might be entirely underground, and for Ihe pes to buy
or sell power componenls, lhey must bre<lk SlriCI local laws.
These possibilities can Significantly Intluence how PCs view
power components and can make them ingredients for a
Wide variety of adventures.
If Ihe OM wanls 10 add these 0Plions 10 an existing game
or give Ihe PCs a more active part in Iheir discovery, it
could require a Knowledge check (of Ihe kind relating to a
creature's type) or Spellcraft check 10 leam about power
components. Making such checks allows the PCs to feel that
they have performed a noteworThy fe at in discovering
Ihese possibilities, bUI il also relains the OM's conTrol of
where, when, and how They are found. The only downside
10 this more mysterious interpretation of power compo-
nents is that it could prevenl Ihe widespread use and trade
of harveSTed iTems, as only someone else who has alre<ldy
discovered Iheir secrets will be willing to pay for Them.
Another way to maintain The unusual and powerful feel
of power componems is 10 make Them a"ailable only from
The rarest creatures. This doesn't mean only The most pow-
erfu l creaTures, though. The PCs might still be able to har-
'1esl as many giant fire beetle oil ducrs as they want, they
jusl ha"e to travel to Ihe remole island volc<lno where the
creatures live. This Irealment assures Ihal quests 10 seek
OUI power components will not be underTaken lightly.
Regardless of how you inlroduce power components into
your game, keep in mind Ihe effects they can have on your
world's economy and system of magic. and make sure thaI
you and your players favor these changes. Also, remember
Ihat the tables below <Ire merely meant 10 be suggestions,
not comprehensive, nor suited to every camp<lign. Allow as
m<lny or as few of these power componenls as suil your
game. and feel free to create your own.
..<\KVEst ANP TII.'II(5POIJ
Now that the PCs have discovered the existence of power
components, found the speCific ingredients for their spell or
iTem. and hunted down Ihe creature in question, what's next?
The answer depends on the speCific componenT and mon-
sTer. Sawing off The hom of a giant sTag beeTle, taking a suit-
ably useful couat!'s feather. or OTher simple task should
require a DC 10 Survival check. However, a more complex
task could raise The DC or Ihis check significanlly. such as +5
to sfrip lhe ridges from a displacer beast's tentacles or +10
to exlract a wraith's eClopiasm, depending on how compli-
cated The OM deems the operation. Failing such a check indi-
cates thaI the power component was ruined in the a"empl 10
harvesl il. To aid in this check, characters who possess 5 or
more ranks in the Knowledge skill related 10 the crealure
type they are harvesting from (such as Knowledge (dun-
geoneering) for aberrations and OOles or Knowledge (Ihe
planes) for oUlslders) gain a +2 synergy bonus to these
Survival checks.
Once harvested, power components require special care
to avoid losing their potency. If left untreated, a power

,'. ,',.. \"n$ D3J~>rOL"; I\tt\~

,:,n~ - ' p f\\clr SIMII stu. POWI?f COpolU'nrg for A\\glc Irm XJ' ('osr~
b\I.#~-r:'t ~t ~ oct:,,\;\on~\ lIS\! In Magic Itern Crulurll COTllporllln1 xp V.llHI M.rkel Price
)\-..vlf wu 9S In - on;) th& Armor
iNm'; (p..\Jt\~\l\,my por\
Bimded IMII of Iud Dr.lgQn. brvnlc. adull Chesl scales (,n) 756
l!1~e tI-e ,,,,,-"I" fO f\.Y. 3,7&0 8P
BreJ1SlpIofe of r:omm.Jnd Angel, planel!ll' WingS 1.016 5,080 gp
1Jcmoo~_ DeVIl, homed kornugonl. 2'~ HO Cornplele hide 2,090 1045 0 8P
Spm«1 sJueld Foend,sh mllo\licorc. 16. HD Tall "3 1·1I58P
Wi~shidd An;hcn. Irumpel '4. HI) Fllghl feallters (all) 6" 3,<l50 8P
Weapons
Datf8er 01 V~ Dev,1, bar~ (hamalula) Ct-anial sp....e 3J' 1,660 8P
fb~IOOJIUt! Dragon. red. ilduh T~""
HoIy/Jv~~r

SI:JY!n8 8fTO""
Angel. :;Qiar paladin '51 Ivl or hfther Spme
Bas,T,sk Sp....es (all)
'"
4,825
<I,'458P
2<1. 1258P
9' <l5Sgp
"'p~
PotlOn' and Oils
Slirge -,' S Z5 gp

Crt's gnIU Krensh.ar 6,,,,

Cure I1I()(/er;Jle wounds
Cure w;ocn WOIJnds
Gi~IlT
l~
bee '"Adnmal
Royal tel)' (am
gland
"
"3' 60 gp
'SO gp
&sic's splendDr Half-celEsrllll eagle feaThers (all)
" 6,,,,
ny Pegasus Hooves (aR) 3' 150 gp
fox's r:urmJf1lf
Hn/~
SpriTe, nl.1t
OirMlsatlr. demonycnus
Scales (all)
Toe cia ...., (all) " ,,'"
'5 0 gp
3'
inVlSibJiry Spn Te,8 rrg Anlt:I1l1ae 608P
Owls wi5dom Pseudodragoo Cru~ scales (all)
" ,,'"
R", Go.",1 wasp Powdered Sllf'I8I!!' "3' 'Sogp

46 March 2004
component becomes unusable in ld6 days. This period of
usefulness can be discerned by a making a DC 12 SpeUcrafr
check, and a charaCler can even extend iTby making a
successful DC IS Craft (alchemy) check. Succeeding al Ihis
Craft (alchemy) check prolongs Ihe power component's
usefulness by I week. plus an addilional I week for every 5
points Ihe character succeeds al Ihis check. Thus, if a char-
acter makes a Crafl (alchemy) check of 28, they are able to
add 3 weeks 10 a single componenl'S usefulness. However,
if the charaCler fails this Craft (alchemy) check. lhey either
do nol eXTend the component's freshness (if they fail by
less Than 5) or render Ihe componenT useless (if They fail
by 5 or more). Once a power component's polency has
been eXTended. iT cannot be eXTended again. 80th Ihe gentle
repose spell and unglJenl of timelessness can also greatly
eXTend a power component's "shelf life."
Supernalural components, such as demon humors. ele-
mental remains, ectoplasm, or formian royal jelly, must be
slored in an airlighl conTainer made from a nonporous
maTerial, such as glass.
Some power components are listed along with a descrip-
Tor IhaT denOTes processing, such as ~dried.ti "powdered,"
or ""rendered." 8dore such iTems can be used, they must be
properly TreaTed, requiring a DC 10 Craf! (alchemy) check,
wilh a fa ilure of 5 or more resulTing in The destrUCTion of
Ihe componenl.
~cll\G'A,'UJ PW!l(G"PO\V£RCD~\)'O~;"
Choosing a value for a power componenl is easy. When the
componenl replaces an XP COSI for casting a spell or cre-
aTing a magiC iTem, ils markel price should be The number
of XP multiplied by 5.
Picking an appropriate crealure can be jusl as Simple. In
mosT cases, Ihe market price of a power componenT should
nOI exceed 20% of the treasure value a parTY of adventur-
ers should receive for overcoming an encounTer wiTh an EL
equal TO Ihe monsler's CR. If a creature's body conlains
muhiple power components, their 10lal value should not
exceed Ihal number. Of course, you can break Ihis guide-
line and exceed Ihal value if you wanl lo- especially With
crealures Ihal don', carry treasure or carry less Ihan Ihe
standard amount.
You might find it fun and useful to Ihematically link the
power components to the creature. for inslance, a young
blue dragon's longue might be used 10 pay for a wand of
lighming's XP COSI. Alternatively, power components might
have more arcane associalions. The reason why a Titan's
Ihumb replaces parI of The XP COSI of Ihe simulacrum spell.
for example, mighl be linked 10 some evenl in Ihe hiSTory of
your campaign world.
PO\V£R COA\PO~5" FOR. EXPEl(JEI(CE POINT CO;;r;"
"The Po.....er Componenls for Spell XP CoSls and Power
Components for Magie Item XP Costs tables prOVide a vari-
ety of examples for crealures and what componenTS might
COnlribule to the creaTion of a magiC item or ,he casllng of a
spell. When used in Ihe casling of a spell with an XP COST. a
power component counts as an additional material compo-
nent. Po.....er components are consumed afler they are used.
PO\V£RCD~\PO~;"IN P[,ICE OF GOrp PIECE;"
Power components can SUbsTilule for other CoslS besides XP.
For inSlilrlce. certain items could STand in for expensive male-
rial components used in spellcasling. A spell thaI nonnally

PO\\'l!f Coponents for },~tc Irtm Xl'Loors

MI(I!: "em Crealure Componon' XP V.Jue Mine, Priee
Rit,t!
.)ump"'8 DeVILhekal (beu,k,ra) FOOTpads ,M 500 gp
Prottt.tion ~, XO Scales (all) 80 400gPC
Sp6!sIorug m8fO'"
W"uarrJry (iI)
Demdoch. 2S+ HO '
5pelk.a51 ~r.

......,
"" ,,~
181t1levet or hisher Larynx ,.-
8.000 4o,OOO-gPC
8,000 gP

R_
Rod,
CMlcellilllOt'l Central eye ~.200 gp

lordly nHghl lnev!labit. miJ!"Ul, zS. HO

Draeon. gold, IIIlIture &dull
Gear column
Feel falll
'"
,.600 14.000 gp
12.000 gP
S'"_
511rr,
Archon, hound hero Hoon
'~M

'.000 5.000 gp

r~ Elemental. elder. l'ire 40+ HI) V,lal spaR. 7" 3-55 0 gp

r"", Dragon, while, wyrm Jaw bone ~,2So 11,250 gp
Cleric. 161h level or IMgher PoIm,
""'''''
p~~ Dragon. rorce. ..cIult' H~
'.110
8.4~0
5·550 gp
42,200 gP
WondrOtnl ITem!
Boots of the wmlerl:md5 R~"", Oned heal glands ~ 500 gp
CIo.!W. of,he bar N.ghlilhadt, n.gtu .... mg ~5' HD WIng membranes '.04 0 5·~OQ 8P 0u1bcdt'3 (,f.\.lV: f WD' I~
~unlk's of ogre ~r Ogre bamanilll. 6th !vi or higtltr R515 .60
6" '"
P/\,ddtory CJ"i!.l.IlIJ"i! snoulo bit
H;md of me m.we Mephll (iIflY) R.ghl hand l80gp dppr~khi.'3. "-ith C".in'.
Hom of bl.ul,n.!
Mtrror of hfe II"IJfJPh18
Ynnak, 27. HD
AitOpal"
Horn
r",
"8.000
6" 4.000 gp
4°,0008P
. !h\ilv.\.r dd\\'ii PI"O\'o.'~_
ChillY. J&7J r.
' I III COllC«rtOlr;
Well of rom)' worlds Tuan 3.~80 16,400 gp ! !nnn "",ir lrnblwr.9~<lto.'r
g
'From !he [pic level H31'1dboo« "'" tl.9fh or sr4}il!g pOW"r

WWoN.palzo.com/dragon 47

!-\.lr\·".,.rl'J'.,. Fkl.\ Kir
An Inillill ilUpccflon of on~ of
the~ thi ck le.Jtll/!T satchel!;
revenl~ wh.:tt looks 10 be Itte
contents of I particularly wdl·
shx~ed he.:ll~r·s ~'I. Howev~r.
among the varil;lUS cuuillE
,mpl~ments (v~rYlng from bone
~aws to ~alpelsl. s.f!rr"'o:<l
plns. tongs. pliers. unguents.
all,. and cult1Jr~ lars. there is
no ev,dence of ~ny materi,lIs
10 deiin or bandage II subject
.,fler the impl~d wrgery.
Perfecl for the swift Md prc·
cise e~ttacTIon of organ! and
olher bod,ly mat~roills. Ihi~
grom tOlllkll provides J _1 cir·
C1Jmstance bonus 0I"l all
Surv,val (hec~s made 10
eXlrJct power components ~nd
10 Craft lalchemyl checks 10
prepare or pre$l'Tve th~m
Cost: 60 gp: Weigl\!: 3 Ib~.
requires a powdered gem or reliquary, for
example, could work JUST as well wiTh fhe eyes
or hearT of a rare monSTer . .
These power componenTS compensaTe for the
enTire material componenTCOST of lhese spells,
and Thus need To be Taken from a creaTure chal-
lenging enough 10 leave behind a componenT of
sufficienT value. As previously nOled, a monsTer
shouldn'T granTa power componenT woMh more
than 20% of The lreasure of an encounter of
the same EL Using Ihis sySTem. characTers wilt
find lhaT "eaming" Their maTerial componenTS is
cheaper Than buying them, bUTmuch more dan-
gerous. The Power ComponenTs for Spell GP
Costs Table presents a lisl of example spells, the
associaTed creaTure, and the componenT ThaT
mighl be used in caSTing.
PO\VEIlCOAIJ'ONP!T~
AlW I{OI{ AWllC-\l ITEA\~
A final oplion is for ceMain power componenlS
To be used in place of material costs (in gold
pieces) when construCling nonmagical iTems.
Special subsTances and items are excellenTcan-
didates for This oplion.
In This case, the power componenTTakes fhe
place of fhe STandard raw maTerials, and The
cosl TO creale (in gold pieces) becomes 0 gpo A

Pow!?r Compotll?lIcs for 5"'1X'1I L06C'i

$peU NGme Montier Component M,rkel Price
Arulyzt: dw~r Lammasu. goldCfl proleclor Bram 1·5°0 gp
Alont:ment Demon, wtcubus TO"8l'e soogp
8fe» ""J/er MS'mal" fingers lalt)
'5&'
C"'" GoItm, day Pn"",t clily 1.0008P
CII'C~ of rk8rh Spectre ECTOplasm 500 gp
forblckLlnce Demon. ~tnever Eyes 1·5°0 gp
identIfy Archon, lanTer n Body '00 gp
£q{end /ore Genie, dl,nrn Tongue 250 gp
"",. 1M Vargou,lle Skull 100 gp
RIII~dad
RelnciJmBle
Nlghl5hade. nighrwalf.er
Couatl
""n
Wings
5-000 gp
1.000 gp
RUfora/IM lizard. monoror Ta,l 100 gp
Sep#J SII6U sigil Yuan·II, abom,l\iIl!on Tongue 5OO 8P
Shleid of IJ"" f"onni,Jn. liI5~nliJ51er Cranial carapace 500 gp
Symbol of dM/h Nighlsh."Kle, n,ghtwalker Patn\~ 5-000 gp
Symbol of fur Demon. bebl~lh MandIbles 1,000 gp
Symbol of mS8m1r SIaiJd. g"'Y B~" 5-000 gp
Symbol of piIIn Monstrous JeOrpion. Garganluan Slll"'fl,er ',000 gp
Symbol of pe~UlIS/o(/ Bard. '4'h level or higher TOI"lgue 50000 gp
S)lmboIof~p N'gt" Hag. '0. HD Hom~ 1.000 gp
Symbol of slUnmng Monk. 161h level or h,gher FIsts 5. 000 gP
Symbol of ""e"'~ De",I. homed (comugOl"l) RIdges (all) 50 000 .liP
Tekport8/lOn CIrcle rormoan. myrmarth Anlennae 1.000 gp
remporil/ SI8SlS tnevitable. mann Crushed gears (aI) 5,000 gP
True resurre;;11OI! OIwm' Heart 25. 000 gp
WISh Dragon, malure adult. gold HtarT '0.000 gp
'From the [pic Level HJmdbooIc

48 March 2004
 P()\\.·ef LompOrU:'nrs for 1{on h\.\BICi\1 Items
Craft Check Creature Compcll1enr
"~ Mertcr Price
Wupons
Masrerwork dawr Weaponsm,rhlng l'lOrd(ol Crarooal Kale
Masrerwooi. longbow Weaponsm,rh'ng Leg and s,new
5'"
OS"
"""""

_.
Masre~ Io<1gsword Weaponsmllhlng Otanr bee SI'nger 55gp
~Ierwori; snorTSpelir Weapon~m,rhong Crocod,1e Ta,1 bone 10 5 gp
MMrerwork spoked ch.1in Weilponsml'hong 5n<*e. COI1Slntlor Spine loggp

"""'"
&nded Ma,r Al'IIIONim,rhong Segmenrs (..II) 8Hp
fuM PlaTe
Masrerwooi. half.plale
M.1SIe~ lealher
Armonom,'hong
Armor:lm,rhong
Armorsm'lhong
Bulene
Toja!llda. adulT
GI¥II anI. worker
,....
Armor plales (alll

Dried t.'Il'/Ipate
soogP
250 gp
5Hp
M~terwori; full plare
Adventuring' (lear
Annorsm,lhing
""'~ "".. 550 gp

Ak:;hemosr's lab
Bell pouch
Magnifyong glass
0.1. I f1asI\
A"",my
WeaVIng

.....,.,
Glasswori.ing
Doppelganger
Tood
Monstrous spiider
.'"
Glands (aI)
"
GiUard
,67 til
,"
J<"
Cf\><U1Jn>s
dlcIw
mul,In ""IIl4gIcdI
Amt".u '"'fllln' I1St' .
t1o.e mlcd! Cl'edttons. Ir Is onlY from
do.ttOW of "'ry pCm·o.'rfid CWdllrrrs
'" IIIo.\I!}'
dIld

"" 3 '0

,,_
~
5pea.1 Subn.nc:es .nc! iteml :\trop,umost wr~t Iro.'l115 OOIllo?
AnhlQ)un A"""", MonSlrQUS Centipede Venom sacs '~d I dogfj'e5. fur !?x.lmp/j>, Cdn br
E... erbuming IQrch
~""""
Elemental. SmaI. rll'e V'Tal $par\I; ""
378P I f. n Cl\'dtIon of d mirror of
trolPPI/l9. ~ir... dot> rtsl ~n
Thwderslone
Ttndertwig .....,., Giani nre beetle
11I!n.1l8
" ..d
fingers (all) ""
4"
I i!
:T;"ucit poo.wrflJI /xolrJgs, sam .. ~.
t1w I\'\\'dr.\ wl'll \\'0,,", it.

successful Craft check is slill necessary 10 creaTe The iTem.
and if The check fails by 5 or more, The power componenT is
ruined. Crafting the item slill takes tOe normal amount of lime
(see page 70 of Ihe Pf8~r's Handboolc).
As in previous examples, the power components used
In The creation of Ihese iTems should accounl for no more
tha n 20% of the treas ure of an Encounter l evel of the
crea'ure's CR. The Power Components for Nonmagical
Items table presenls several example creatures. the
power componenTs they mighl have, and what items
could be crafled from Ihem. As above. Ihese are only
suggestions. and OMs should feel free to create Their own,
as long as rhey adhere 10 Ihe formula above, and the nec-
essary materials can conceivably be found wiThin the crea-
lures Ihey choose.
APVEI{JUR!O ~OOI(5"
Power componenls are a rich source of adventu re hooks
and scenario ideas. Because the iTems and spells in question
are linked to monSler CR. you can use The above IislS 10
avoid crealing encounlers Ihal are 100 easy or impossibly
hard. Here are a few suggestions for advenlures:
• A flood of anacks in oUllying villages by krenshars coin-
cides with a rash of daring robberies in a large town. When
the Pes invesTigaTe, they find that the Ihieves' guild is paying
bounties on the krenshars' tails, and poachers are chasing the
prides from their honflng grounds. The tails are going 10 guild
spelicasTers 10 brew poflons of eat's grace. which are in Tum
being used TO rob shops and houses around the cily .
• A ghOSTly dragon is Terrorizing a wizard's tower, and
the elderly caSTer begs the party for help. The creature
appears 10 be a adult gold dragon Ihal walks on jagged.
boney Slumps. It only appears on certain days of the
monTh, bUI The wizard pleads ignorance of The creature's
mOlives. A lillie research reveals ThaI The dragon was
hunled down by adventurers in the wizard's employ and
held captive in Ihe tower on the same days of Ihe month
Ihal the ghost now haunls iI. The wizard has a new rod of
rulership, which was cre,tTed wilh The dragon's claws.
• AfTer The party destroys a nest of basilisks in the
wilderness oulside of Town. a stranger offers a generous
sum of money for Ihe bodies. He refuses 10 explain what
he wants Them for and aTtemplS to steal Them if The party
won'l sell. The stranger is an assassin planning to use The
spines 10 creale slaying arrows.
• Rangers on Ihe frontier lell of an orc warlord who has
senl r unners fa r InlO The mountains in search of a beast
!haT slays wilh ils cry. The warlord intends to use the
ancienT yrlhak's hom 10 creale a horn of blasfing. Ihen lay
siege 10 the castles thaI guard a nearby ki ngdom's borders.
• The crown prince's 18Th birthday is approaching, and
the king has announced Ihal whoever gifts his son wilh a
flame tongue will he named a peer of Ihe r ealm. An adult
red dragon lives conveniently nearby, but lhe parTy is nOI
the only group of ambilious adventurers seeking a TiTle. and
They musl race against Their rivals to slay the monster and
present a sword 10 The prince.
• A gloom has gone on a killing spree Through the cily.
Someone of parlicular imporlance is killed. The onl y way 10
ressurecl The person is by brewing a ~Iion of rrue
ressureclion using the gloom's hearT. '

www.pal.Zo.comfdragon 49
. . . Component Value For example under this set of guidelines, That wolverine 
ECL/CR Treasure . Gp Value Xp Value that was parted out is worth 240 gp and  48 xp  for the  
1 300 gp 300 60 12 purposes of creating items. OR 48 Xp for a Spell 
2 600 gp 600 120 24
3 900 gp 900 180 36  
4 1,200 gp 1,200 240 48
For example, if the pelt was used to make non‐magical 
5 1,600 gp 1,600 320 64
leather armor, you could apply its costs against the armor 
6 2,000 gp 2,000 400 80
creation price(min zero). (so Masterwork hide is normally 
7 2,600 gp 2,600 520 104
165gp, but in this case since the hide is worth 240 gp of 
8 3,400 gp 3,400 680 136
craft gold, then you can make a free masterwork Hide 
9 4,500 gp 4,500 900 180
armor out of it. 
10 5,800 gp 5,800 1160 232
11 7,500 gp 7,500 1500 300  
12 9,800 gp 9,800 1960 392
13 13,000 gp 13,000 2600 520 Or using the glands / claws or whatever is appropriate you 
14 17,000 gp 17,000 3400 680 could make magic items up to 1200 gp without needing to 
15 22,000 gp 22,000 4400 880 spend xp. 
16 28,000 gp 28,000 5600 1120
17 36,000 gp 36,000 7200 1440 So for example, if you declared that you were using the 
18 47,000 gp 47,000 9400 1880 monsters glands as ingredients to make potions of bulls 
19 61,000 gp 61,000 12200 2440 strength, you would have enough raw material from one 
20 80,000 gp 80,000 16000 3200 wolverine to make 4 potions (48 xp / 12 xp = 4) 
21 87,000 gp 87,000 17400 3480
 
22 96,000 gp 96,000 19200 3840
23 106,000 gp 106,000 21200 4240 If the players had feats and skill that made crafting cheaper 
24 116,000 gp 116,000 23200 4640 it would just roll into the formulas. (for example if you have 
25 128,000 gp 128,000 25600 5120 Legendary Artisan  that allows you to make the bulls 
26 141,000 gp 141,000 28200 5640 strength potion for 9 xp rather than 12 you could eke out 5 
27 155,000 gp 155,000 31000 6200 potions from the wolverine. 
28 170,000 gp 170,000 34000 6800
29 187,000 gp 187,000 37400 7480  
30 206,000 gp 206,000 41200 8240
31 227,000 gp 227,000 45400 9080 It seems like the article is implying that the components 
32 249,000 gp 249,000 49800 9960 market value and xp value is used in the creation of the 
33 274,000 gp 274,000 54800 10960 magical items, but it isn’t explicitly called out. 
34 302,000 gp 302,000 60400 12080
   
35 332,000 gp 332,000 66400 13280
36 365,000 gp 365,000 73000 14600
37 401,000 gp 401,000 80200 16040
38 442,000 gp 442,000 88400 17680
39 486,000 gp 486,000 97200 19440
40 534,000 gp 534,000 106800 21360
 

Basically if the power components from the article are used 
as the foundation, and if the articles price guidelines are 
used, then this table is used to calculate the value of any 
generic magic beast in use for crafting.  
 

So one possible way to interpret the article is thusly 

    Market  C2C  XP 

Potion of Bulls Strength  300  150  12 
Dire Wolverine Bits (CR 4)  240  48 
        4 
    Market  C2C  XP 
4 ea. Potions of Bulls Strength  1200  600  48 
Wolverine Bits    240  48 
    Market  C2C  XP 
Price    1200  360  0 
 

Where the crafter uses the power components of the wolverine during the creation process to reduce the price of the final 
items. 

Three items of note that would provide a bit more balance to this would be the following additions 

1.) A Power Component must be used entirely in the creation process on a single item, or multiple items of the exact same 
kind and nature consecutively, any “leftover” portions of the components value are wasted. (so following the above 
example, you couldn’t make 4 different potions, but you would have to make 4 potions of bulls strength over a 4 day 
span. 
2.) To be used in a magical item, the Component must be from a beast of a CR equivalent to the minimum caster level of 
the highest level spell used in the items creation. (so again from our above example, the bits from a CR 2 beast, won’t be 
useful for bulls strength potions as it takes a minimum caster level of 3 to cast the spell). 
3.) Only one power component may be used in the creation of a single item (with one exception). 
4.) When all else fails the caster may provide any missing XP from their own personal reserve. 
 
These top three items combined should prevent farming and mass production tactics for items (for example, killing a 100 CR 
1 beasts to get the same value as a CR 16 Beast) 
The final addition would allow players to “shortcut” things in the name of expediency. (for example if the players are under a 
time crunch and need something “now” and can’t wait to go hunt for items. 
 
One issue that would come up once a party reaches higher levels is Conjuration (Calling) spells, which would provide a 
determined party essentially limitless access to components, as the Wiz/Sorc could simply call up a creature with planar 
binding and let the rest of the party gank it before harvesting it’s organs. 
 
(other than the table, and the 20% value from the article, all the text on these two pages are simply comments from myself 
about the article.)