Talismanic components

Talismanic components are spent exactly like coins for the purpose of crafting magic items, and they're destroyed as part of the item's creation or incorporated into the item (generally the latter). Once used, they're expended and can't be used again. Talismanic components don't change the crafting time, DC, or any other aspects of creating a magic item; they are just a substitute for the gp cost to craft it.

Acquiring a talismanic component from a monster or natural feature might not be easy or automatic. For example, plucking a rare herb without damaging its magical properties might require a Profession (herbalist) check.

Talismanic components might be viable for only a limited time, or spoil under certain circumstances. For example, dragon heartblood loses its power if it's exposed to air for more than a few minutes, necessitating transporting it in sealed vials (and limiting how much can be taken from a slain dragon).

Some example talismanic components

 * Arcane Residue: A strange substance sometimes salvaged from destroyed magic items, often in crystalline or powder form; used for any kind of magic item.
 * Dire Animal Brain: Used in animal-influencing and physical enhancement items.
 * Dragon Bone: Flawless, smooth dragon bones are suitable for rods, staves, wands, and for items with abilities or energy types appropriate to the dragon's breath weapon (copper dragons for slow, red dragons for fire, and so on).
 * Dragon Heartblood: The freshest blood from the dragon's heart; used for any kind of magic item.
 * Elemental Salts: Taken from the remains of powerful elementals; used for items appropriate to the source's element or associated energy type.
 * Hand of a Murderer: Must be taken shortly after the murderer's demise; used for death, evil, and undead-creating items, as well as items that specifically involve a preserved hand (such as a hand of glory).
 * Heart of the Mountain: Mined from places deep underground or the Plane of Earth; used for metal armour, metal weapons, and items that manipulate or create earth or stone.
 * Rare Herbs: a broad category with individual uses depending on the nature of the particular herb. Nox mushrooms are used for shadow items, bloodvine for bleeding and healing items, and so on.
 * Starmetal: Collected from long-dead stars, meteorites, and strange beasts native to the dark void; used for cold, darkness, light, and shadow items.
 * Virgin's Blood: Typically acquired in quantities of a pint or more; used in blood, fiend-summoning, and purity items.


 * Leather soaked in blood of willing masochist: Used in magic weapons and armour (that include at least some leather, even if it's merely decorative).
 * Figurine of target bathed in humanoid blood: Used to key the item to a feature of that target (race, alignment, etc).
 * Severed hand of still-living humanoid cleric: Used for magic items that require touch spells, divine spells, or specifically involve a preserved hand (such as a hand of glory).
 * Zombie eyes: Used in vision enhancing or undead manipulating magic items as well as magic items that require illusions or enchantments to create them.
 * Bit of flesh torn from caster's body: Used to key the item to a feature of that caster (race, alignment, etc).
 * Still-beating heart of a forsaken child: Used for any kind of magic item.
 * Portion of target's body: Used to key the item to a feature of that target (race, alignment, etc).
 * Urine-soaked holy/unholy symbol: Used for magic items that require divine spells.
 * Humanoid brain tissue: Used for magic items that require illusions, enchantments, or necromancy.
 * Lock of hair from unwilling humanoid: Used for magic items that require their target to make a save as well as those which require divination spells to make them.
 * Drops of brain fluid from a beast: Used for magic items that require transmutations.
 * Handful of needles which have all drawn blood: Used for magic items that require evocations or enchantments, or magic items which are spiked.
 * Tongue from any speech-capable creature: Used for magic items that require language-dependent spells or abilities, or items which requires the spell tongues.
 * Bone fragment of good-aligned creature: Used to key the item to the good alignment.
 * Handful of bloody teeth: Used for magic items that are studded or spiked.
 * Soul gems: Used in charged items. Reduces cost proportional to the HD of the trapped soul.