How should spell scrolls handle material components that must remain in place (e.g. Gentle Repose)?

Question

Rules Text

(PHB‑1) Player’s Handbook (2014 p. 203, Material Components):

“If a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell. If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell.”

(DMG‑1) Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014 p. 200, Spell Scroll — Casting):

“If the spell is on your class’s spell list, you can read the scroll and cast its spell without providing any material components.”

(DMG‑2) Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014 p. 200, Spell Scroll — Scribing):

“You must also have at hand any material components required by the spell. If the spell consumes its material components, they are consumed only when you complete the scroll.”

(PHB-2) Player's Handbook — Gentle Repose (2014 p.245)

2nd-level necromancy (ritual)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (a pinch of salt and one copper piece placed on each of the corpse’s eyes, which must remain there for the duration)

Duration: 10 days

You touch a corpse or other remains. For the duration, the target is protected from decay and can’t become undead.

The spell also effectively extends the time limit on raising the target from the dead, since days spent under the influence of this spell don’t count against the time limit of spells such as raise dead.

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The Problem

This works fine for most spells, but I’ve run into an edge case with spells like Gentle Repose, which require material components that must remain in place for the duration (e.g. copper coins on a corpse’s eyes).

• RAW says scrolls bypass components when cast.
• But the spell text says the coins must remain in place.
• If the scroll bypasses the coins entirely, it removes a RAW‑ and RAI‑intended restriction from the casting, making scroll‑based versions strictly superior to normal castings — for example, Gentle Repose would then be under no danger of ending early if the coins were disturbed.

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My Attempted Fix

To resolve this, I drafted a house rule that sets out a clear framework for scrolls:

1. Consumed components (RAW): Provided and consumed at scribing; the scroll substitutes for them when cast.

   • Example: A Raise Dead scroll requires a 500 gp diamond when created. That diamond is consumed in the scribing. When the scroll is later cast, no diamond is needed — the scroll itself fulfils the requirement.
   • Rules note: See PHB‑1 on consumed components, DMG‑2 on scroll scribing (“consumed only when you complete the scroll”), and DMG‑1 on scroll casting (“without providing any material components”).

2. Non‑consumed components (RAW): Provided at scribing but not bound; the scroll bypasses them when cast.

   • Example: An Identify scroll requires a pearl worth 100 gp and an owl feather quill at creation. These are needed for the scribing ritual but are not consumed or bound into the scroll. When the scroll is cast, the caster doesn’t need to provide them.
   • Rules note: See PHB‑1 on components without a cost, and DMG‑1 on scroll casting (“without providing any material components”).

3. Persistent components (edge‑case fix): Bound into the scroll at scribing; when cast, they re‑manifest permanently, and ephemeral copies appear if more are needed.

   • Example of why more might be needed: Gentle Repose normally requires two coins for a humanoid corpse, but if cast on a cyclopean corpse with three eyes, the scroll would re‑manifest the two bound coins and create a third ephemeral coin to cover the extra eye.
   • If copied into a spellbook, the bound components re‑manifest permanently as mundane objects.
   • Rules note: see spell wording (PHB-2)

This keeps scrolls consistent while preserving the written intent of spells like Gentle Repose.

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The Question

Is there any official RAW guidance that resolves this “persistent component” edge case for scrolls, or is a house rule like the above the only way to handle it?

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TL;DR

RAW (PHB‑1, DMG‑1, DMG‑2) says scrolls are cast without components, but some spells (e.g. Gentle Repose) require components that must remain in place. Does RAW cover this, or do scrolls make such spells strictly stronger than normal casting?

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Notes

Not a duplicate: This is distinct from existing questions about Gentle Repose and foci, since it concerns scroll casting mechanics rather than normal spellcasting.

Answer 1

You don't need to provide persistent components

RAW, as the rules you quoted state, when casting from a Spell Scroll no Material components are required. Gentle Repose would still function fully because the Spell Scroll rule explicitly bypasses the Material component requirement, whatever it may be.

The components of a spell are requirements¹ that must be met to cast it, and they come before the spell's effect. In the case of Gentle Repose, the Material component is a copper piece, and that requirement doesn't need to be met when using a Spell Scroll.

As a side note, the copper piece isn't even mentioned in the spell's effect.

DM's ruling

Your DM might decide otherwise to stay close to RAW while preserving intended flavor, following the idea you already suggested, so the spell manifests equivalent components as part of its casting.

Similar cases for comparison

This would be the same case when casting Gentle Repose from a Magic Item, since casting a spell from one doesn't require components unless the item's description says otherwise (DMG, p. 141).

Another example would be casting the spell using Wish.

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^{1 See What exactly is ignored in the "requirements" of a spell when Wishing for it? for more detail.}