Can the “dragon-like scales” from the Draconic Bloodline sorcerer’s Draconic Resilience feature be used as the M component for Aganazzar’s Scorcher

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The Draconic Bloodline sorcerer's Draconic Resilience feature states, in part:

Additionally, parts of your skin are covered by a thin sheen of dragon-like scales. […]

The material component required to cast the Aganazzar's scorcher spell is one red dragon scale.

If your Draconic Ancestry is that of a red dragon, would cutting part of this thin sheen of dragon-like scaling fulfill the material component required for Aganazzar's scorcher?

Best Answer

Technically, no – but your DM might allow it

You quote the description of resilience yourself, it provides "dragon-like scales". The material component for Aganazzar's Scorcher is listed as:

a red dragon's scale

You are not a red dragon, and a dragon-like scale is not a dragon's scale. Therefore, a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer's scales could not be used as the material component for the spell.

However, it does not specify a required value (in gp) for the red dragon's scale, nor does it say it is consumed by the spell. This means that it would be contained in a component pouch or could be replaced by a spellcasting focus, such as a wand, orb, or rod. (See the rules on material components on p. 203 of the PHB.)

Because of this, the need to have such a scale is not really very limiting, and unless you are in a special situation such as in a prison cell without access to your pouch or focus, it would not have much impact to allow using these scales. Your DM may decide to do so for fun or flavor reasons.