For spirit binding, it seems like the ritual binding materials would be consumed, but I can't find the reference. Any help?

It doesn't say so explicitly under Binding, but the Rebinding section on page 189 of SR4A says, "The test requires another ritual taking a number of hours equal to the current Force of the spirit, requiring the same materials as before (at 500 per point of the spirit's Force)." To me, that implies that the materials are expended in the ritual, and if you want to perform another ritual (even to rebind the same spirit), you need to buy more materials.

It may be one of those rules that's so obvious it's not written down. Does the book actually *say* that ammo gets used up?

Well firearms are obvious, of course the bullets get used up (although I suppose you could pry the projectile out of the wall/someone's body and reform a bullet).

However, it's not obvious that ritual binding materials get used up. They could be candles, incense, or other consumables, or they could be sculptures, paintings, and representative elements (silver cup for an air elemental, gold for fire, etc.) that attune the magician to the spirit.

As long as your *money* vanishes, you can fluff it however you like, I guess. The permanent items, IMO, constitute a Lodge, not binding materials.

If they were not used up, then after the initial Binding Ritual subsequent Rituals would be "free". And all subsequent Binding Rituals. Which in effect would make all Binding Rituals free. At which point, why bother having an initial cost listed and not described as such?

Though for firearms we have real world logic. I've personally never seen a spirit binding work IRL

I've always assumed (for game purposes) it get's consumed.

Probably for the same reasons that firearms, despite having an initial cost, are not used up when they are used.

See also: vehicles, magical lodge materials, spells, and commlinks.

That's the whole point. Binding materials are, and have always been, 'ammo', not 'guns'.

If you have to pay nuyen in order to rebind, that seems to imply that you're purchasing more materials. I think what it probably means to say is that whatever type of item you used as materials in the first binding - say, incense - then you would have to use incense in the rebinding.

Hehe, let's assume that you have to buy more, but also that they're not consumed. I have this image of a crazy 'hoarder' conjurer…

The pack-rat shaman has been done...frequently.

Yeah, but how many have NOT been Rat Shamans?

Yeah, but how many have done it because of an error in game rules?

They're otherwise known as 'talismongers', Yera.

GROAN. They're supposed to mong them, not hoard them.

Supposed to. I haven't known any to be out of stock of anything.