Free Metamagic enhancements

[Kyramus]

I was debating of allowing a small rule into the magic casting system.

The spell casters use thier ability modifier to allow them to cast metamagic spells on the fly.

example IN 18 is a +4 mod.
He already memorized fireball at level 3.
during the fight he felt he needed to cast fireball and dispel magic.
using his ability modifier he forces a use of quicken on fireball, retaining it at level 3 but allowing him a free use of a metamagic feat. (HE has to have that feat in the first place).

This free use of metamagic can only be used up to his modifier/day.

so for the same example
the caster decides to silent and still his Magic Missile, he could without preparing them before hand. and he could do this twice. to a total number of 4, which uses up his free metamagics for the day.

the question is, Does this sound balanced to you? Consider that many don't take the quicken feat, this extra free magics would allow at least 1 use/day without preparing the spell as a level 7 spell.

What do you think?

 

[Saepiroth]

seems overpowered. maybe make it a feat with fairly stiff requirements that only allows one use per day.

i garuntee that anyone allowed to access it, even like that, will make a B-line straight towards the requirements.

 

[Kyramus]

Clarification:

The number of uses is based on how much they use at one time. The total "levels" they get is equal to their ability modifier that governs their spell casting.

IE: Wiz Level 1 IN 18 has a +4 to modifier. He gets 4 "levels" to play with in metamagic per day.
has 2 feats: still and silent feats.

He can cast 4 spells with still or silent, or 2 spells with still and silent.

I don't sense it to be overpowered too much. He has to have the metamagic feat before he can use it for such, otherwise it is only usuable with existing feats. Otherwise this benefit is lost to them until they choose a metamagic feat.

Assume we are using the Haste that doesn';t allow a second casting of spells. and Quicken is still +4 levels. At higher levels when the wiz takes the feat, he could prepare spells with quicken on them or use 1 spell to quicken in the spur of the moment casting.

Does that clarify if it's still overpowered?

 

[Saepiroth]

actually... clarified, it sounds fine.

 

[Chacal]

I like it !

But I'll still put a limitation:
you can't stack the same metamagick while using this ability.

Otherwise at high levels, you'll deal with 5xEmpowered spells or so ...
I don't think that this limitation ruin the ability though.

Another thing: doesn't it shift the balance towards casters a little bit ?
Do you plan to give something to non-spellcasting classes ?



Chacal

 

[Kyramus]

This was to make Wizards want to take feats like quicken, because at least once a day of a INT 18 wiz or sor can use it without preparing the spell.

Yes there are little subtle changes for differing classes. It's basically flavor for my campaign.

 

[Khaalis]

Personally I think it adds some attraction to the whole Metamagic idea which personally I am no fan of. In most cases I would never lose the ability to cast say something like a Teleport so I can "Still Cast" a Fireball. Just isnt appealing to me. ESPECIALLY when its hard enough to choose "prepared" spells for the day when you have no idea what you will need. Why would I ever know (unless I am planning some kind of Siege) that I would need a "Still Fireball" or some other odd Metamagic combo?

I like this idea. It gives a little bit of free "umph" to a caster as well as more of an incentive to actually take a Metamagic feat.

Just the humble $0.02 worth from a disgruntled Wizard fan.

 

[Kyramus]

Thanks.

My thought was to actually give wizards something to look forward to in choosing their metamagic feats.

I've looked through many character creations of my friends and when they take wizard or sorcerer, I found that they are on the low end on picking metamagic. So I figure adding this little "oomph" to get them to want to take it, and even though they didn't prepare the spell as metamagic, they get a chance to use it with a metamagic enhancement as long as they have the feat.

 

[Ahzad]

I like it and it seems balanced enough and quick and easy which is also a plus.....

I've been toying with this idea myself, as my players rarely choose any metamagics b/c of some of the reasons already given, and plus I've been preparing a "very high" magic campaign where the idea of "free" metamagics would fit nicely.

Instead of using a modifier per day type of system. I was toying with using the spellcraft skill to determine whether or not you succeed in modifying the spell. I would set the starting DC fairly high, say 20 for purposes of this post, and then modify it by the level of the spell being cast, and as I type this the idea just came to me that you could even modify the DC further by increasing the DC by the number of levels the metamagic adds to the spell level. That way it's much more difficult for lower level spellcasters to suceed, giving the idea of as you level your mastery increases.

So a magic missile you wanted to maximize would require a DC 24 (20 base + 1 spell level + 3 maximize increase)

You would decide to do this prior to casting the spell, the check would be a free action or possibly even a move-equiv, and the actually spell level doesn't increase, your maximized magic missile still uses a 1st level slot not a 4th. If you fail the check you must make a concentration check, at the same DC you used for the attempt, to avoid wasting the spell. If you suceed the spell goes off as normal, but w/o being metamagiked, you fail you waste a slot.

I've yet to playtest this idea, and this is the first time it's been put to paper so to speak, so unsure how it may actually work in practice, but I'll be tossing into our arena combat and give it a work.

 

[Kyramus]

hmmm Interesting addition.

Though I think allowing it to be as many times as you want as long as you successfully do the spellcraft check is overbalanced.

I would suggest the system I already have. And the spellcraft to add the metamagic to the spell, AND limit it to (INT mod X 1/4 caster level). This makes it that at level 1-4, its still INt mod. Level 5-8, it's 2X int mod, level 9-12 it's 3X int mod, etc.

assume an 18. at level 5 the free metamagics would be 8 instead of 4.
same as above but at level 9. the free metamagics is 12, not 4.

this allows you to have fast and easy metamagics on low level spells, but not on high level spells unless they put it in.
for instance, at level 9 and 12 free metamagics. you could cast 2 5th level spells with the free metamagics and a 2nd level spell with a free metamagic, or any combination there of. and it's still worth it since it's at least once or twice a day use.

If you do it the opposite way of no limitations except for the DC, most spell casters already boost their spellcraft in anticipation of Epic level spell casting. That really isn't much of a limitation.

the system above was what I had in mind for my campaign, but without the spellcraft. They know the feat, they know the spell. it's just a little added oomph.