Meta-Magic & 9th Level spells

[Magic Rub]

It's a simple question that I cannot seem to find the answer for...

Lets say I'm playing a 30th level wizard (I'm just going to make this up as I go along)

Now I want to do a bunch of meta-magic stuff to... ??? for example;

Meteor Swarm
Evocation [Fire]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Pattern of fireball-like spreads (see text)
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Reflex half
(see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes
Meteor swarm is a very powerful and spectacular spell that is similar to fireball in many aspects. When you cast it, either four large spheres (2-foot-diameter) or eight small spheres (1-foot-diameter) spring from your outstretched hand and streak in a straight line to the spot you select. The meteor spheres leave a fiery trail of sparks.
Any creature in the straight-line path of these spheres is struck by each one and takes 24d6 points of fire damage (no
save). If the spheres reach their destination, each bursts like a fireball in a spread. Each large sphere deals 6d6 points of fire damage. The four spheres explode with their points of origin forming a diamond or box pattern around the spell’s central point of origin, which you designate upon casting. Each large sphere has a 15-foot-radius spread, and each blast is 20 feet apart along the sides of the pattern, creating overlapping areas of the spell’s effect and exposing the center to all four blasts. The smaller spheres each have a 7 1/2-foot-radius spread, and each deals 3d6 points of fire damage. They explode with their points of origin forming a pattern around the spell’s central point of origin (which you designated upon
casting) of a box within a diamond or vice versa, with each of the outer sides measuring 20 feet long. The center has
four areas of overlapping effect, and numerous peripheral areas have two or three overlapping areas of the spell’s effect.
Creatures caught in a blast can attempt Reflex saves for half damage. Creatures struck by multiple blasts save against
each blast separately.

Now lets say I want to meta-magic the spell with a MAXIMIZE SPELL (adding +3 levels to the spell) & maybe some others. This would make the spell occupy a 12th level spell slot (or more depending). How does the spells per day chart progress into epic levels? Does it continue as per the PHB? Can it even be done? If so, where can I find this information please (as I just can't seem to find it)?

 

[Lord Pendragon]

You need the Epic Level Handbook. It can be done, but spell slots do not progress the same as on the wizard's chart.

I believe that an Epic Spellcaster gains a spellslot one level higher than he could previously cast at each level, but I'm not positive. So a 30th-level wizard would have a 19th-level spell slot.

Someone with the ELH should be along shortly to correct my mistakes.

 

[Magic Rub]

You need the Epic Level Handbook. It can be done, but spell slots do not progress the same as on the wizard's chart.

I have the ELHB I just can't find the rule.

 

[Storminator]

Gaining higher level spell slots takes a feat. Each feat grants the next highest level of spells. And you get feats at every 3rd level like normal, and a bonus feat at every 3rd level after 20th.

So to Maximize a Meteor Swarm you need 12th level spells, which takes 3 feats.

PS

 

[Magic Rub]

Cool thanks I just found it!

 

[Pax]

You need the Epic Level Handbook. It can be done, but spell slots do not progress the same as on the wizard's chart.

I believe that an Epic Spellcaster gains a spellslot one level higher than he could previously cast at each level, but I'm not positive. So a 30th-level wizard would have a 19th-level spell slot.

Someone with the ELH should be along shortly to correct my mistakes.

Epic Spellcatsers get NOTHING simply by dint of going up a level, int erms of spells per day.

However, there is a FEAT that gives you higher-level spells.

If you can cast the highest-allowed-level of a spellcasting class, you can take "Increased Spell Capacity", and gain ONE spell per day (plus bonusses for high ability score), of the NEXT highest level.

A Wizard(30) has ... Let's see, character levels 21, 24, 27, and 30; Epic Wizard 23, 26, and 29 ... 7 epic feats.

So, if he was silly enough to spend them ALL on Increased Spell Capacity, he could have 16th level spells.

Frankly, though, he'd be best-served by getting Improved Metamagic twice, and Improved Combat Casting once. Spend the other four, to get up to 13th level spells.

Thus all metamagics woudl cost 2 less levels (to a minimum of +1), which means you can Maximise (+1), Maximise(+1), Twin (+2) that Meteor Swarm (applying one Maximise to each iteration of the spell that Twin Spell creates). Or just quadruply-Empower it. And so on.

Meanwhile, you can cast a Maximised Meteor Swarm as a 10th-level spell, rather than as a 12th-level.

You also no longer provoke AoO's for spellcasting (Improved Combat Casting).

The next feat this guy gets should be Epic Spellcasting IMO, or, start down the Auto Quicken / Multispell road.

With enough Improved Metamagics, you can even go with Intensify Spell. Frankly, once you're looking at metamagicking your spells, it's even-odds between Improved Metamagic and Increased Spell Capacity, at least until you have 3+ Improved Metamagic feats.

ImpMeta (x3) works well, then the only expensive meta feat is Intensify Spell (which would cost +4 levels, then).

 

[Magic Rub]

Thanks for the input

 

[Pax]

No problem. I've been making a slew of 25th and 30th level spellcasters lately, so those issues were right at the top of my mind anyway. 8)

 

[ruleslawyer]

Hey Sean,

Any chance you could post one or two of those spellcasters (perhaps in the Rogue's Gallery?). I'm always looking for suitable BBEG spellcasters, and generating my own using the ELH has been a bit of a headache (I'm a terrible min-maxer).

Cheers!

 

[Pax]

Sure, later tonight (about to go out to see a movie with my g/f).

I've a 25th level evil sorceror (with cohort), a 24th level wizard-cum-Lich (ECL 28, of course), and a 30th level "good guy" sorceror whoc ould be converted to evil alignment without problems.

Most are maxxed for STYLE, not sheer power, though the first one WAS built for an arena environment ... and none are true lightweights. The lich gets some SCARY spell DCs, in fact.