Practical Metamagic, worth it?

[HeapThaumaturgist]

In Races of the Dragon there is a feat called "Practical Metamagic". Essentially, you take the feat and apply it to a metamagic feat you already know: Now that metamagic feat requires one level lower spell slot to use.

So Empower Spell, for instance, takes up a slot one level higher instead of two.

Is that saving worth a whole feat on its own?

What if the spellcaster in question has Metamagic Specialist from PHBII (can use metamagic without time increase) and applies this to Quicken Spell? Is Quicken at +3 worth two feats for a sorcerer?

Right now I've got Empower and Quicken and I'm wondering if I should take this and slap it on one of the metamagics I have now.

--fje

 

[Patlin]

How about giving us one or two alternatives you are considering, so we can compare plusses and minuses?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Is that saving worth a whole feat on its own?

Absolutely IMO. In fact, I don't think I'd allow the feat. My cleric would take it with purify spell and just plain old purify just about everything.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

How about giving us one or two alternatives you are considering, so we can compare plusses and minuses?

Since I've got the Metamagic Specialist already, if I don't take that I'll probably take a metamagic feat of some sort.

The character is a Force specialist, though, so many of his spells are single-target instead of area. I was thinking:

Chain Spell - +3 lvs, chained spell hits target normally and arcs out to up to caster-level additional targets who take 1/2-1/4 damage or save at +4.

Sculpt Spell - +1 lvl, change area spell into 10' x 30' cylinder, 4 10' cubes, 40' cone, 20' burst, or 120' line

Sculpt I figured would let me get more umph out of my fewer AoE spells by blowing them out of a bigger slot in different shapes. I'm trying to find a (Force) descriptor AoE spell.

--fje

 

[frankthedm]

Absolutely IMO. In fact, I don't think I'd allow the feat. My cleric would take it with purify spell and just plain old purify just about everything.

I agree. On a PRC that gives up casting progression, maybe an effect like that can be balanced. But for even two feats its easy to break that.

 

[Nail]

It would be fine if the minimum would be +1 level.

 

[Infiniti2000]

It would be fine if the minimum would be +1 level.

Why no love for the +1 metamagic feats?

 

[nightjackal]

Just a quick Note about Practical Metamagic....you have to choose what Metamagic feat it goes to and it can lower the + level by one to a minimum of +1 ... so you can't use it on say Extend Spell since it can be lowered below +1

Oh though there is a Feat in Complete Mage that allows you to lower the spell level adjustment by 1 of any 3 spells a day. It has no minimum adjustment so you can Extend Mage Armor and it would still be a 1st level spell.

Metamagic School Focus (I think that the name)

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Actually it does have a minimum of +1 increase to the spell level.

Maybe I'm missing the boat on metamagic, I've never before played anybody that used it. All the Wizards I've played, I took item creation feats instead of metamagic. It always seemed like you could get the same umph for a lower price ... for instance, Empowered Fireball is about the same as a 15 dice fireball ... but that's a 5th level slot and there are many similar AoE spells with a 15 dice cap which are 4th level spells.

I'm currently torn between Sculpt and Practical Metamagic.

--fje

 

[Stalker0]

I think throwing that on empower is a big deal. Quicken at +3 is pretty good, but its still fairly limiting. But empower at +1, that's gives you a whole lot of flexibility to deal with. Keep in mind that while a 4th level spell might have a 15 dice cap, are you 15th level? If not, then an empowered 3rd level spell (now 4th) does more damage on average than your 4th level spell, but also at a cost of -1 to the DC.