Metamagic feat mostly for fighter/mages

I read a comment in some other thread the other day about how it would be so much nicer if more psionic powers were free actions, like some of the combat-boosting psionic feats (e.g. Deep Impact) - that way the psychic warrior wouldn't have to spend the early part of a battle boosting himself, but could get right on with the hurting. I also read some comments in one of the threads about nerfing haste that said that not allowing haste to provide extra spells per round would nerf fighter/mages, since they would need to spend time boosting themselves.

Well, of course allowing boosting powers/spells as free actions is quite powerful, so that's not what I'm suggesting. What I am suggesting is a metamagic feat that would make boosting magic while fighting possible, while still being less powerful than Quicken Spell. While I'm only doing a metamagic writeup, it shouldn't be too hard extrapolating it to a metapsionic feat.

COMBINE SPELL [Metamagic]
You can combine your spellcasting with other activities.
Benefit: Casting a Combined spell is a move-equivalent action. You can combine this with any other action that allows a move or move-equivalent action, other than other magical actions (casting spells, using magic items, or using supernatural or spell-like abilities). A spell whose casting time is more than 1 action can't be Combined. A Combined spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell's actual level.
Special: Unlike other metamagic feats, spontaneous casters can use this feat without increasing the casting time of the spell.

This allows multiclassed spellcasters to use their magic while fighting, although they won't be as effective in either field (on account of only getting one attack per round as well as casting their spells as if they were two levels higher). What I'm most uncertain about is the level increase - I put it at two levels because it's nowhere near as useful as Quicken Spell (since you can't use it to get two spells off per round). The "Special" bit is to make it useful to sorcerers and bards as well - I think Quicken Spell should have that bit too.

One concern that strikes me is that it might give clerics a boost too, since they aren't bad in a fight either. Then again, I don't think that will be too much of a problem - will the cleric really prefer prayer and a mace to flame strike?

The problem with this is that I can use two combined spells in the same round, for two move-equivalent actions. So I can double move and get two spells off. Even quicken spell doesn't let you do that. Also, two spells at +2 maybe easier to swallow than one spell and +4 (since +2 spell levels are more easily accessed).

Stalker0 said:

The problem with this is that I can use two combined spells in the same round, for two move-equivalent actions.

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Eh, no you can't. I specifically disallowed combining a spell with any kind of magical action (spellcasting, item-using or ability-using). That was pretty much the whole point of the feat - allowing spellcasting combined with other actions but *not* with casting other spells.

You can combine this with any other action that allows a move or move-equivalent action, other than other magical actions (casting spells, using magic items, or using supernatural or spell-like abilities).

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This should avoid to be able to cast two spells with a double move action.

I think it's good, and probably balanced too: casting stil provokes AoO and if you want to be able to use the secondary action as a melee attack you should already be in the threatened area (supposing you disallow a 5 ft step while casting), and is another drawback that should make the +2 balanced.
Considering, also, that a fighter-mage usually hasn't got very high level slots probably it's enough (he also has got less feats than a general mage).

Quickened spell, with its greater cost, would be used more by true wizards (to be able to cast two spells instead of one) but with a higher requirements.

Really good.