A dozen metamagic cantrips (meta-cantrips?)

[BobbyMac]

I like these.

I have a question about:

Lingering Reminder
Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: See text

One point of damage from the next instantaneous damage-dealing spell that you cast before the end of the next round is continuous damage that lingers for one round.

The way I read it is that:

1. You cast lingering reminder
2. Before the end of the next round you cast a damage dealing spell of some kind
3. That spell deals it's normal damage -1
4. One round later it then deals that point of damage

I know that is probably not how it is supposed to work. How am I misreading it???

Thanks...

 

[Celebrim]

I have something of a cantrip obsession.

I've got some things like this in my homebrew cantrips, but I've never taken the idea as far as you have here. The exact implementation needs alot of work, but I think that the idea is basically sound.

 

[el-remmen]

I don't understand the problem with the duration.

Maybe I have been playing wrong all these years - but I always have spell's duration cease at the end of a turn.

If I am casting a spell on my turn that lasts one round, then if it ends at the beginning of my next turn then it has lasted less than one round - and since having things end in the middle of a turn would be unwieldy, having it end at end of the turn makes the most sense to me.

 

[knight_isa]

I have a question about lingering reminder...

It deals its damage all at once, but 1 point is continuous damage rather than instantaneous damage. Basically, the targets take damage as normal, but lingering sparks/flames/whatever force the targets to make DC 10 Concentration checks (DC 10 + 1/2 * 1 damage) to do things that require concentration (like cast spells) during the round following the damaging spell.

 

[knight_isa]

I don't understand the problem with the duration.

Maybe I have been playing wrong all these years - but I always have spell's duration cease at the end of a turn.

If I am casting a spell on my turn that lasts one round, then if it ends at the beginning of my next turn then it has lasted less than one round - and since having things end in the middle of a turn would be unwieldy, having it end at end of the turn makes the most sense to me.

That's more or less my thinking as well, which is why I originally worded it the way I did. However, true strike is worded differently (implying that that thinking may not be accurate), so I thought it best to change the wording to match.

 

[knight_isa]

I have something of a cantrip obsession.

I do, too. Really, I've played with this idea several times in the past, but until recently I was DMing and the PCs wouldn't have been interested so I hadn't bothered to flesh it out. I'm playing at the moment, though, so when the idea presented itself again I chose to flesh it out. Once I'm convinced that these are okay, I'll present them to the current DM for approval (and add them to my house rules for future games that I DM).

I've got some things like this in my homebrew cantrips, but I've never taken the idea as far as you have here. The exact implementation needs alot of work, but I think that the idea is basically sound.

To you have any suggestions for improving the implementation? Are there aspects in particular that stand out as needing more work?

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I like these and will make them available in my games.. altho...

Material Provider I would change to read:

"Creates all the material components and focuses needed for casting a chosen spell, except for those components that have a specific cost, divine focuses, and focuses that require a location (such as the natural pool that a druid needs to look into to cast scrying). These components fade unless used within 2 rounds."

This mirrors the abilitiy of the spell component pouch..and could be the spell required to create the pouch in the first place!

 

[Felnar]

They should possibly be swift or move action action spells, rather than standard action spells. This would provide better utility overall, in my opinion.

As Jack Smith stated, casting these spells shouldnt be a swift/move action. Sure it would be more useful, but then you'd only be increasing the casters power without taking anything away. Most people would agree that casters dont need power-creep.

 

[Sound of Azure]

That would, but I think that would move the power level out of the realm of 0-level spells. Part of the balance here is that it costs a round to get the benefit.

Fair enough. I was considering that since the spells are limited to being used with other spells, that would limit their utility. Similarly due to their limited use, they're less likely to be taken by sorcerers. As you mentioned, their availability is extremely limited.

In any case, I'll probably put them as move action spells in my own game (and only allow the spells to work on the same turn as the "booster" is cast). It makes it rather like a sorcerer sponteously applying metamagic, but with far lesser effects.

I'd been thinking that, but I'm prejudiced against d3s. I agree, though. Done.

Haha, I don't really like d3s either.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Feel free to use them!

Any other comments/suggestions?

I will use them, and thanks for posting this up. I'll let people know if it destroys my game through the utter over-poweredness.

 

[Aramax]

Very,very Nice!