Balancing Metamagic with Swift Actions?

[FireLance]

The discussion on swift actions in the Star Wars Saga Edition Preview 4 sparked off an idea on the bus in to work this morning.

For a while now, I've been trying to balance metamagic around an encounter-based format (the basic idea is to allow a spellcaster to use each metamagic feat he has once per encounter).

I've considered a number of balances. One was to allow the feats to be only applied to spells of a certain level below the highest level spell the spellcaster has access to, or some function of the spellcaster's character level. However, this method relies on spell levels and level caps to be effective, and other tweaks that I'm planning to make to the spellcasting system will do away with spell levels (beyond the minimum caster level needed to know the spell) and level caps.

Another was to reduce the caster level of a metamagic spell. However, this ends up reducing the effectiveness of feats such as Empower Spell and Maximize Spell since the additional damage from the feat has to make up for the loss of damage from the lower caster level before it becomes a benefit.

Then, I happened to think of this little passage from the preview:

One difference between the swift action and other actions is that you can take more than one swift action in a round if you sacrifice a move or a standard action. Just as you can sacrifice a standard action to take an additional move action, you can also sacrifice a standard or move action to take an additional swift action. As a result, a character can theoretically take up to three swift actions in a single round.

Additionally, some actions can't be completed unless you spend multiple swift actions. For example, aiming requires you to use two swift actions, which are spent before making the attack that you enhance with the aim action.

Further, some actions allow you to spend multiple swift actions on successive rounds. For example, to activate the recover action, which moves you one step up the condition track, you must spend three swift actions. You can activate them all in the same round or spread them out over the course of multiple rounds. The recover action doesn't take effect until the last swift action is spent, but this system keeps you from being completely immobile and inactive for a round.

I realized that I could balance metamagic effects by making the spellcaster spend swift actions. This way, a spellcaster could act in each round of combat while building up to one big attack. In fact, an added side benefit is that spellcasters are required to build up to their big attacks. No more Quickened, Empowered, Maximized spells in the first round of combat! By adjusting the swift action "cost", I can ensure that Empowered and Maximized spells don't show up until the second or third round of a fight.

So, a revised Empower Spell might look something like this:

Revised Empower Spell (Metamagic)

Benefit: You can spend four swift actions to empower a spell that you cast. All variable, numeric effects of an empowered spell are increased by one-half. Saving throws and opposed rolls are not affected, nor are spells without random variables.

If a spellcaster doesn't move and doesn't spend his swift actions on anything else, he can cast a normal spell in the first round of a fight and then empower a spell on the second round. If he needs to move each round, he can only empower a spell on the fourth round.

What do you think?

 

[Abisashi]

Sounds like an excellent idea to me. Are you setting the cost in swift actions at twice the level adjustment?

 

[FireLance]

Are you setting the cost in swift actions at twice the level adjustment?

I'm going to try that for a start and see how it works. Effectively, it means that a metamagic feat with a +X level adjustment won't be seen until at least round X of a fight if the spellcaster uses his standard action to do something in each round. And even if he decides to burn his standard action as well, he won't be able to bring out a spell enhanced by a metamagic feat with a level adjustment of +2 or +3 (like Empower Spell or Maximize Spell) any earlier.

 

[airwalkrr]

Awesome idea! I love it. I will have to play around with it as well and see what I think. Good thinking.

Incidentally, I suspect a lot of ideas proposed for Star Wars Saga Edition are disguised play-tests for 4th edition D&D. I have a feeling if the skill system of SE is well-received, such a revamp will occur with 4e D&D as well. Of course, I'm one of those knuckleheads who suspects 4e is already being playtested so obviously I will read such things into it.