D&D 3.5 - Boots of Temporal Acceleration, Metamagic Items, and buffs

[pickin_grinnin]

I don't usually play magic users, but in my current campaign I am an 8th level (almost 9th) regular Druid. We're using D&D 3.5 (not Pathfinder).

At some point our party is going to have to go up against some sort of very powerful dragon.

I am allowed to borrow some magic items from a powerful wizard to help us accomplish this. I don't get to keep them beyond this one mission.

For reasons that are too convoluted to go into here (plot stuff), there is a big chance that I'm going to need to wildshape into something, buff it up, and fight the dragon head on (don't ask).

I probably won't be able to get any new feats before we have to do this.

So...

I noticed that I can get 2 frozen time rounds out of Boots of Temporal Acceleration.

Can I use metamagic rods on magic items like that, or will they only work with spells I cast?

If so...

I have been looking at metamagic items to figure out how I can best extend the number of rounds as high as possible, so I can do as many buffs on myself as possible.

It looks like Extend, Empower, and Quicken would be the most useful forms of metamagic for this, but I also know that casting each of those will take a round if I do it through items (scrolls, wands, rods, etc.), unless it is something like an ioun stone, necklace, etc. that automatically does it.

I'm not clear on whether I need to take the "Greater" version of those metamagic items, the spells are coming from magic boots.

I'm still trying to figure out if there is a whole other set of magic items I could use to get a similar effect (lots of bonus castings in a single round).

As I said above, this isn't something that is going to turn my character into some sort of permanent badass. It's a one-shot thing against a single opponent. I have to use borrowed magic items to accomplish it, though.

ANY help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Greenfield]

Metamagic rods apply to spells you cast directly. Items that duplicate spell effects are created at specific levels, and can't be modified by the user, whether they have the Metamagic feat themselves or access it through an item.

For example, say my Cleric has the Sudden Empower feat. He/she can Empower any spell they cast, of any level, once per day without it requiring a higher spell slot. But their Wand of Wonderful Niftyness still does what it does the way it's always done it because *it's* casting the spell, not the Cleric.

It punches SR based on the caster level used to create the wand, whether that's higher level than the Cleric or lower. It's effects are Dispelled based on the caster level the wand is created at, rather than the current Cleric level as well.

The same applies to Scrolls as well. All level based variables, such as duration, range, area, effect (damage or whatever) are tied to the item's level, not the current user's.

Staves are the exception. They use the wielder's current level, or the level used to put the spell into the item, whichever is greater. Even so, the item is casting the spell, not the wielder.

Most items in the book also specify a caster level to create, and that is the level they operate at. And because it's the item delivering the magic, be it an actual spell or something different, the user can't add their abilities, feats or item effects to the original item.

 

[Greenfield]

On a separate note, in AD&D there were "Cursed Scrolls" whose effects went off as soon as someone read the title on the scroll. They cost more to make, of course.

In theory you could prepare a single scroll with multiple spells as a "Cursed" scroll, then read the spell titles in order and trigger them all, one per segment*, in a single round.

In 3.5 that's a lot less clear, and extremely cheesy in any edition. Few DMs would allow it.

However, you could prepare a scroll with several Quickened spells on it. The cost is significantly higher, since scrolls cost is based on spell and caster level, and the feat adds to at least one of those.

Consider, for example, that Protection from Evil (1st level spell) can be cast as a first level caster. Scroll prices say that that's 25 GP retail, half price to create.

Quickened Protection From Evil, on the other hand, is a 5th level spell requiring a 9th level caster, minimum, to cast. That says it costs (9 x 5 x 25) = 1125 GP retail, half to create, and will take at least two days to scribe (1 item per day, max, 1000 gp value per day, max.)

*Segment: In AD&D combat rounds were a full minute, and spells had casting times in Segments of six seconds each, so there were ten segments in a round. Many preferred to play six second rounds, and it was such a common house rule that many thought it was the actual rule.