Divine Metamagic

[Bad Paper]

Quicken is better.

yar, but I'm having some trouble corralling this PITA Divine Metamagic (maximize) cleric running around melting my undead bosses with his damnable searing light

 

[Infiniti2000]

Spell immunity (searing light) will do wonders, even if you have to use a scroll with UMD.

 

[Pyrex]

Or a Ring of Counterspells

 

[Mistwell]

The feat remains broken because it should require that you be capable of casting spells of the spell slot that would have been used if you didn't have this feat. In other words, if you cannot cast 9th level spells, then you shouldn't be able to use divine metamagic to metamagic a spell that otherwise would require a 9th level spell slot.

Turn attempts are cheap. The feat grants them. Domains grant this feat also (see for example Planning and Undeath). Nightsticks from Libris Mortis grant extra turning attempts. Lots and lots of ways to get extra turning attempts. And when you can make those turning attempts into what would otherwise be 9th level spell slots as a mid-level caster, it's broken.

Just say no to persistant divine favor. Say no to persistant righteous mights. Say no to persistant divine power. Don't let players ACTUALLY break your game (unlike all the theoretical exagerations of games being broke, this feat can actually do it).

 

[TheGogmagog]

The feat remains broken because it should require that you be capable of casting spells of the spell slot that would have been used if you didn't have this feat. In other words, if you cannot cast 9th level spells, then you shouldn't be able to use divine metamagic to metamagic a spell that otherwise would require a 9th level spell slot.

I think that should be the rule for all metamagic reduction abilities, like incantrix. It's my house rule.

Aside from that, I think the best metamagic for a cleric is quicken spell. There are a few spells that scale nicely, one for AC and one for attack, Even a quickened bless is usefull at high levels if you have 3 or 4 people making attack rolls. When you get high enough, or if your DM allows you to apply Divine Metamagic to quicken a spell that you normally couldn't then it comes in handy for the spells that turn you into a fighting machine.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I think that should be the rule for all metamagic reduction abilities, like incantrix. It's my house rule.

Interestingly, that's no longer a house rule for Incantatrix, per the errata on Magic of Faerun. I was downright shocked not to see a similar wording for the errata on Complete Divine.

 

[Nail]

Just say no to persistant divine favor. Say no to persistant righteous mights. Say no to persistant divine power. Don't let players ACTUALLY break your game (unlike all the theoretical exagerations of games being broke, this feat can actually do it).

Preach on, Bro!

In our game we haven't "outlawed" the Persistant Spell feat.....'cause no one has taken it. Even I shied away from it as too broken for my tasts. ...And that's saying somethin'.

 

[Nail]

... quicken a spell that you normally couldn't then it comes in handy for the spells that turn you into a fighting machine.

I'm sure it's partially a question of playing style, but I've just never seen the advantages of casting Divine Might, etc and wading into battle. Spell-casters are far too valuable to waste rounds swinging a weapon, buffed or not. They need to remain mobile and flexible, to either counter enemy tactics, or to lead friendly tactics.

IOW, if your Clr is up there on the front line swinging, who's in back casting the buffs, battle-field controls, enemy supressors, medic-magic, etc spells?

 

[Jdvn1]

Reach spell is another you want to give a very serious look at. The ability to do a ranged heal or inflict at need should not be overlooked.

This is one of my favorite options.

 

[Infiniti2000]

IOW, if your Clr is up there on the front line swinging, who's in back casting the buffs, battle-field controls, enemy supressors, medic-magic, etc spells?

The wizard, druid, and bard. Duh!

Hijack: When I play, I play a LG cleric of Heironeous who frequently wades into melee combat. He is a force to be reckoned with, regardless of buffs, and sometimes just likes to get his hands dirty. It doesn't hurt that he works side-by-side with half-orc barbarian wielding a greataxe with more hit points than Heironeous Himself.

Edit: Another hijack - one of my favoriate uses for Reach Spell was with an evil enemy cleric (7th level). He had called a Large air elemental, buffed it with devil's eye (BoVD, himself, too), damning darkness (BoVD), and silence. The elemental with its very high movement went to go kick the wizard's ass while he readied with a Reached death knell. The heroes kept wondering wth the cleric was doing just sitting there readying, until it was too late.