Dropping Quicken Spell to +3 spell level

[LightPhoenix]

I think magic missile is probably the only first-level spell I'd ever Quicken. That is probably in part because I fall into the magic missile is too powerful camp.

After first though I think the normal spells are better overall than the quickened ones of lower level. That is to say, a sixth-level spell is better than a Quickened second. A Quickened Flame Arrow would be okay if there were seventh-level slots to spare - an epic-caster perhaps.

Maybe that's just the way I play mages though.

 

[Staffan]

About a year ago, I suggested a metamagic feat that made a spell a move-equivalent action for a level increase of +2, with the caveat that it could not be combined with other magic actions (spellcasting or activating magic items). That was mostly meant for fighter/wizards (and fighter/sorcerers, because I rule that the full-round casting time for metamagic spells doesn't apply to metamagic that speeds the spell up) and psychic warriors, who could then cast boosting spells without giving up all their attacks for a round.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I forget, do spells cast as a free action eliminate arcane spell failure? All components? or do they still have all regular limitations? somehow I am thinking they still have all limitations.

They don't draw AoO

Cheers

 

[Allanon]

An idea I've been toying with is making the costs of quicken spell "the spell cost an additional spell (slot) to cast, the additional spell slot needs to be 2 levels higher then the one being used for the quickened spell".

Anyone have any idea if this would make it to overpowered?

EDIT: Typo correction(s)

 

[shilsen]

I think magic missile is probably the only first-level spell I'd ever Quicken. That is probably in part because I fall into the magic missile is too powerful camp.

After first though I think the normal spells are better overall than the quickened ones of lower level. That is to say, a sixth-level spell is better than a Quickened second. A Quickened Flame Arrow would be okay if there were seventh-level slots to spare - an epic-caster perhaps.

Maybe that's just the way I play mages though.

How about True Strike? Defensively, I could also see a Quickened Shield, Mirror Image, Invisibility, Blink, Fly, etc. being a life-saver for a mage. For a combat-oriented cleric, a Quickened Divine Favor might be perfect.

 

[Mordane76]

Quickened true strike would be well worth it. Heck, I was working with a build where this would have been incredibly useful -- I had a Clr/Ftr/Nec that hunted undead; I carried enchanted crossbow bolts, but no crossbow (I used launch bolt from Magic of Faerun), and would regularly use a silenced/stilled true strike in my first round to prep the bolt. Quicken would have been so much better, but I didn't have the spell slots for it yet.

 

[Spatzimaus]

Quickened true strike would be well worth it.

It's even better than that for all those multiclassed fighter-sorcerers. Better yet, an Eldritch Knight.

"I walk up to the Dragon, cast a Quickened True Strike, and then Power Attack for 18." BOOM. Even if I throw on Expertise and Fight Defensively, I can still blow through any sort of Damage Reduction, while still having a higher attack bonus than I would otherwise. 18 damage might not seem that much (a Quickened Magic Missile would do about the same, and a Fireball would ), but it's not subject to SR, elemental resistances, isn't stopped by a Shield, and so on. DR doesn't affect it since the damage is added to the same pool as the base weapon damage.

(i.e., if I'd do 10 damage normally, and the target has five DR, I do 5 damage. If I now add 20 extra physical damage, I do 25, since the DR has already been "paid for" by my normal attack.)

 

[Staffan]

An idea I've been toying with is making the costs of quicken spell "the spell cost an additional spell (slot) to cast, the additional spell slot needs to be 2 levels higher then the one being used for the quickened spell".

Anyone have any idea if this would make it to overpowered?

IIRC, the cost for Quickening a spell in Arcana Unearthed is that it costs two spell slots of the same level. Seems to work fine there.

 

[rkanodia]

Personally, I like the idea that metamagic feats can each be applied at cast-time, a certain number of times per day. I always felt like it sort of negated the point of Quicken Spell to have to anticipate a situation in which the (huge!) four-level increase would be worthwhile for an individual spell. I mean, if you saw it coming, you could have just casted ahead of time, right?

 

[Plane Sailing]

It's even better than that for all those multiclassed fighter-sorcerers. Better yet, an Eldritch Knight.

"I walk up to the Dragon, cast a Quickened True Strike, and then Power Attack for 18." BOOM. Even if I throw on Expertise and Fight Defensively, I can still blow through any sort of Damage Reduction, while still having a higher attack bonus than I would otherwise.

Ummm. For your eldritch knight to have a BAB of 18 (in order to put 18 into power attack) he would have to be higher than 20th level... 5th wiz, 10th ek, 6th fighter... and a dragon of appropriate challenge rating (e.g. ancient blue dragon) will have an AC of about 38.

You'd probably be wanting that truestrike just to ensure that you hit the blighter! If you power attacked for 18 you would need to have an additional +16 to hit from other sources in order to strike the creature on a 20! (just for fun, say an 18 Str, +8 belt of giant str for +8 hit from Str, +5 from magic weapon, +2 from flanking, +1 from luck, +2 from circumstance?)

See what I mean?