Encompassing Spell - please critique

[Angel Tarragon]

Encompassing Spell [Metamagic]
Your area spells extend to massive proportions.
Prerequisite: Widen Spell
Benefit: You can alter a burst, emanation, line or spread shaped spell to increase its area. The improved area of an encompassing spell depends on the spell slot level you cast it at. An encompassing spell uses up a spell slot of at least four levels higher than the spell's actual level. Spells that do not have an area of one of these four sorts are not affected by this feat.

[b]Effective 
Level       Area[/b]      
 +4         +150%
 +5         +200%
 +6         +300%
 +7         +400%
 +8         +500%

 

[Sound of Azure]

I'm always looking for interesting metamagic feats, but I don't really see the point of this feat.

Let's have a look at the prerequisite for your feat, Widen Spell.

Widen Spell
You can increase the area of your spells.
Benefit: You can alter a burst, emanation, line, or spread-shaped spell to increase its area. Any numeric measurements of the spell's area increase by 100%. A Widened spell uses up a spell slot 3 levels higher than the spell's actual level.
Spells that do not have an area of one of these four sorts are not affected by this feat.

Your feat meanwhile only affects bursts, emanations and spreads, and bumps up the spell level by 5. This an expansion to the Widen Spell feat... that is, does it improve the area by a further 100%?

 

[Machiavelli]

It looks like that is the intent, that Widen and Encompassing, being two separate metamagic feats, stack their effects. That means for two feats you can bump up a 1st-level spell to a 9th-level slot and increase its area of effect to 300% of its original (or 400% if the DM rules that effects are multiplicative).

How many 0- and 1st-level spells have an area of effect? Are any of them worth spending a 9th-level slot to use at 300% their area? I recall few spells, to answer the first question, and I would flatly say no to the second. Perhaps this could be useful as a Sudden feat, with 1 or 2 other effects to make it more worth taking? Explosive Spell did that, mixing up an irresistable (but still Ref-save dodgable) bull-rush and trip, with a bit of extra damage.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Encompassing Spell does not stack with Widen Spell.

I was working from the description from Magic of Faerûn. If +5 seems to be too much, hen how about +4?

 

[Land Outcast]

Area of a widened fireball: 2(20*20*3.1416)
Area of an encompassing fireball: 40*40*3.1416

 

[Sound of Azure]

Ok Frukathka, thanks for clearing that up.

I do think it is a bit much, but only because the 3.5 version of Widen Spell already increases the area of such spells by 100% and also includes lines, while only increasing the spell level by 3.

I do recall the 3.0 version of Widen Spell was only an increase of 50%. If you prefer this version, then I think your feat is fine as is. Otherwise, I'd recomment giving Encompassing spell a greater effect such as increasing the area by 200% while giving Widen spell the ability to increase the area by 100%.

Another idea would be to give the caster a choice in the effect they want. Here's one suggestion :

Encompassing Spell (metamagic)
Your area spells extend to massive proportions.
Prerequisite: Widen Spell
Benefit: You can alter a burst, emanation, or spread (I would include line as well) shaped spell to increase its area.
The improved area of an encompassing spell depends on the spell slot level you cast it at.
Eff. Lvl/ Area
+4 / +150%
+5/ +200%
+6/ +300%
+7/ +400%
+8/+500%
An encompassing spell uses up a spell slot of at least four levels higher than the spell's actual level.
Spells that do not have an area of one of these three (four) sorts are not affected by this feat.

If you've got any more metamagic feats, I'd love to see 'em!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Another idea would be to give the caster a choice in the effect they want. Here's one suggestion :

Encompassing Spell (metamagic)
Your area spells extend to massive proportions.
Prerequisite: Widen Spell
Benefit: You can alter a burst, emanation, or spread (I would include line as well) shaped spell to increase its area.
The improved area of an encompassing spell depends on the spell slot level you cast it at.
Eff. Lvl/ Area
+4 / +150%
+5/ +200%
+6/ +300%
+7/ +400%
+8/+500%
An encompassing spell uses up a spell slot of at least four levels higher than the spell's actual level.
Spells that do not have an area of one of these three (four) sorts are not affected by this feat.

I really like this idea. Thanks.

If you've got any more metamagic feats, I'd love to see 'em!

Check out my Gathered Goodies thread.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Yay!

I swear, I spend more time tinkering around than I do actually playing....

Oh, wow. That's a handy little list! cheers!