Energy Manipulation

[SlagMortar]

Energy Manipulation [METAMAGIC]
Benefit:
You can alter a spell so that it utilizes a different energy type from the one it normally uses. This ability can only alter a spell with the acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic descriptor. The spell level of an energy manipulated spell depends on the energy type being utilized.
Cold, Fire, Electricity, Acid - Base spell level + 1
Sonic - Base spell level + 2
If the original spell was not subject to spell resistance then the modified spell is also not subject to spell resistance.
Examples:
Burning Hands (1st level [Fire]) changed to [Cold] is a 2nd level spell. Burning Hands changed to [Acid] is a second level spell, but is still subject to spell resistance. Burning Hands changed to Sonic is a 3rd level spell.
Acid Arrow (2nd level [Acid]) changed to [Fire] is a 3rd level spell. Acid Arrow changed to electricity is a 3rd level spell. All variations of Acid Arrow are not subject to spell resistance.

 

[GnomeWorks]

I think that any use of this metamagic feat should result in at least a 1 level increase in the spell's effective spell level.

 

[Rystil Arden]

I think that any use of this metamagic feat should result in at least a 1 level increase in the spell's effective spell level.

I don't know about that. The WotC one doesn't give an increase at all (though it doesn't allow some of the types here)

 

[GnomeWorks]

I don't know about that. The WotC one doesn't give an increase at all (though it doesn't allow some of the types here)

There are far too many applications for Cold and Fire spells. I can think of a decent number of creatures with either subtype, and for a sorcerer to simply spontaneously apply either type to a spell... it's too easily abused.

 

[Rystil Arden]

There are far too many applications for Cold and Fire spells. I can think of a decent number of creatures with either subtype, and for a sorcerer to simply spontaneously apply either type to a spell... it's too easily abused.

Sorcerers are already weak, and they need that kind of flexibility, I think. WotC seems to also, since the XPH, which is allowed here, gives this augmentation for free on more or less all of the energy powers. We're letting psions do it, so why not sorcerers (and this from the player of two Psions who would never play a Sorcerer, ever)

 

[Velmont]

There is, but not in the SRD, a metamagic feat equivalent to it: Energy Substitution.

- It give a +0 to level spell
- It allow to transfert any spell with an energy descriptor to one spell descriptor (so you could tranform everything to cold, but if you want to go with sonic, that would need another feat)
- Force is not an energy, so cannot be taken by this feat.

Now, for this feat, I would say NO because of two things:

- Force is not an energy. Force is a descriptor that have no relation with the remaining ones. I don't know any energy resistance to Force. If you want to add the Force descriptor to any spell, I would create a new feat for it, not pack it in this feat.

- Now, having the choice of going for any energy with only on feat is strong. As I said, there is a feat that do teh same, but one energy at a time. The only power that give this possibility is an Archmage power. In the hand of a Sorcerer, that feat is almost as the Archmage power, but he could have it at first level and not botehr to lose feat and skills point in more or less usefull prerequisit for that class.

That's my opinion... couldn't we just make Energy Substitution, or the fact that it isn't a SRD could be troublesome?

 

[Rystil Arden]

Wow, I didn't realise that the OP wanted the feat to give access to all of those at once--I had assumed you had to pick one energy type like with ES

 

[Velmont]

There are far too many applications for Cold and Fire spells. I can think of a decent number of creatures with either subtype, and for a sorcerer to simply spontaneously apply either type to a spell... it's too easily abused.

Well, the opportunity doesn't happen that often. An empower fireball will be usefull against anything, Energy Substitution[Fire] will be usefull only against cold creature. To have played an high-power sorcerer, I havn't much used it, after all, a full round action is pretty annoying and I was prefering to go for the spell that have the spell descriptor and be able to move to aim my next spell more acuratly.

 

[SlagMortar]

My own commentary

Editted: Wow, faster responses than I expected.

I thought we needed a version of the Energy Substitution feat from the Complete Arcane, but I wanted to make it sufficiently different. This feat is more powerful than the standard Energy Substitution [Fire] and Energy Substitution [Cold], but I don't know why anyone would take either of those except for flavor. Energy Substitution [Acid] seems like the more logical comparison.

It obviously favors a sorcerer over a wizard just like almost all metamagic feats. The Sorcerer can decide that that 5th level slot would work much better as a [Force] scorching ray where as a wizard is unlikely to prepare a [Force] scorching ray unless she's specifically fighting incorpreal undead and maybe not even then.

If it is over powered, a possible fix would be to up the level for all transitions. Also, [Force] could be removed.

Another possibility would be to make it a feat chain with slowly adding more types and lowering the increases in spell levels. Sorcerers are already pretty feat starved though.

 

[Velmont]

For the force descriptor, I would create a separate feat for it, not packing it with the others. After all, Force is not an energy.

And Energy Substitution[Cold], I've seen it a lot, in the hands of druids mainly. Druids have few attacking spells, and most of them are [Fire]. Most creature that would resist [Fire] will be weak against [Cold], so having it make it a nice balance. Outside of that, [Sonic] is the best overall, as there is very few resistant to it.