Fiddling with Metamagic

[Greatwyrm]

I'm working on a house rule for metamagic feats. I liked UA's options of x uses per day or using more spell slots, but they weren't quite what I was after. Then I remembered an Eberron preview article on the Shifter race. In that article, Shifters can take various feats to gain different abilities. There was also some rule that you could use certain powers x times per day, plus an additional time for every related feat you have. So, I came up with this.

1. Metamagic feats can be applied spontaneously by all casters. No extra time for spontaneous casters (e.g. bard, sorceror).

2. You can use metamagic feats 2 times per day, plus one additional time for each metamagic feat you have. For example, if you have two feats, you could use them a total of four times. Using two feats on one spell counts as two uses.

3. You can't use metamagic feats to cast a spell with an adjusted level higher than you could normally cast. You'd still need access to fifth level spells before you could Quicken a first level spell.

Does anyone see anything potentially abusive in this? Am I allowing too much or not enough?

 

[Pyrex]

2: Thats four uses of each feat, not four total uses, right?
And using two feats counts as one use of each?

 

[Greatwyrm]

No, it's four uses total.

 

[Nellisir]

No, it's four uses total.

Hrm. Interesting. Less uses overall, but much greater flexibility. You could cast Silent Spell 4 times (if you had another metamagic feat...)

I'll have to think about it, but it's interesting.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[Terath Ninir]

2: Thats four uses of each feat, not four total uses, right?
And using two feats counts as one use of each?

I like this version much better.

I dunno. Your version seems a bit too weak. I find that the current metamagic rules are rarely a good min/max option, and yours seems less useful.

 

[Greatwyrm]

I was thinking about this being too weak, but I didn't want to see casters dumping every feat they had into a spell numerous times. I guess if you keep the spell level limit, as I did, it's not really a problem.

 

[Firzair]

Hi everybody,
IMC we have a different house rule for this. The number of free uses of each feat depends on the level adjustment of the feat.
A feat that raises the spell level by 1 (e.g. Silent spell) can be used 6 times a day, feats that raise the level by 2 can be used 3 times a day, feats like maximize spell (3 levels more) can be used 2 times a day and higher level adjustments only one time a day for free. The caster always has the option to use higher spell slots for casting spells, if his free uses are gone.
Also I allow usage of these feats even on the highest spells, as long as the virtually adjusted spell level isn't higher than the caster level.
All casters get the heighten spell feat for free IMC, cause I always thought, that using a higher spell slot (something that every caster can do) should give the spell more power without special knowledge.

Just my 2 cents

Greetings
Firzair

 

[Plane Sailing]

Does anyone see anything potentially abusive in this? Am I allowing too much or not enough?

The key issue is - what are you going to give back to sorcerers if you take away their one advantage vis a vis wizards?

Are you going to allow them to metamagic stuff instantly and give them a bonus feat every five levels?

Basically the sorcerer swaps a minimal known spell list, spontaneous metamagic and higher total innate capacity for the bonus feats and huge spell list of the wizard. Once sorcerers reach about 8th level their metamagic flexibility is one of the places that they really start to shine.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

How about letting Wizards use a MMF once per day free per each MMF, then as normal with memorized spells. Sorcerers add their Cha modifier to the number per day. Wizards keep versatility with planing, Sorcerers keep flexibility.

Maybe make Wizards have to do the full round casting if they choose to do things on the fly. It does creep into Sorcerer territory a little, but other feats already do that, and MM by its nature tweaks magic.

 

[Destil]

Here's what I've been wanting to try for a while and haven't gotten to instate in a game yet:

There is no casting time adjustment for any class casting meta-magiced spells.

Each time you take a meta-magic feat you gain a certian number of energy levels, virtual spells levels that can be used to power these feats. You gain two times the level adjustment of the feat for each feat you take, so for instance a spellcaster who knows quicken spell (+4) and enlarge spell (+1) has 10 daily energy levels to spend. Sorcerers gain bonus energy levels equal to half their class level.

You may expend these energy levels in order to use a spell slot of the normal level to power a meta-magic spell, however you still can not cast spells that would have an adjusted level higher than the maximum level of spells you can cast. So if the affore mentioned spellcaster was a 10th level sorcerer with 5th level spells he could spend 4 levels to cast a quickened magic missle with a 1st level slot, 2 levels to cast it using a 3rd level slot but could not under any circumstances cast an enlarged and quickened magic missile, as this would usualy take a 6th level slot.

New feats

Spellcasting Power
Requires: 15 Con, Spellcaster level 7+
You may cast meta-magic spells where the effective spellcaster level is up to 1 level higher than the normal maximum level of spells you can cast. Doing so requires expending two added energy levels (a 5th level caster using an enlarged quickened magic missiles would expect a total of 6 and a 1st level spell slot, for instance). You may not excede an effectivly 9th level spell with this feat.

Improved Spellcasting Power
Requires: 17 Con, Spellcaster level 17+, Magical Might
You may cast meta-magic spells where the effective spellcaster level is up to 2 levels higher than the normal maximum level of spells you can cast. Doing so requires expending 4 added energy levels. You may not excede an effectivly 10th level spell with this feat.