Free Metamagic enhancements

[Ahzad]

I like your system it works nicely to give that little "oomph" in a fairly standard game, and i'm going to give it a try in my next mini campaign. It may convience some of my players to play about with the metamagics and that would be a good thing.

I agree what i proposed is overbalanced in anything close to a standard campaign, but the campaign it's going to be used in is very epic, and only one person in the entire campaign is going to have access to arcane magics, npcs included, even divine is being limited, though in this case the npc aren't affected that much. To give a taste a without taking this thread off course. The campaign is set at the zeinth of the Illithid Empire, and even the lowliest illithid is at least paragon level or fairly close to that. Arcane magic has been ruthlessly suppressed the last known spellcaster was killed 10,000 years ago, when someone is born with the spark of magic they are hunted down and exterminated, woe to the town or city that this happens more than twice in, the whole town is then slaughtered. Of course there's much more to it then that, but I'm currently working so I'll stop and go back to work now.

 

[Kyramus]

Considering it's possible epic scale.
you might want to go one step further instead of using my system.

have them choose a metamagic feat that can be up to their int mod.

For example the character rolled has an 18. +4 int mod.
choose a feat that is anywhere between +1 to +4. (this obviously disallows heightened spell feat since it has no +s.) then use that feat as an automatic feat for the spellcaster for spell levels 0-3. They must have the feat in order to have this ability.

you will see that the most would be maximized or quicken. though the few that might take still spell feat gains a greater bonus. They can wear armor and not suffer the arcane spell failure. So there are drawbacks still.

 

[Stalker0]

I like the idea a lot, but I do think it still needs a little counterbalance- I mean we are talking about casting metamagics without any price right now.

I'd go with a free action spellcraft check to successfully do the spell on the fly, as was kind of suggested above. If you fail, you lose some of your free metamagic use that day, but haven't lost any spells. Basically you try casting maximized fireball, you roll spellcraft and fail, so you lose the 3 spell levels of free metamagic. Actually the more I think about it, concentration might be the better skill, since it involves being able to pull it off considering the stresses around you. Or you could
go with the caster taking subdual damage.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact your mainly doing this to help wizards use quicken spell, I would suggest a full action to cast these, just like a sorc has to do to spontaneously cast metamagics.

 

[Kyramus]

Actually, the system I'm using is the original. The subsequent posts was jsut to discuss the use of the same type of system for alternate campaigns.


I still am in favor of using it INT MOD/day with the feat they use being something they know. so 18 int is +4 meaning either a quicken, a mazimize and still, 4 stills, or some combination there off but not over that limit.

On low levels it gives more support and on high levels it's just a good little flavor tidbit.

that's the system I am using for my campaign.


Subsequent discussion talks about taking it a step further.

 

[Garnet Schist]

Wow, I like this idea a lot.


It's not too overpowered, when you consider that even at very high levels when Int stats are around the mid 30's, it wont overbalance or anything.


Someone else might've already said it, but what about adding a stipulation of "A metamagic feat may only be applied to a spell cast in this way once" That way, there's no-one making an empoweredX4 fireball.

Even with 22 int, that's still 1 free Empowered-Maximized fireball a day (which isn't too bad, considering it took 3 feats to get).


Now if we could only get the DM to accept it


Edit: looked over it again, and this isn't a feat? This does seem a little too good just to "Give out"

 

[Khaalis]

I dont have the books handy, but isnt it already part of the core rule that a metamagic feat may only be applied once per spell?

 

[Kyramus]

as far as I know, I allow a spell to be metamagiced several times but only by different feats, not from the same feat.

As for the limitation stated, since i don't play with double empowerment, it doesn't matter.
And as for it being too good, it's to get wizzies to take metamagics more.

 

[Kyramus]

from the SRD
"Multiple Metamagic Feats on a Spell: A spellcaster can use multiple metamagic feats on a single spell. Changes to its level are cumulative. "

relevant part is in bold.
It means several feats, not one feat several times. At least that's how I would translate this.

 

[Khaalis]

I would have to agree. I believe that a single feat can only be applied once but that various different feats may be applied (ie: the classic Silent and Still.)

 

[Shalewind]

While I agree that only a single metamagic feat SHOULD be applied to a given spell, I do believe that many WoTC products would contradict this ruling. I can't recall the source at the moment (i'm at work), but I seem to recall several products refering to something as x2 Enlarged, etc...