Impress the Masses (metamagic feat)

[Al]

I agree.
As it is now it's very nice, but strongly overpowered.

Imagine Sleep being raised to a 5th level spell via you feat, and you are being attacked by six 4th level fighters, barbarians.
The effect: 2-8 4th level creatures fall asleep (CdG!) very likely, since the saving throw is (due to the -4) the same as for a 5th level spell. This effect is much too powerful against several 4th level attackers.

So IMHO the problems are:
- The -4 to the saving throw is way too much, compared to the +1 from heighten spell.
- Reducing the hit dice of each target is too strong.

Ideas:
- Do not have the saving throw increased. If the caster raises the spell too much, it's his own risk (actually a nice 'gambling' effect).
- Instead of reducing the targets' HD, increase the number of affected HD by 1 per d4 rolled and the max. number of HD by 1 for each level increase (Example: This feat applied 2 times to Sleep makes it affect 2d4+4 and creatures with maximum 7 HD are affected).

I disagree. Compare with Cloudkill-

Cloudkill: 5th level, save or die for 4 HD creatures. Effective DC of 5th level spell

Impress the Masses Sleep: 5th level, save or sleep for 4HD creatures. DC of 5th level spell.

Cloudkill is the victor, no? Not to mention its other useful effects, such as instantly killing 3HD and fewer and still damaging creatures that save or have too many HD.

As for bypassing guards and the like, I would point out that 9th level casters usually have very little trouble getting past 4th level guards (Suggestion, Dominate Person, Charm Monster et al.)

And the Rainbow Pattern example is even more extreme. Rainbow Pattern raised via this feat to a 6th level spell can captivate up to 72 (!) HD of creatures (best circumstances).

Granted, but not many 11th level characters take on creatures of 2HD or less.

Just apply your feat often enough, and you get a save DC increase much better than any Heighten Spell can do. And that should not be the main effect!

Not true. The save DCs are not affected; merely the effective HD of the target creature. And since for every level boosted, average opponent HD is rising by two (since two levels=one spell level) then I cannot see why their saves are adversely affected.

Cheiromancer:

Cloud Kill is not affected

Cloudkill has a duration of 1 min/level: it is thus affected.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Cheiromancer:


Cloudkill has a duration of 1 min/level: it is thus affected.

I was trying to find a wording that would allow hit dice to be lowered for temporary effects. Cloudkill kills you, and death is not a temporary effect (well, without a high level cleric- but you know what I mean.)

Contrariwise, Color Spray is an instantaneous effect, and so shouldn't be covered, but I want it to be, since its effects (blinding, stunning, etc.) all wear off in a few rounds.

So the spell itself may be instantaneous, or not, but what I am interested in is whether the effect on the creature is instantaneous or not. If not, then Impress the Masses applies.

 

[gamecat]

cool feat, chieromancer! *consider it part of the SJ game*