Metamagic Feats tweaking

[Kilroy]

I don't like the ruling that lower level spells can't go into higher level slots. That cuts down significantly on spell caster versitility, particularly for leaving slots open to memorize utility spells. Now, instead of leaving a higher level slot open for whatever seldom used utility spell they need, they have to leave a slot open at every level. That hurts.

If your players are having to load lower level attack spells into higher level slots frequently, it sounds like a problem with your game, not with the rules. Maybe you should make the 2nd and 4th level attack spells available, or make the 2nd and 4th level utility spells as useful as you seem to think they should be. Don't blame your players for swapping out useless utility for sub-par combat spells when you're the one putting them in the situation where they need to do that.

Costing xp&feats for metamagic hurts too much. If you're going to charge xp for every metamagic use, make all metamagic feats automatic. XP cost and a feat cost should create a permanent benefit, like Item Creation feats.

Charging extra spell slots for metamagic causes way more problems than it solves. Now your casters can alpha strike for far, far more damage than they normally could. I have trouble imagining a game where a few extra magic missles a day is more of a problem than a spontaneous Maximized, Empowered, Twined, Admixtured fireball letting a 9th level caster do Meteor Swarm grade damage.

All in all, I think all your suggestions are worse than the default rules. You seem to be going to an awful lot of trouble to try to preserve some duboius flavor that your players don't like much.

 

[Thanee]

Charging extra spell slots for metamagic causes way more problems than it solves. Now your casters can alpha strike for far, far more damage than they normally could. I have trouble imagining a game where a few extra magic missles a day is more of a problem than a spontaneous Maximized, Empowered, Twined, Admixtured fireball letting a 9th level caster do Meteor Swarm grade damage.

Well, that problem can be removed quite easily, tho (see my post above).

Bye
Thanee

 

[ender_wiggin]

Or how about linking metamagic to a skill?

You can have multiple skills (or just one) that gauge how well a player can use metamagic to heighten his casting abilities. Taking the feat gives you the class skill, and perhaps sorcerors get the skill as a class skill to start (that would solve some of this under-powered sorceror problem). DC = 15 + (spell level)*(metamagic modifier).

Metamagic Modifers
Silent, Still, Enlarge, Extend : 3
Empower, Widen, Maximize : 4
Quicken : 5
etc, etc

For example, I want to cast a stilled magic missile, and I'm a 7th level caster with 10 ranks + 4 int = +14 in "metamagic". I roll versus DC (15 + 3 = 18). Easy right? Cuz its a level 1 spell. But if I was 20th level with +40 in the skill, casting a quickened 9th level spell would be 1d20 + 40 vs. DC 60. Not so easy.

Note that I don't really want to defend this system as effective or efficient (cuz I think original is fine and has a lot less numbers). But it might solve your problem.


OR you can do it like this

Metamagic Modifers
Silent, Still, Enlarge, Extend : 1
Empower, Widen, Maximize : 2
Quicken : 3

the feat would only allow for CROSS-CLASS, and the sorceror gets the class skill, making them the kings of metamagic.

 

[Pevishan]

Or go for the sudden metamagic variants, that allow you to use their effects on the go, no cost change, but only a number of times per day. That, combined with your houserule, would stop that sort of "quasi-abuse" you are worried about.