Metamagic Mastery (FEAT)

[ThomasBJJ]

Metamagic Mastery [Metamagic]

When you use a Metamagic Feat on a spell that causes you to use a spell slot higher than the spell normally would use, you may reduce the spell slot level by one.

Example, Quicken Spell normally uses a spell slot 4 levels higher than the spell normally would use. With this feat, it would only use a slot 3 levels higher. Silent Spell (normally uses 1 spell slot higher) would use the normal spell level.

Considering the scarsity of FEATS for spellcaster types, I dont think this one is too powerful.

Anyone wanting to tone it down could rule that it only effects one spell school. You can take the feat multiple times but you choose a different school.

 

[Destil]

How's this work with extend, enlarge, heighten et cetera?

 

[ThomasBJJ]

Extend Spell uses a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level. With the Metamagic Mastery FEAT, there would be no increase in spell level.

Example: Extend Spell metamagic feat used on a Mage Armor spell (1st level spell), would normally require the use of a 2nd level spell slot. If you had Metamagic Mastery, you would reduce the increase in spell slot by one. Meaning that the Mage Armor spell that is being Extended would only take a 1st level spell slot, just like it would have if you didnt use the Extend Spell feat.

Heighten Spell: You can normally take a spell and cast it as if it were higher level, for purposes of save DC, effects, and other factors like beating a minor glob of invulnerability. Let's say you want to cast Magic Missile on someone hiding behind a Minor Globe (which blocks out 1st-3rd level spells). You would need to cast it as a 4th level spell (at minimum) to get past the Globe, which would mean using a 4th level spell slot. With Metamagic Mastery, you would prepare the Heightened Magic Missile in a 3rd level spell slot, and it would count as a 4th level spell.

Whatever you would increase ANY spell's spell slot level to, decrease by one. If a metamagic feat (like Eschew Materials, for example) does not increase the spell level slot, Metamagic Mastery has no effect.

Enlarge would work just like Extend Spell. Normal spell level.

One thing to remember, this is not free. The caster has to spend a feat for the Metamagic Feat (like Extend Spell for example), and then ANOTHER feat for the Metamagic Mastery feat, and then prepair it in advance when he "memorizes" his spells. Then spend the round casting it.

 

[LordJaeden]

You mean I can double the amount of Empowers I tack onto my fireballs!?! Where do I sign up?

I can cast an Enlarged, Extended, Heightened by 1 level, Shaped, Silenced, and Stilled spells for no increase to spell level?

Sorry, but in its current incarnation your feat is a weee bit overpowered, perhaps just allowing it to only effect one metamagic feat per spell and even then don't allow it to lower the increase to spell level below +1.

 

[Coredump]

Lord J caught it first. But yeah, you are saying that *all* spells will now have metamagic. As a wizard, I would prepare all of my spells with all of my +1 lvl metamagics everytime.

Try either putting a +1/metamagic minimum, or making it only apply to one metamagic feat each time you take the 'mastery'

 

[orbitalfreak]

I would say it needs to be specified that you add up all the metamagic increases, and then reduce the total by 1. Not sure if there should be a +1 minimum increase or not, though.

 

[SteelDraco]

The +1 level feats present a problem for this type of solution. If you can prepare all your spells as, say, Still, without any kind of drawback, wizards in armor would become a very popular character choice. If all your spells are Still, you don't have to worry about arcane failure chance, and you get around one of the biggest drawbacks of the class. That's too good for two feats.

I'd add two caveats to this feat.

First, the total level adjustment for all the feats you apply to a spell is decreased by one, as Orbital said. A Still (+1), Silent (+1), Empowered (+2) magic missile would use a 4th level slot. It would be quite overpowered if you could prepare that spell in a 2nd level slot.

Second, there should be a minimum of a +1 increase for metamagic with just this feat. This prevents the 'all spells are Still' trick. However, I'd also add a feat along the lines of...

Improved Metamagic Mastery [Metamagic]
You are very adept at metamagic, and can perform small modifications on your spells without increasing their difficulty.
Prerequisites: Metamagic Mastery, Skill Focus: Spellcraft
Benefit: When using the Metamagic Mastery feat, you can reduce the metamagic level modifier of a feat that normally adjusts the spell's level by +1 to +0 (no modification).

This would allow you to do a +1 level feat on all your spells, at the cost of four feats - the metamagic feat itself, Skill Focus: Spellcraft, Metamagic Mastery, and Improved Metamagic Mastery. I'd have to think about that decision for a wizard, though it's a good shtick for a battle mage who wants to wear armor. Four feats are expensive for anybody, though, especially since Skill Focus: Spellcraft is pretty darn useless.

 

[Mordane76]

I see a problem with Metamagic Mastery and Improved Metamagic Mastery, even if used together.

They make Automatic Silent and Automatic Still Spell useless. I know some people don't use ELH, but honestly, I don't think anything should allow you to remove the +1 level limitation until you've reached Epic levels.


Using these feats, however, means that a Human Wiz5 could have Improved Metamagic Mastery, or a non-human Wiz6 could have it as well, and from this point on, every +1 Metamagic gets picked up and added to every spell prepared.


I think this really is just an unworkable idea until Epic play is considered.

 

[SteelDraco]

Admittedly, I have no knowledge of the Epic stuff, and didn't consider the epic feats. I don't use it in my game, and thus don't take that stuff into account.

Hmmm.... fixes. Perhaps a caster level requirement on Improved Metamagic Talent? 9th level caster? A skill rank requirement (12 ranks in Spellcraft)? I do think it's something that should be possible, though not easy, and requiring the 'waste' of several feat slots on sub-par things, like Skill Focus.

Alternately, Improved Metamagic Talent could be limited to a single metamagic feat each time it's taken. I don't really like that solution, but it's possible.

 

[Thimble the Squit]

Improved metamagic feats

The stuff in the ELH basically duplicates these rather too much. I would definitely limit them to one feat per metamagic feat -- basically Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Quicken Spell, etc. And I wouldn't allow +0 level adjustment.

I've done this myself -- it was one of the very first house rules I implemented, 'cos I thought meta feats were too expensive. Boy, was that a mistake. Suddenly, the cleric/illusionist in my group was casting all her spells silently, using Improved Silent Spell -- and marching into battle with enemy spellcasters with silence cast on herself...

Rather than retract that particular mistake, I've tweaked it such that, if she wishes to use her Improved Silent Spell feat, the spell will require an extended casting time. Now, she tends to prepare only a couple of +0 spells this way (invisibility and silent image being her favourites).

I still think it's a bit too powerful but I haven't yet disallowed any repeat performances -- generally, if I make a mistake, I take responsibility for it and live with it. I might veto things if someone decides to generate a fighter/sorcerer with Improved Still Spell (who cares about the full-round casting requirement? I'm a sorcerer -- that's the case with any metamagic feat).