New Metamagic feat System

[SteveC]

Here's a variant I've created for metamagic feats based on reading The Secret of the Sixth Magic. Not a very good book, but it made me think about metamagic as a school of magic that works in tandem with other spells rather than being an add-on. This might be waaaaay out of balance, but I think it's a good first idea. What do you think?

METAMAGIC FEATS
As a spellcaster’s knowledge of magic grows, he can learn to cast spells from a special tenth school of magic: Metamagic. Metamagic is the school of magic that deals with the underlying power of spellcasting itself, and will only work in conjunction with other spells that you cast. By itself, a Metamagic spell is useless: it must be combined with another spell in order to work. Learning and casting Metamagic spells is difficult: they require you to spend feats to learn, and increase the difficulty of any spell they are used with. The return for using Metamagic, however, is additional flexibility and power for all of your magical abilities.
A list of the core Metamagic spells by level:
Level 1
Enlarge Spell
Extend Spell
Silent Spell
Still Spell

Level 2
Empower Spell

Level 3
Maximize Spell
Widen Spell

Level 4
Quicken Spell

Special Level Spells
Heighten Spell (a level “n:” spell)

Metamagic Basics
Once you learn a Metamagic feat, it becomes an additional spell that you may cast in the same method as your normal spells. A spellcaster that must prepare spells in advance (such as a cleric or wizard) must prepare a Metamagic spell, while a spontaneous caster (such as a sorcerer or bard) simply adds it to the list of spells he knows.

Casting a Metamagic spell
A Metamagic spell cannot be cast by itself: it is always used in conjunction with another spell that you cast at the same time. Casting a spell in this way takes more time: any time you cast a Metamagic spell you must use a full-round action to cast a 1-action spell. Note that this is different from a spell with a casting time of 1 round. For a spell with a longer casting time, it takes an extra full-round action to cast the spell.
The exception to this rule is Quicken Spell, which specifically changes the casting time of both spells to be a single swift action. Non-core Metamagic spells that affect casting times will have any additional mechanics noted in the feat description.

When you cast the Metamagic spell, you must expend the slot for both spells at the same time. For casters who must prepare spells in advance, this means that if you wish to use a particular Metamagic spell more than once you must prepare it more than once. Spontaneous spell casters may use any of their Metamagic spells as many times as they wish, subject only to the limits of spells per day. In this way, these characters are better practiced in the use of Metamagic then their more traditional counterparts.

Limitations on Metamagic Spells
You may only apply Metamagic to spells that you have achieved sufficient practice and mastery with. To determine whether or not you can apply Metamagic to one of your spells, add the level of the Metamagic spell to the one you intend to apply it’s effects to. You may Metamagic it if you would be able to cast a spell of the combined levels. As an example, if you want to combine Extend Spell (1st level Metamagic) with Mage Armor (1st level Wizard spell) you must be able to cast spells of second level. You do not need to actually prepare the combination as a second level spell, you must simply be able to do so. In the example of Extend and Mage armor, this means that a 3rd level Wizard or 4th level Sorcerer could combine the two spells.

Note: Metamagic cannot be used with all spells. See the specific feat descriptions for the spells that a particular Metamagic spell can’t modify.

Casting More Than One Metamagic Spell at a Time
A spellcaster can cast more than one Metamagic spells at a time. In order to do so you must be able to cast a spell of the combined levels of all of the spells involved. In order to cast a Fireball that is both Maximized and Empowered, you must be able to cast a level 8 spell. A wizard who did this would need to prepare Fireball, Empower Spell and Maximize spell and use all of them at once. A sorcerer would spend a level two spell-slot and two level three spell-slots. You can’t cast the same Metamagic spell more than once to enhance a single spell.

 

[ARandomGod]

I like that variant... it gives you something to do with those pesky lower spell levels when you get to higher levels. If fits the overall power level, it is more versitile for the wizard, and slows the application down to the sorc's speed, it's as balances otherwise as normal rules.

I've also read the book. It was OK.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think it's a good idea.

Compared to normal metamagic, here if you're e.g. a Wizard you don't prepare an Empowered Fireball, instead you prepare a Fireball and an Empower Spell (which could be used on another spell if better) so preparation is not anymore so problematic with metamagic. It's a good improvement without being too much, like spontaneous metamagic which takes away all the burden of preparation, so it still keeps the advantage of being spontanous caster, and that's another good thing.

Overall I think this may be the best metamagic variant so far...

 

[Samurai]

I like it, though the system I use (feat allows a number of uses per day = 4-spell level increase, minimum 1/day, on any spell the caster chooses) works well too, I've found.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I believe the Tome of Magic from ADnD 2nd Ed had metamagic spells as their own school.

 

[Vrecknidj]

I'm not sure I follow all of this. Suppose I memorize magic missile, and still spell, and my level is high enough to cast 2nd level spells.

If I want to cast a still magic missile, I just use up the two 1st level spell slots that I filled with these two spells?

In other words, a still magic missile no longer takes up a 2nd level slot--I still need 2nd level slots to be able to pull this off, but I don't use one.

Is that correct? If so, then it seems maybe a little over-powered. I know that there are only so many slots of each level per day, but I could fill all my 3rd level slots with maximize and then really do a lot of damage in a day.

Dave

 

[JimAde]

It sounds to me like this would let you cast spells of a higher effective level than you normally could. That is, if I am a 5th-level wizard, I could cast an enlarged, empowered lightning bolt (effectively a 5th-level spell). Or did I miss something?

Note, I don't necessarily think this is a problem, I'm just looking for clarification.

 

[Li Shenron]

It sounds to me like this would let you cast spells of a higher effective level than you normally could. That is, if I am a 5th-level wizard, I could cast an enlarged, empowered lightning bolt (effectively a 5th-level spell). Or did I miss something?

Note, I don't necessarily think this is a problem, I'm just looking for clarification.

I think he specified that the equivalent level of the metamagicked spell cannot be higher than the highest spell you can cast.

For example an enlarged (+1) empowered (+2) lightning bolt (3) spell cost a slot of level 1 + a slot of level 2 + a slot of level 6 but requires you to be already able to cast 6th level spells.

 

[Thanee]

You might want to take a look at the spell Symbul's Spell Enhancer (now only Spell Enhancer) from Magic of Faerun. It's kinda similar.

Bye
Thanee

 

[SteveC]

I like that variant... it gives you something to do with those pesky lower spell levels when you get to higher levels. If fits the overall power level, it is more versitile for the wizard, and slows the application down to the sorc's speed, it's as balances otherwise as normal rules.

I've also read the book. It was OK.

Thanks for the kind words. You've got the idea behind it: something to do with low level slots other than keep magic missile in them. The idea behind the system is that my players think there is too high a price to pay to really use metamagic consistently. With all of the house rules I've seen, I think there seems to be a consensus that something needs to be done, the only question is what.

To address some other questions:

How the system works in practice: once you learn a metamagic feat you, in effect, have a new spell that you can prepare. In the case of a sorcerer it's a new spell you've learned.

As a wizard or cleric, you prepare your metamagic spell just like any other spell. If you had "extend spell" for example, you would prepare it with one of your spell slots like any other first level spell.

When the time comes and you want to use it, you cast the metamagic spell in conjunction with another spell. If you like you can cast more than one at a time (but you can't use the same one twice on any single spell--just like in 3.5). Casting spells this way makes the act of casting a spell a full action (or adds a full action to the casting time if it normally takes longer to cast).

Even though you're using low level slots to cast the spell, you still have to be able to cast a spell of the total level of all the spells you've metamagiced. If you cast extend spell (1st level) on mage armor (1st level) you need to have enough caster levels to be able to cast a second level spell, even though you actually use two 1st level spell slots.

Does that make more sense?