Orbs vs. Evocations II- with level by level data

[Nail]

I imagine that a Rod of Greater Quicken is pretty much a must-have item for any archmage.

It's that cost - even at high level - that makes it difficult. 170,000gp means you'd have to save up for it, rather than buy it with one adventure's worth of loot.

PC don't "save" very well. If they had credit cards, they'd be maxed out all th' time.

 

[KarinsDad]

Some of the metamagic rods, in actual play, won't have the same effect that Sudden feats do. They usually won't allow a caster to Empower a spell that he otherwise couldn't Empower -- except for the Greater rods.
Assume that the DMG wealth guidelines are being followed and assume that a caster has a rod worth no more than 1/4 of his total item value. (I'm trying to reflect what a real character might look like.)
The Lesser Rod is then available at level 9 -- so the caster can empower spells of levels 1-3, just as he could with Empower Spell.
The Rod of Empower is available at level 14. The caster gets the ability to empower 6th-level spells one level before he would otherwise.
The Greater rods really throw things out of whack, because they all let you Empower, Maximize, or Quicken spells that you couldn't otherwise. I imagine that a Rod of Greater Quicken is pretty much a must-have item for any archmage.

Although what you say is true, you are missing out on the synergy aspect of the rods.

A caster does not need to take metamagic feats (which cost him feat slots). Instead, he can use metamagic rods. The more rods he has, the more on the fly options he has and for a caster who prepares spells, this means that he only need prepare the base spell (depending on how the DM adjudicates the rods).

If he needs Silent Dimension Door, he only needs prepare a 4th level Dimension Door, he does not need to prepare a 5th level Silent Dimension Door. So, he gets the advantage of whichever metamagic he needs at the moment and can use lower level spell slots to power it. This allows the higher level slots to be used for other types of spells (which too can be metamagicked beyond their level).

Once one opens Pandora's box, it is the synergy that is so powerful, not just a single rod.

Granted, if he owns rods, he does not own some other magical items, but the bang for the buck is just so great that this matters little. Many of the effects that items give casters, they can get for themselves by casting a spell.

 

[Kmart Kommando]

Pretty much the same as the melee character's golf bag 'o' weapons.

"..Gimme the silver sand wedge and the nine (cold) iron..."

 

[KarinsDad]

Pretty much the same as the melee character's golf bag 'o' weapons.

"..Gimme the silver sand wedge and the nine (cold) iron..."

Not exactly.

In the case of the Fighter, he does not gain the equivalent of free feats per se.