[UA] Spontaneous Metamagic

[Liquidsabre]

Our gaming groups has started using this variant rule in Unearthed Arcana, though we haven't seen too many applications of it yet.

I was wondering if any other folk have tried this out yet and what they thought of the results. I was surprised that our group felt the change was really needed (I agreed just was surprised so many others in the group thought so as well), metamagic being inherently balanced by spell level increase, the need to have to spend a feat to do it sort of underbalanced Metamagic Feats. Not enough gain for the loss so to speak. In addition, the group also felt the casters needed a bit of a bump due to the reduction in spell durations and other changes that lowered the power of casters somewhat.

So has anyone else tried using Spontaneous Metamagic yet? How did it work out for you and your group? Are there any experiences to share for good or for ill?

 

[Thanee]

In addition, the group also felt the casters needed a bit of a bump due to the reduction in spell durations and other changes that lowered the power of casters somewhat.

As if casters were balanced with non-casters in 3.0.

Altho, I do agree, that they have gone a bit far with the nerfs. Some of those surely weren't necessary in that degree.

So has anyone else tried using Spontaneous Metamagic yet? How did it work out for you and your group? Are there any experiences to share for good or for ill?

Hmm... no, sorry. Havn't tried them.

But having played both preparation and spontaneous spellcasters now, it's very clear, that only the spontaneous casters can make good use of many metamagic feats. OTOH, the others are usually more powerful overall (bonus feats and earlier spell access for wizards, for example).

Bye
Thanee

 

[trentonjoe]

We do it. Or something like it. We use the "power" component rule and it works pretty well.

We are also trying the "sudden" metamagic feats from the minihandbook and found that works well as well.

 

[James McMurray]

that only the spontaneous casters can make good use of many metamagic feats

Don't say that in front of any of my wizards, or they'll fry you before you can blink.

On topic: haven't tried it. How does it work?

 

[Thanee]

Don't say that in front of any of my wizards, or they'll fry you before you can blink.

Truth hurts?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Liquidsabre]

On topic: haven't tried it. How does it work?

Metamagic feats once selected allow use 3/day of the metamagic feat to alter any spell cast at no increase in spell level.

It's pretty butch, though feat's spell level increase still acts as a minimum requirement for use. i.e. Someone with Quicken Spell feat must be able to cast 5th level spells in order to modify any of their 1st level spells with this feat and so on.

 

[James McMurray]

Wow! That is pretty strong!

I assume they do away with sorcerers requiring full round actions to metmagic spells?

 

[Liquidsabre]

Right, Sorcerers can actually use Quicken Spell now too. Casting metamagic spontaneously is a huge boost to wizards, the Sorcerer loses out a bit though.

 

[Thanee]

So the feat basically works like a metamagic rod then.

Hmm... I guess this would seriously unbalance the wizard and sorcerer (making wizards much stronger than sorcerers).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Liquidsabre]

So the feat basically works like a metamagic rod then.

Hmm... I guess this would seriously unbalance the wizard and sorcerer (making wizards much stronger than sorcerers).

Bye
Thanee

That's exactly how it works, just like the Rods. The thing is a Quicken Rod 3/day is much more expensive than a Silent Spell Rod 3/day so these feats aren't remotely balanced with each other (unless Quicken Spell feat was made part of a metamagic feat tree). So there are definately some quirks there.

Right, Wizards get a serious buff, let alone all those extra feats to get more metamagic feats with. Though it's awfully nice as a Sorcerer to take the Empower feat twice and be able to use it spontaneously as a standard action 6/day. We're still looking for a way to balance it between Sorcerer and Wizard, one way we were considering was to still allow Sorcerers to spontaneously cast metamagic beyond the daily allotment for their feats per core rule metamagic as well, and restrict the Wizard from doing so. Since a sorcerer is more about mutable magic than a Wizard we thought it appropriate. But as I said we haven't had a chance to use it much yet.