Warlock: Meta-SLA Feats

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I have a question. Are the metamagic feats that apply to Spell Like Abilities counted as Metamagic feats?

I'm wondering in terms of a later-level Warlock build.

Energy Substitution is a Metamagic that doesn't change Spell Slot Level. Sudden ____ metamagics do not change spell slot level either, and the entry on Invo's and feats suggest that Sudden ____ feats can be taken for Invos because they don't change spell level to function.

So my assumption is Energy Sub works the same way.

The only Essence that allows a Warlock to do anything to creatures with SR is Vitriolic Blast (Acid). But there are some highSR creatures that are immune to Acid, so it would probably be worth (1) feat to be able to change Acid to something like Electricity or Cold for those moments when you're going to be facing acid-proof SR-heavy creatures.

Question being, can you hook Empower Spell-Like Ability to qualify for Energy Substitution?

And if not, other than the Suddens (which usually need another metamagic themselves) does anybody know of any other Spell-level independant Metamagic that a 'lock could grab? Still Spell 1/Day is too high a price, I think, for such a feat-hungry class.

--fje

 

[Thanee]

No, Warlocks cannot use Energy Substitution, or any other Metamagic feat for that matter.

They are specifically allowed to use Sudden Metamagic feats only, because they do not modify the spell slots and can be used spontaneously. How would a Warlock use a Metamagic feat, anyways? Without being able to prepare spells or to spontaneously apply Metamagic like a Sorcerer, they have no means to use them.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

You could ask your DM to allow an appropriate Still SLA feat, which is useable 3/day on a single specific SLA (just like Empower SLA and Quicken SLA, etc).

It would require a minimum caster level of (spell level +1) x2, spell level being the equivalent spell level of the SLA the feat is being applied to.

Bye
Thanee

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Here's the appropriate text from p. 71 of Complete Arcane:

"These feats don't require modified spell slots, and so they work as well with spell-like abilities or invocations as they do with spells ..."

Energy Substitution doesn't modify the spell's level.

--fje

 

[RigaMortus2]

Here's the appropriate text from p. 71 of Complete Arcane:

"These feats don't require modified spell slots, and so they work as well with spell-like abilities or invocations as they do with spells ..."

Energy Substitution doesn't modify the spell's level.

--fje

But it is also not a Sudden feat. That sentence is specifically referencing Sudden feats.

 

[Kurotowa]

SLA feats aren't metamagic, but Sudden feats are. Just to get that out of the way.

Despite not needing a higher spell level, I don't believe a Warlock can use Energy Substitution. Warlocks can not memorize a spell. The Sudden feats are allowed because they don't require a higher spell level and because they can be applied on the fly to a spell effect. Energy Sub is a normal metamagic feat and still requires you to apply the feat when you memorize the spell. Since a Warlock can't do that, they can take the feat but they can't use it.

 

[Caliban]

SLA feats aren't metamagic, but Sudden feats are. Just to get that out of the way.

Despite not needing a higher spell level, I don't believe a Warlock can use Energy Substitution. Warlocks can not memorize a spell.

Neither do sorcerers, but they can use metamagic feats. Memorizing a spell has nothing to do with this.

There are two reasons that you can't use Energy Substitution with the Eldritch Blast:

1) The Eldritch Blast ability on page 7 states: "Metamagic feats cannot improve a warlock's eldritch blast (because it is a spell-like ability, not a spell)."

The Sudden Metamagic feats are a specific exception to this. Although the reasoning given for them applying would seem to work for metamagic feats that don't increase the spell level, it doesn't get around the specific prohibition against metamagic feats.

2) Even if you could use the feat, it wouldn't work with standard Eldritch Blast. Energy Substitution only works on spells that have an energy descriptor to begin with, and Eldritch Blast does untyped damage. It would only work with blasts that have been modified by an invocation to do energy damage.