What the...

[harperscout]

Someone please help me understand why Sudden ________ feats from the Complete Arcane aren't broken. From my estimation, a wizard could cast a Sudden Maximized Fireball, long before he could cast a maximized fireball (due to prep time and spell level).

I have planned to outlaw the use of the feats in my campaign because I simply cannot see the reasoning behind their design. If someone could help me understand why they aren't broken, I would like to know that I am just over-reacting here.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[zoroaster100]

I think these feats were created because the original metamagic feats are broken by being too weak, as they require paying a double cost, first by choosing the feat, and then by having to cast spells at a higher level. These sudden metamagic feats were meant to correct that by instead limiting use by one use per level instead of many uses but only if you pay the extra double cost each time.

 

[Mistwell]

Broken for being overpowered?

HAhahahahaha!

Try weak. Why pay a feat to maximize a spell one time a day when I can get a REAL metamagic feat that works many times a day?

Really...try them in your game. You will very quickly find they are not overpowered.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Broken for being overpowered?

HAhahahahaha!

Try weak. Why pay a feat to maximize a spell one time a day when I can get a REAL metamagic feat that works many times a day?

Really...try them in your game. You will very quickly find they are not overpowered.

They are annoyingly limited because they only work once a day, but they are powerful for doing solitary burst damage when needed. Even so, they are not really overpowered in the long run unless you tend to fight only one battle per day. In fact, a character is likely to either waste their Sudden feat too early or else hoard it like a miser and never use it except against obvious BBEG types.

 

[Crothian]

If you run advenures with a single boss monster encounter, the sudden feats can make that type of battle really easy. But that's all they do, make one encounter a day possibly easy. I find them in practice to be weaker then regular metamagic feats, which I find to be fine power wise so called double cost not with standing.

 

[Question]

They work once per day. A single metamagicked spell cast at the normal time and spell level per day cant possibly break a campaign.

 

[Legildur]

In fact, a character is likely to either waste their Sudden feat too early or else hoard it like a miser and never use it except against obvious BBEG types.

Yup. That's be me with Sudden Extend and Sudden Maximise..... can't use it now, what if I really need it later??? But, as a Druid, I don't need many feats so I don't think there was much opportunity cost in taken them, and I appreciate the flexibility they provide.

 

[Jack Simth]

Also, do note that for *most* spellcasting (spontaneous spellcasting being the exception), a Sudden Metamagic feat is eclipsed by a level-appropriet Metamagic Rod (3/day, rather than 1/day).

 

[Piratecat]

As a house rule I use sudden metamagic feats in my game exclusively, usable three times a day. I find they don't particularly affect balance and they make the game a lot more fun for the spellcasters. I'm glad I adopted that rule.

 

[ForceUser]

As a house rule I use sudden metamagic feats in my game exclusively, usable three times a day. I find they don't particularly affect balance and they make the game a lot more fun for the spellcasters. I'm glad I adopted that rule.

I believe that's in Unearthed Arcana. I'm definitely using this variant next time I start a new D&D campaign.