What's the best metamagic feat?

[MarauderX]

Still Spell

Why? For when that cloister of half-troll monks you are ousting from the nearby village grapples the entire party, and you have only one chance to fireball the lot of them before they rend you to pieces. For those times you get captured and leave you hanging upside-down so they can torture information out of you. For when you are carrying a fellow party away from harm and a pack of toadies is following you.

 

[Pax]

Which is the best? How come? I'm only including the core 9, then going to Tome and Blood, and 3.5 PHB versions take precedence over T&B ones. But feel free to post metamagics that I forgot about/didn't have space for.

Edit: I didn't have room for all the T&B ones, so I just included the most appropriate, IMO.

You missed a few, including my favorite, from Unapproachable East. The three there are Explosive Spell, Fortify spell, and Transdimensional Spell; Fortify is my second-favorite. Works like Heighten, but instead of actually changing the spell level, you get +2 to SR checks for each level of increase.

My absolute favorite, though, is Transdimensional Spell; +1 slot cost to make it a ghost-touch spell that <b>fully</b> extends to all coterminous planes, and into nondimensional spaces with exits <i>anywhere</i> within the AoE.

Incorporeal foes? whack 'em with a TransDim Melf's Acid Arrow. Enemy wizard hiding in a Rope Trick while sniping at you? Bombard him with some Transdimensional Fireballs.

God, I love that feat.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I went with empower since I decided to ignore T&B since I feel persistent is broke.

With T&B it would be persistent, then empower, then sculpt, then chain, then the rest come close to or just are sucking hard but can be useful in certain circumstances.

Widen is perhaps the lamest of the lame feats ever developed for example in all but some hey we fight armies campaign. +3 levels for the craptasitc ability of making the area of effect bigger, where all to frequently you don't catch more ofes with the spell and just make it harder to place without blasting comrades. Feat is a waste of space at +3 spell levels.

Quicken sucks butt +4 levels is so pathetic its not worth the ink they used. Sure in some very specific circumstances a quickened whatever helps out, but if its a feat and it makes the spell+4 spell levels higher it should kick butt all the time, not jsut give some solid benefit in a very small set of circumstances.

Maximise, heck even without stacking the smae metamagic is just a sucky empower. An extra spell level for smidge more damage, don't think so.

Extend well in 3e it was useful, in 3.5 they defanged it so much by suckifying so many durations its a sub par feat now.

The extra rang eone, well when it increased the area of effect of lines and cones it was useful, now at +1 spell levels it sucks beyond all comprehension of sucking.

Heighten has always been a bit sub par, if you have some DC fetish where you insist on increasing the DC of lower level spell instead of just using a different higher level spell hey this one is for you.(not bad idea for sorcerers who may not want to waste known spells on a better save or die for example) or if you bump into globes of invuln all the time(now with the improved 3.5 version not that kooky of a thing) then its somewhat useful.

Silent and still well they have there uses, vs grapples and silence spells, and some added stealth. They actually don't suck, but I'm not sure if its potent enough for a feat and +1 spell level. If you design your character aorund stealth well these feats are for you.

 

[Olive]

You missed a few, including my favorite, from Unapproachable East. The three there are Explosive Spell, Fortify spell, and Transdimensional Spell; Fortify is my second-favorite. Works like Heighten, but instead of actually changing the spell level, you get +2 to SR checks for each level of increase.

Yeah, there's a 15 option limit. I even missed some of the more useless ones from T&B. I like transdimentional as well...

 

[Dimwhit]

I like Extend Spell. Great bang for your buck. Only a +1 level, and it's great for charming spells, buffing spells, and the like. And you can get good use out of it as early as 3rd level with spells like Mage Armor.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The three there are Explosive Spell, Fortify spell, and Transdimensional Spell

So what does explosive do?

 

[Thanee]

Since Persistant Spell is not 3.5, I voted for Empower Spell instead!

Depends a lot on class and circumstances, tho.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Olive]

Since Persistant Spell is not 3.5, I voted for Empower Spell instead!

Sure, but neither is almost half the list! I count them as 3.5 till updated myself.

 

[Pax]

So what does explosive do?

IDHMBWM, but -- only AoE spells which allow a reflex save for half damage benefit from this one. Fail that save, and you get flung out of the AoE (shortest route). And take 1d6 extra (non-energy) damage per 10' moved.

A well-placed fireball, Widened, with a very well-palced Blade Barrier ... can put a WORLD of hurt on someone.

Still, it's a very situational thing; neat idea, but not much mechanical NEED for it.

 

[Storminator]

I think Heighten should be free for all spell casters. It's of limited utility, and it seems a natural advantage of having higher spell slots.

PS