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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ruleslawyer" data-source="post: 1948970" data-attributes="member: 1757">Back to topic, perhaps?The fact that each and every single alternative metamagic ruleset I've played with (metamagic components, the UA limited-times-per-day rules, the MiniHB Sudden feats, and especially, ESPECIALLY the Arcana Unearthed feats) works better than the core rules makes me think that core metamagic is pretty messed up. IMHO, the problems with core metamagic are as follows:1) They create a book-keeping pain in the tuckus for prep casters;2) They're too specialized in application, meaning that casters have to burn a LOT of feats to get real versatility through metamagic; and3) They use a poor metric for comparison: Namely, higher-level spells. Spell levels don't really scale linearly, whereas metamagic feats seem to do so. This is partly because a higher-level spell can have a number of advantages built into it simultaneously, whereas adding those same advantages through MM feats tends to take you into a stratosphere where the base effect is simply useless, no matter how you modify it. For instance, to take an extreme example, a maximized, widened fireball (9th-level spell) inflicts 60 hp damage against double the number of foes. An equivalent 9th-level spell could inflict more damage, target a HUGE number of foes, and have various effects other than dealing plain ol' fire damage, while getting the free benefit of Heighten +6 levels. Note that this variation exists even with respect to core spells; meteor swarm, for instance (a relatively weak 9th-level spell, in the opinion of many) is far better than a fireball with any number of effects applied. Thus, I tend to think that a better rules philosophy for metamagic is the expenditure of more spell slots rather than higher-level ones. This matches the concept of taking a lower-level effect and giving it a bit of a boost; by expending great effort, the skilled caster can add some "sauce" to his fireball, even though he can't match the versatility and sheer power of a higher-level caster wielding that caster's mightiest spells. IMHO, the AU rules are the definitively superior alternative.</blockquote>

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