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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 1949165" data-attributes="member: 3146">I don't see how it's any more complicated to prepare a metamagic spell than a normal spell. Could you elaborate a bit?I don't see it this way. Some metamagic feats (Empower Spell, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell) are about power--not versatility. An empowered damage spell does more damage than a different spell in that slot. (Not for all spells, of course, just for those worth empowering). Quicken Spell doesn't make a character more versatile in the sense you seem to be using--it just allows a character to concentrate his power more effectively within a short timespan.The metamagic feats that are about versatility--eschew materials, still spell, silent spell, sculpt spell (T&B/CA), heighten spell (rather indirectly), energy substitution--are all pretty good at what they do. The only question is whether a particular character has a need for what they do. Still, it only takes one or two feats to get a lot of versatility in how spells are cast or targetted. Sculpt Spell does that admirably. Energy Substitution is plenty useful enough. Still and Silent Spell combine to make a very sneaky spellcaster.Well, yes. . .  if you insist on applying metamagic inefficiently and using lousy metamagic feats like widen spell, your modified spell will suck. But you set out to design a sucky spell so that shouldn't be surprising. On the other hand, if you want 9th level damage to a single target, a maximized, energy admixed scorching ray will do in the neighborhood of 114 points of damage (assuming that the second energy type is not maximized too--if it is, that's 144 points of damage). The meteor swarm only does an average of 84. Sure, the meteor swarm is an area affect, but that's not always advantageous. Similarly, an empowered delayed blast fireball will do an average of 105 points of damage to the meteor swarm's 84.The problem with this idea (and even more the sudden metamagic feats and Divine Metamagic for that matter) is that it allows characters with metamagic feats to sauce their spells up too much. Except for at the low levels of D&D, the challenge isn't how much firepower a character has, but rather how much firepower a character can bring to bear in a single round. By allowing characters to obtain the effects of metamagic earlier (empowered fireballs at 5th level, etc), such options increase the effectiveness of magic far too much.</blockquote>

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