FearlessFreddy's page

Wow. metamagic feats are really getting a raw deal. Can't say I disagree completely, but I think there are a few caveats.

I think Quicken Spell is good no matter what. Yes, it's using high-level slots for lowish spells, but at that point, getting more actions than the opposition is often the difference between life and death.

For a sorcerer, I had some great result with Heighten Spell. If you are looking at "save-or-lose" spells targeting each saves, it means you only need one of each and can look for other utility spells with those precious spell slots. Yes, Charm Monster is better than Charm Person. But perhaps a Charm Person that can be heightened plus another 4th level spell (that's the level I always have a difficulty to choose...) is better than Charm Monster by itself?

Also, I found that one of the spells alone is powerful enough to warrant spending MM feats on it to improve the result. Enervation. Empowered or Maximized (or both), wow. With a Quickened True Strike just before that, ouch.

No need to be snide or snarky. And, as a note, in the future, when you attempt to be snide and snarky, you should probably read your comment so you don't come off looking like you don't get the concept of snide or snarky.

My point was that a cantrip was interfering with a spell of a higher level, not that one spell can cancel another. Your example, of a first level spell totally trumping a second level spell, gasp, totally backs up my point of how things should work. Thanks for making that point for me.

Apologies about the snide and snarky comments.

What about Resist Energy trumping Meteor Swarm?
Protection from Evil trumping Dominate Monster?
Or even True Seeing, trumping higher-level illusions?
Death Ward trumping Energy Drain?
Dispel Magic trumping a higher-level spell?

You might be in for a lot of house-ruling with a general statement like a lower level spell slot cannot trump a higher level one.

It still brings up the point that you are enforcing a spell tax, no illusion or magical trap can work without a casting of magic aura or nondetection. Neither of those can be made permanent with the permanency spell either. Granted, the aura lasts for days, but that doesn't help much for setting up traps and such. And, if you look at the traps in the book, not a single one of those has a 'magic aura' spell included. Which means a hefty gold tax on traps, all thanks to an at will cantrip. Again, it just seems like the fact this spell is at will is the main issue, and it is having repercussions throughout the game. Before, you had only 4-5 castings of this per day, usually,...

You have a point, but seeing the magic - although it does prevent the surprise - does not reveal the trap.

Case in point. A wizard/sorcerer without trapfinding finds a trap on the door. What will the spell reveal?

Round 1: There's a magic aura in the vicinity
Round 2: Since the wizard most probably is not going first, he sees the number of magical trinkets the characters in front have, plus 1. The power is the power level of the biggest one between them. This probably includes the actual location of the aura on the door, although the spell does not specify so.
Round 3: The one on the door is evocation (I'll assume the spellcraft check is trivial)

Granted the information helps a lot, but it does not show the trap. I don't see how the wizard could use perception to locate the magical trap itself. And the wizzie cannot disable device magical traps. He has to summon a door-opener, or dispel magic on it.

Again, my point. The enemy has to move, that means he is limited in what he can do. And, how is the magic user being sneak attacked? By the invisible guy? So he's not a spellcaster? Just a rogue using UMD? The sorcerer has no friends? Can't cast 'invisibility' himself while he finds the guy and glitter dusts him?

First, why would the rogue be alone? Maybe he has a sorcerer friend as well?

Also, a funny thought. Said sorcerer friend has detect magic at will too, right? So he can cast glitterdust on your invisible detect-magic guy?

It does seem to give Magic Aura some kind of premium, though. If you enter the bad guy lair and see 5 or 6 auras, perhaps your glitterdust won't go in the right spot. Some cheap 0-level scrolls scattered about will still register as magic.

Plus, while the sorcerer is taking 2 rounds to detect magic, he's not doing anything else. Not sure it's that good in combat. I agree fooling Detect Magic is a tax, but I'm not even sure it's required in combat. Using detect magic effectively takes a character out of combat for 2 rounds.

Finally, a weird thought. This is 3.5, not sure how it works in PF. In non-combat situations (not hustling), I seem to recall people making 1 move action OR 1 standard action per round. So if you want to detect magic, it would mean:

Round 1: Casts Detect Magic
Round 2-3: Looks for auras
Round 4: (stops concentrating, spell ends) Move action
... (repeat)

I am not sure it is that efficient

Because Detect Magic, as it is now, is a must have and must keep up for every party. It's also a game ruiner from a GM perspective.

Yes, it's good. A game ruiner for the GM, though? Not so sure.

Dungeon full of traps? None of them can be magical, because the sorcerer or wizard can detect every blessed one of them. This basically wipes out the rogue's abilities (a sorcerer/wizard can take disable device too now at little or no penalty). So a cantrip is basically taking the place of an entire class.

Yeah.

Unless the magical trap is on the other side of the room. Many published modules have that, yet still put out a Search DC and a Disable Device DC.

Unless the trap builder is cunning enough to remove the magical aura with a regular casting of Magic Aura. You know, that 1st level spell that completely and utterly destroys a cantrip...perhaps it should be banned or made 7th level?

Opponent can cast greater invisibility? So what, wizard/sorcerer can sense him in 2 rounds close enough to glitter dust him, unless he does nothing but full moves to keep getting out of the cone, but then he's not doing anything else but moving, which keeps him out of the fight. Check that one off, cantrip trumps high level spell. And the sor/wiz can keep detect magic going way longer than the BBEG can keep invisibility up, since it's at will cantrip.

I don't know about you as a DM, but if my wizard/sorc player spends 2 rounds worth of standard actions (meaning they cast very little else of note) to detect the invisible rogue facing them, he'll be sneak-attacked to death before he has time to cast that glitterdust. What? the npc is stupid enough to just stay there motionless ready to be picked up?

Trying to have a disguised enemy trick the players? Better make sure you don't use magic to do it, the sor/wiz will sense the magic aura and study the person while they try to make bluff checks to fool the PC's. "Hey, if you're really farmer Todd, how come you got an illusion aura around you?" Another higher level spell trumped by a cantrip. And it's kind of hard for the Gnoll sorcerer to disguise himself as human farmer Todd without magic.

See my note about Magic Aura...

It wouldn't be so bad if the spell were not at will, but since

it is at will, it busts many of the classic story lines. The only way around it is...

Oh, and the group better not be in a rush, because they'll be spending hours trying to figure out the meaning of those randomly placed Magic Auras in the dungeon. Crap, it can create any kind of aura on non-magical items. If my players ever start the Detect Magic route, they'll be utterly killed by that spell.

And no, this is not Meta-DMing. I encourage ingenuity. However, it sounds logical that a world with at-will Detect Magic for arcanists would encourage a counter-reaction à la Magic Aura.

Man, I was ninja-ed. Massively and utterly...

If I may add, i my wizard/sorcerer casts an illusion of any level and the opposing spellcaster spends 3 rounds's worth of standard actions with detect magic on it, I do think my spell was used to full effect!

Even if he knows that whatever it is on those squares is magical of the illusion school - moderate effect (this is what detect magic tells you. (Not whether it's an illusory wall or an improved-invisible opponent)