You know how some items like Slippers of Spider Climbing, Ring of Xray, Boots of Speed, etc... allow you to use an ability a number of minutes or rounds per day at minimum intervals? Well I'm working on a new Metamagic Feat to do the same. Here's what I have so far:
You can divide the duration of your spells over the course of the next 24 hours. Only spells with a duration per caster level are affected by this feat.
Benefit: For the next 24 hours you may choose to activate a spell for the minimum interval at a time. To deactivate or reactivate the spell you must concentrate for 1 full round.
Level Increase: +2 (an constituenty spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell's actual level.)
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1. Do you like the name? I considered "Discrete", and "Distinct" because you are separating a spell's duration into parts.
2. Instead of 24 hours from the time of casting should it be to the next time you relearn the slot the spell was cast from?
3. The spell can be dispelled in inactive form. Should I mention that?
4. Is a level increase of +2 sufficient?
5. To reduce abuse I added the 1 full round requirement.
Sample Use Case:
I memorize Mage Armor as a 5th level caster with this feat using up a 3rd level slot.
I cast the spell at 8am and at 9am I decide that its not needed (we're safe just traveling on a road).
At 1pm we arrive to a tomb, so I activate the spell. We are in the tomb for 3 hours. At 4pm I deactivate it with 1 hour remaining.
We go back to town and rest in an Inn. Nothing happens that evening. Tomorrow morning I relearn my spells and at 8am I loose the remaining charge from yesterday's casting of Mage Armor.
I really like this feat. However, I always play casters, and have a vocal power-gamer living inside my brain. That said, I see at least a couple potential problems with your feat. First, imagine using non-personal spells with this feat--think charm person or wall of ice. Weird things like that could get out of hand--and I'm sure I'm forgetting the real problem spells.
Second, it could greatly increase the power of prepared casters vs. spontaneous casters--the only benefit that spontaneous casters even have is that they can cast their spells more times per day, and by spreading out a single effect over the course of the day, this really steps on their toes.
Still, like I said, I like the idea behind the feat; I'll try to think of some constructive advice to help you out later when I'm not sneaking posts in at work :)
P.S. Look at similar duration-based feats from 3.5 products, like Persistent Spell (the old one, not the one from the APG) and that Permanent Emanation feat from the Epic Level Handbook.
My gut reaction was unbalancing, but I think that was too quick. I really like it from a player perspective. I think the economy of actions is enough of a balance, and the +2 levels is appropriate.
Only thing I can really think off the bat is that requiring the spell to be Dismissable for the feat to be applied. This avoids things like Suspending a Summoned Swarm before it starts attacking your allies, which I like to hold to flavor of the game.
I'd probably like to see a limit on number that can be sustained, but one doesn't seem much fun, and any other arbitrary number doesn't seem right.
1. Do you like the name? I considered "Discrete", and "Distinct" because you are separating a spell's duration into parts.
2. Instead of 24 hours from the time of casting should it be to the next time you relearn the slot the spell was cast from?
3. The spell can be dispelled in inactive form. Should I mention that?
4. Is a level increase of +2 sufficient?
5. To reduce abuse I added the 1 full round requirement.
1. Sort of, in that I can't think of anything better at the moment. "Spell, Interrupted" is funny, but no.
2. Probably just simplify it into whenever your spell slots refresh.
3. Apparently there's a rule in engineering- never get mad at someone for pointing out the obvious. There have been many rules arguments over whether an omission was intentional or not.
Also, mention whether or not the spell is detectable while "dormant." Some might try to create a feat to hide that.
4. Can't say I see much use pre-casting spells, then taking a time period longer than it took to cast them to re-activate them. Most of the time I haven't gotten the luxury of knowing when my fights happen to prepare. If I could re-activate a spell as a Swift Action (so one per turn, eats up my swift and immediate actions) then had to spend a full-round action to activate any more that round, then I could definitely see the use.
5. See 4. But I run things on the strong side, so others are probably better judges.
Wynterknight, I can understand your fear that Spontaneous casters lose out. They probably do to a certain extent. But in my playing experience, the people who play spontaneous casters are looking for a few things:
1. Simplicity. Fewer spells to deal with, so they get to know them better.
2. Freedom. Might be a bit odd sounding, but they want to be able to cast any mix of spells in the day without planning ahead. They might have an irrational fear of being caught with a poor selection.
3. Concept. It fits their idea of magic better, or they like the sound of the class.
I think I have only heard one person cite "more spells per day" as the reason to go spontaneous, and that was during a "Evocation does the most damage in the game" rant during the days of 3.0.
1. No but I can't think of a better one... Deactivate spell? Lingering spell? Stopwatch spell?
2. Both. 24 hours or until you regain your spell slots.
3. Definitely... might want to mention how it interacts with detect magic too... I would suggest that it has lingering sort of aura instead of the normal one at 1 strength level less than normal for the spell.
4. I would go with +3 I think. Might work at +2 but that's quite the convenience.
5. I think a standard action to 'restore' a spell would be ok... maybe a full round to restore 2 at once.
Good point about making only dismissible spells. Also the point about how it interacts with Detect Magic.
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You can divide the duration of your spells over the course of the next 24 hours.
Benefit: For the next 24 hours or until you regain the spell slot you may choose to activate a spell for the minimum interval at a time. To deactivate or reactivate the spell you must concentrate for 1 full round. Spells that are in the dormant state can still be dispelled as normal; their Aura Power is one category lower for purposes of detection to a minimum of Faint in this state.
Spells that are not dismissible or have a duration based on caster level do not benefit from this feat.
Level Increase: +2 (an constituenty spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell's actual level.)
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So with the new requirements here are the Sorcerer/Wizard Level 1 Spells this Metamagic feat could be used with:
Alarm
Crafter's Curse
Crafter's Fortune
Dancing Lantern
Detect Charm
Detect Secret Doors
Detect Undead
Disguise Self
Enlarge Person
Expeditious Retreat
Gravity Bow
Grease
Hold Portal
Hypnotism
Identify
Jump
Mage Armor
Magic Aura - this spell is normally 1/day level (D)...kinda useless with this metamatic feat.
Mount
Obscuring Mist
Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law
Reduce Person
Shield
Stone Fist
Summon Monster I
Vanish
Ventriloquism