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Metamagic feats are cool in concept, but bitter-sweet in their implementation. Their increased cost make metamagicked spells resources-hungry, and their use is circumstantial at best (with the notable exception of Quicken spell which is always useful regardless of the situation). That's without considering the fact that the feat has to be purchased in the first place, and even if PF offers more than its predecessors, feats remain a limited and carefully spent resource.
This prompted the concept of metamagic packages where metamagic feats are downgraded in 'options' of a broader, conceptual feat:
Benefit: You can cast a spell without some of its components. All effects (and costs) of an Abridged Spell stack to gain the separate benefits of each option.
Still: A stilled spell can be cast with no somatic components. A stilled spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Silent: A silent spell can be cast with no verbal components. A silent spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Eschew: An eschewed spell can be cast with no material components costing less than 1 gp. An eschewed spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Normal: Without this feat, a spell automatically fails if the spellcaster cannot provide all verbal, somatic and material components.
Special: This feat has no effect if the recipient spell has no corresponding component part.
Benefit: You can increase the variable, numeric effects of a spell. All effects (and costs) of an Amplified Spell stack to gain the separate benefits of each option.
Energize: All variable, numeric effects of an empowered spell are increased by 1 per dice or increment. An energized spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Empower: All variable, numeric effects of an empowered spell are increased by 50%. An empowered spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Maximize: All variable, numeric effects of a maximized spell use the maximum result of each variables (no roll required). A maximized spell uses up a spell slot three levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Special: Saving throws and opposed rolls are not affected by this feat, nor are spells without random variables.
Benefit: You can increase the range, duration and area of effect of a spell. All effects (and costs) of an Augmented Spell stack to gain the separate benefits of each option.
Enlarge: You can double the range of a spell. An enlarged spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Extend: The duration of an extended spell is increased by one category. Spells with a duration 1 round/level last 1 min/level, spells with a duration of 1 min/level last 10 min/level and spells with a duration of 10 min/level last 1 hour/level. An extended spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Widen: You can double all numeric measurements of a spell with an area defined as burst, emanation, line or spread. A widened spell uses up a spell slot three levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Special: Spells whose ranges are not defined by distance are unaffected by the enlarge option of this feat. Spells with a duration of ‘instantaneous’ or ‘permanent’ are unaffected by the extended option of this feat. Spells that do not have an area defined as a burst, emanation, line or spread are not affected by the widen option of this feat.
Quicken Spell stay as is (because it is more useful than any of the others), while Heightened Spell is given to all spellcsaters for free (because it is less useful than any of the others).
With this, I hope to spread the use of metamagic a little bit without overthrowing the balance of things. I've been having this houserule for quite a bit now but my players rarely use metamagic in the first place (even with this houserule), so perhaps its a flawed perceived problem.
[edit] Oh yeah, Extended Spell is houseruled. To stay closer to RaW, revert to the doubled duration and adjust modifier to +1 level.
opinions?
'findel
Interesting idea, getting metamagic feats in packages.
One thing is that Eshew Materials is not metamagic feat since 3.5. I guess you houseruled it back as a metamagic feat?
Still, I would like to see something else done with Eshew Materials, while still keeping it regular feat instead of metamagic.
You could actually subdivide Widen spell into +1, +2 and +3 categories...each + increases one dimension of a spell.
Not a bad way of saving feats.
Have Raise Spell as a feat...any feat that is cast from a higher spell slot is treated as a spell of that level. Basically becomes an improved Heighten Spell.
==Aelryinth
Interesting idea, getting metamagic feats in packages.
One thing is that Eshew Materials is not metamagic feat since 3.5. I guess you houseruled it back as a metamagic feat?Still, I would like to see something else done with Eshew Materials, while still keeping it regular feat instead of metamagic.
Yeah, there's some houserulin' in there. Even Quicken Spell gets a 3-options treatment in my games. It meshes well with my system but less so with RaW, so I left it out here...
As for eschew material, I wanted to stay within the spell component concept and for some purely symmetrical reasons, I was insisting on having 3 option for the feat. V,S and M are pretty much the only three options available. Same for 'Energize Spell', which doesn't even exist as an equivalent feat. It was put there to make the number of options up to 3.
Note that it wouldn't prevent Eschew Material to exist as a separate feat. I was originally thinking about the metamagic option to eschew components up to 100 gp, but I wonder if that wouldn't be to generous... It doesn't *have* to be a +1 spell level option mind you, but I'd like the feat to be either three +1 level options, or a +1, +2 and +3 level options. I'm particularly finicky (probably too much) with these kind of system symmetry concepts.
'findel
Have Raise Spell as a feat...any feat that is cast from a higher spell slot is treated as a spell of that level.
You mean a like a quickened (+4 level) charm person (1st level spell) saves as a 5th level spell?
Have Raise Spell as a feat...any feat that is cast from a higher spell slot is treated as a spell of that level.You mean a like a quickened (+4 level) charm person (1st level spell) saves as a 5th level spell?
I did consider having heighten spell houseruled like that, making it a nice feat in combination with metamagic feats.
Also considering a x times/day use of metamagic, possibly limited to spell level like Rods of Metamagic are, though I do not exactly like the execution of those either.
When it comes to Eshew Materials I would prefer it to keep it as it is (i.e. no more noncostly materials for the owner of the feat) plus ability to replace costly components a more personal cost, like ability damage, ability drain or persistent conditions being bestowed upon character.
Heighten Spell I houseruled to be ability of every caster - you just prepare spell in higher level slot or use higher level daily slot to cast spell and you have it set at higher spell level. AH, that me remainds me that I should add it to house rules file.
Have Raise Spell as a feat...any feat that is cast from a higher spell slot is treated as a spell of that level.You mean a like a quickened (+4 level) charm person (1st level spell) saves as a 5th level spell?
Exactly. It means Heighten spell works for normal spell, but Raise Spell works for Metamagic spells.
==Aelryinth
On the flip side of this, are you going to give your non-specialist wizards any benefits to offset the extra spells that a specialist wizard gets?
==Aelryinth
This poses some problem to "require x metamagic feat" type of prerequisite like spell perfection or such. BTW, i also normally houserule that metamagic feat increase the actual level of the spell. This gives metamagic some punch and prevent stacking goodness like using a lesser rod to quicken a maximized empowered fireball.
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Packaging them up like that is very interesting... very interesting indeed... the metamagic rules need a strong upgrade... I had been thinking of ways to improve it via metamagic points (caster stat + 1/2 caster level) "levels" of metamagic for free each day. So an Int 18 level 4 wizard (+4 +2 = 6 metamagic level points) would be able to cast a silent spell or a still spell (+1 caster level) six times or both three times.
How did I miss this post when it first went up? I love this idea. I've been working on something similar for our upcoming campaign, but I like what you've got here and will probably just steal it and take all the credit :)
I like the 3-step system for each feat, although I'm not sure about turning Eschew Materials back into a metamagic feat. I'm not sure what else I'd put in its place, though...
I can also see some potential for some of the more spell-specific feats, such as Toppling Spell or Rime Spell, with varying degrees of effects. I know what I'll be working on when I get home tonight!
Spes Magna did something like his.
Why, yes. Yes, I did. :)
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When I DM we use a spell point system and metamagic does not increase the required level to be able to cast it (instead it increases spell level for the purposes of cost, and increases casting stat requirement by double the adjustment). The result? Casters took and used metamagic, but were very careful about applying it (and couldn't do so very well unless they were focused on casting).
Anyway, if I had to stick with a normal system I would say that having them give up a total number of spell levels equal to the adjustment and adjusting the necessary casting stat instead of taking a higher level slot would be a better "fix" than giving access to a larger breadth of metamagic. For example: Maximizing the fireball would not make it a 6th level spell, but would require you sacrifice a second 3rd level slot, or a 2nd and a 1st, or three 1st. This spell would require a casting stat of 16 to cast (10 + 3 for spell level + 3 for metamagic adjustment). If people go too crazy, double the stat requirement for metamagic.
I have to say that this 'packaging' was originally created to mesh with my set of houserules. While I didn't say so in the OP, this tread was meant more in a "take what works for you in PF" kind of way. My sentiment that metamagic feats as RaW don't give enough for their price is true in PF as well however.
RE: Traits
I don't play with traits in my games. The idea isn't bad, but not applicable in my situation.
RE: Eschew Materials
I'm still torn with this one.
Plan A: Eschew Materials exist as a feat as RaW. Option #3 of Abridge Spell allows material up to 100 gp to be eschewed.
Plan B: Eschew Materials as RaW cease to exist and Eschewed spells (which may or may not cap at more than 1gp) are at +1 level and that's the way it is.
In my houserules, sorcerers work from a different spell list than wizards, so it would be easy to note that sorcerer spell don't use material components below 1 gp, similarly to how cleric and druids have different versions of the same spells.