So, there was recently a thread about metamagic components which made me go back and read the UA rules that cover them.
For those not in the know, metamagic components are components (like the heart of a manticore) which can be expended during the casting of a spell to add a metamagic effect to a spell without increasing the spells level or requiring a full round action (for spontaneous types).
I like the idea, but not necessarily the execution.
I've reverse engineered the pricing of these things and have developed the following formulas...
Metamagic +1 Spell Level (Extend, Enlarge, etc.,)
50 + (200 * Spell Level)
Metamagic +2 Spell Level (Empower, etc.,)
300 + (400 * Spell Level)
Metamagic +3 Spell Level (Widen, etc.,)
750 + (600 * Spell Level)
NOTE: There are adjustments for specific spells which fall on different levels for different classes. I have used spells that are exclusively cleric or wizard to develop these formulas.
EXAMPLE: So, for instance, a metamagic components which turns a magic missile into an extended magic missile would cost 250 gp. It would be consumed during the casting.
This example isn't a good deal from a player's perspective, but, because the costs scale linearly rather than quadratically, higher level use of metamagic components becomes cheaper relative to WBL and, IMHO, does become a good deal. This is especially true as it improves a caster's feat economy.
Does anyone have any experiences with using this system? Does anyone have ideas for alternate pricing formulas?
Assume standard WBL and standard XP advancement (so, 15 CR appropriate encounters each level).
Bump since I made this thread in the middle of the night.