What are the best / most useful metamagic feats!

[Senko]

I recently had it pointed out to me as a caster I really should take at least one metamagic feat. So I was wondering since they've expanded greatly in number since I last looked at them (back when there was still, silent, maximised, empowered and quickened) what people think are the best/most useful metamagic feats currently?

[Avoron]

Dazing (area spells that call for Reflex saves)
Persistent (save or die spells and the like)
Intensify (shocking grasp and the like)
Quicken (still really, really nice)
Empower (more damage, more summoned creatures, more whatever)

[Imbicatus]

Dazing & Persistent are the best.
Quicken is almost as good.
Rime spell is great when combined with frostbite or frost fall.
Toppling is fun with magic missiles.

[Gerald]

The above lists are very good.

Also, for sorcerers, I love Heighten Spell to keep your spells useful at most levels.

Piercing Spell is numerically better than Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration most of the time, per a thread I once read on here, so I think its pretty nifty, too.

[Magda Luckbender]

It totally depends what kind of caster you are. The above options are the best choices for a typical arcane caster.

[Ms. Pleiades]

Heighten is good for jacking up the DC of various control spells. Suddenly your level 1 spells have DCs that actually do something. It's good if you want a particular effect with a particular save, but your highest level spell slots don't have any spell that fits the bill. Fighting a large golem but don't have a higher version of create pit? Heighten the original and watch the miserable sod fall to his doom!

[andreww]

Depending on level Persistent, Dazing and Quicken are basically the best picks.

Intensify can be useful for some builds, mostly Magi and certain specialist direct damage dealers. Empower is much the same.

Reach can be extremely useful for Clerics and Oracles as many of their spells are either touch or close range.

Piercing can be useful for Clerics and Oracles as they have almost no spells which ignore SR. Wizards and Sorcerers don't care much, they just drop things like Glitterdust or Black Tentacles.

The rest are a bit of a wash and are generally OK on a Rod if you really need them. Stuff like Extend, Ectoplasmic, Selective etc are pretty cheap and not really worth wasting one of your few feat slots on.

[andreww]

Ms. Pleiades wrote:

Heighten is good for jacking up the DC of various control spells. Suddenly your level 1 spells have DCs that actually do something. It's good if you want a particular effect with a particular save, but your highest level spell slots don't have any spell that fits the bill. Fighting a large golem but don't have a higher version of create pit? Heighten the original and watch the miserable sod fall to his doom!

In general you are better off either just casting a higher level spell or using Persistent. Forcing something to reroll a success is better at pretty much every save chance than increasing the DC by 2.

As an example. If an enemies chance to fail a save against your spell is 75% adding Heighten for 2 levels raises that to 85%. Forcing a reroll changes it to about 94%.

If an enemies chance of failing the save is only 25% adding 2 levels with Heighten changes that to 35%. Using Persistent changes it to about 44%.

[kestral287]

Dazing is the best and very much the most broken. Every caster can make use of Quicken. Beyond that it depends on your role. Blasters like Intensify, Empowered, Maximized, and Selective (though one can usually Rod at least one of those). Buffers may favor Extend; while debuffers/SoLs like Persistent (notably, it averages to something like a +3 on the DC). Piercing is one of those that you really don't want to need to use, but when you need it you really need it.

[Senko]

Hmmm thanks for the advice my character's a Kitsune bloodline (ninetails) arcanist.

[Imbicatus]

Piercing isn't worth the feat when you can get a Dweomer's Essence for 500 GP a pop that will do the same thing when you need it.

[andreww]

Dweomers Essence is expensive, better to buy a Rod for 3k or frankly just to use a non SR spell. People stuck with the Cleric list struggle with high SR a bit as you are pretty much just left with buffs or summons and many of them don't want to be summoning in combat as they cant reduce the casting time (Sacred Summons/Druid archetypes excepted).

For an Arcanist you can never go wrong with Persistent, it is simply excellent.

[Imbicatus]

Yes, but the rod is only useful with level 3 and below spells. Dweomer's Essence will work on high level spells you want to get through.

[kestral287]

Aye, I would probably just take a Rod for Piercing. But I'd certainly take it if I had some spare change.

Simply knowing your class doesn't really say anything about what kind of caster you are. What kind of spells do you favor?

[Exguardi]

If you are an enchanter or illusionist I've found Threnodic Spell to be very strong.

The prerequisites are a little nonsensical sadly, so it is best appreciated on a rod, but it will certainly surprise the heck out of a GM. I use one on my PFS Heavens Oracle and have had several GMs left non-plussed as I cheerfully mesmerized hordes of undead.

[andreww]

Exguardi wrote:

If you are an enchanter or illusionist I've found Threnodic Spell to be very strong.

The prerequisites are a little nonsensical sadly, so it is best appreciated on a rod, but it will certainly surprise the heck out of a GM. I use one on my PFS Heavens Oracle and have had several GMs left non-plussed as I cheerfully mesmerized hordes of undead.

For an arcanist you are better off picking up the Command Undead spell to be honest. I can see a Heavens Oracle making use of it although targeting undead with will saves isn't a great idea as its their best save and you cant stun them with color spray. I would be dubious about whether or not undead can be knocked unconscious. You get to blind them but you could do that anyway with something like Burst of Radiance.

[Senko]

kestral287 wrote:

Aye, I would probably just take a Rod for Piercing. But I'd certainly take it if I had some spare change.

Simply knowing your class doesn't really say anything about what kind of caster you are. What kind of spells do you favor?

Probably a mix of utility (knock, know location, magnificent hut), control (grease, colour spray, summoning) and direct damage (scorching ray, magic missile, black tentacles). I don't really favour a particular school.

EDIT
Hehe just noticed the 10th tier true archmage mythic ability in another thread roll twice on saving throws and take the lower result, combined with persistent. . . Save vs this spell or be stunned for 9 rounds, roll twice and take the lower result, made it? Roll twice to save again taking the lower result.

[Exguardi]

True-ish, andreww, although as I understand it the primary limitation of Arcanists is the very limited selection of spells prepared. So unless you're going into an area known to be rife with undead, Command Undead might not be a high-value choice (putting aside rapid re-preparation shenanigans), whereas the metamagic rod will always work in a pinch.

Arcanists (and Oracles) can achieve some pretty astronomical DCs, so even targeting a good save isn't the end of the world when that save just ain't good enough.

If you're playing a generic Arcanist with no particular theming as far as spell selection is concerned, then obviously Threnodic spell, or any of the shadow metamagics, etc lose value.

As an aside, my Heavens Oracle focuses on fascination with spells like Hypnotic Pattern. Yes it is finicky keeping creatures from having their fascination broken at times, such is life.

[Senko]

I'm more of a generalist when it comes to spells known so there's no theme to justify those kinds of metamagic e.g cold spells, fire spells etc.

I suppose I should also try to get my save DCs up.

[Oliver McShade]

The Metamagic feats that i like:

• = Reach Spell (metamagic): +1 spell level per range to long. = Mainly for cleric/Druids caster who have sorter range.
  
• = Piercing spell feat: +1 spell level for -5 to Spell Resistance. = For when you know your going up against SR foes.
  
• = Persistant Spell Feat: +2 spell level = Target has to pass 2 saving throws.
  
• = Heighten spell feat: to make lower level spells harder to resist.
  

[Renegadeshepherd]

a free one.

ones that are given by theologian cleric for example that are free and don't increase spell level are just BEAUTIFUL.

[Hayato Ken]

Oracles of heaven are awesome and have some more options than color spray!

There´s plenty of metamagic if you´re a gnome illusionist or oracle of heavens.

Empowered and maximised work on a lot of other spells then damage spells, like Hypnotic Pattern, too.

[chaoseffect]

In addition to all that got mentioned so far, here are a couple of more situational use that are still worth investing in depending on your build.

1. Consecrate Spell: Has some qualifiers, but functions as Maximize against evil creatures and only has a +2 spell level adjustment.

2. Echoing Spell: Normally horrible as it is a +3 spell level adjustment, it's actually pretty cool with Spell Perfection; getting double the number of your preferred spell per day can be very useful.

[Dannorn]

Another thing to keep in mind is what kind of GM you have and what style of game they're running. My current GM the most useful metamagic feats are Still and Silent Spell because any enemy with human level intelligence and any time to prepare is going to do everything they can to shut down your casting.