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Sacred Geometry (Magic or General) (SGmtry) {Replacement of RAW feat} Source: Occult Mysteries pg 49
Description: You understand the acute and obtuse proportions of sympathetic and contaigon magic to leverage your geometric prowess though prepared platonic polyhedral foci to anchor metamagic effects to your spells. You apply this insight when preparing spells and when casting certain spells on occasion.
Prerequisites: Spellcasting ability (Spell-like or Supernatural abilities do not qualify), Int 13, Knowledge Arcana 3 ranks, one of (Knowledge Astronomy 3 ranks, Knowledge Engineering 3 ranks, Profession Architect 3 ranks, Profession Fortuneteller 3 ranks, Profession Scholar 3 ranks).
Benefit: You have diligently calculated the digital root [a number from 1 to 9] of each spell using the Digital Roots table.
When you acquire this feat choose one of your qualifying skills and then two metamagic feats that add 0 or 1 spell levels which you do not currently know (for metamagic with variables, like Reach or Heighten, you must define a static modifier such as +1). If you gain one of those feats you may assign a new feat to Sacred Geometry. You must meet the requirements to use these metamagic feats. You may not select the same feat twice.
In the last hour when you memorize or prepare spells roll 2-5 of your sacred geometries(polyhedrals: 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12, 1d20) subtracting 1 from each roll and then adding the digits to form a Digital Root (a roll of 1 makes “0” possible) known as your Daily Ratio which persists for 24 hrs. If part of your set is destroyed you can still use Sacred Geometry so long as you have two models and the Daily Ratio is visible on one of them. After determining the result you may adjust the geometries using your qualifying skill, you must then succeed on a skill check of DC 15+(5* the addition or subtraction to the Daily Ratio) otherwise you fail and the sacred geometries elude you that day and you gain no benefit from this feat. The Daily Ratio determines which spells by matching Digital Root you may enhance that day using Sacred Geometry. You then finish memorizing or preparing your spells.
As a swift action (or move action for spontaneous casters) as part of spellcasting you present a die in hand showing the digital root as part of the casting to enhance the spell which matches your Daily Ratio with one of the chosen metamagics. A chosen metamagic may only be used once per day.
Digital Roots table (ignore spaces, proper names, and diacritical marks)
Letter Value
a, j, s 1
b, k, t 2
c, l, u 3
d, m, v 4
e, n, w 5
f, o, x 6
g, p, y 7
h, q, z 8
i, r, symbols(+, -, #, etc) 9
To calculate a digital root convert all letters & symbols to digits, numbers are left as digits, then add each together forming sums until a single digit remains.
Calculating digital root examples: “Summon Monster 3” = 1+3+4+4+6+5 +4+6+5+1+2+5+9 +3 = 58 {5+8} = 13 {1+3} = 4. “Ear-Piercing Scream” = 5+1+9 +9 +7+9+5+9+3+9+5+7 +1+3+9+5+1+4 = 101 {1+0+1} = 2. “Fireball” = 6+9+9+5+2+1+3+3 = 38 {3+8} = 11 {1+1} = 2. hint: base 10 means successive values of 9 does not change the final digital root summation. Casters with this feat should calculate all digital roots for their spells to prevent a slowdown during play.
Using Sacred Geometry example: the sorcerer Seoni Cha:21(+5) has Know (Arcana) +11(7 ranks), feats Metamagic Adept, Sacred Geometry, and Extend metamagic, she has noted Know (Arcana), Silent(+1), Benthic(+1) as metamagic feats for Sacred Geometry. Seoni rolled two dice resulting in a Daily Ratio of 6 and wishes to subtract 1 for a Ratio of 5, she rolls a 10 and using +2 crcm from her silvered brass polyhedral models succeeds with 23 on a Know (Arcana) check of 20. She knows burning hands[dr 5]:K1, scorching ray[dr 5]:K2, lightning bolt[dr 5]:K3.
At the start of a battle she casts and extended glitterdust using metamagic adept as a standard action upon her foes blinding most and gets out her 1d12 model. The next round using a full round action showing the “5” on her model she casts a silent lightning bolt upon them using sacred geometry and moves 5ft hoping to elude a few of the blinded. The next round she holds forth the model again and casts a benthic lightningbolt using sacred geometry hammering her foes with bludgeoning damage and moves another 5 ft. She has no uses of sacred geometry left for the day and concedes to use scorching ray upon those still standing.
Set of five masterwork marked platonic regular polyhedral solids (models) act as foci for Sacred Geometry. Each hollow model is approximately 3.1416” in diameter, finely wrought from teak, elm or oak heartwood, darkwood, ivory, brass, bronze, or silvered brass with inlay or chasing, lacquered and waterproof to 100ft depth with each object having Hrd:5 or Hrd:8 to fire or cold HP:3 and a weight of 4oz. The set costs 400gp and is a masterwork tool for Knowledge Astronomy, Knowledge Engineering, Profession Architect, Profession Fortuneteller, and Profession Scholar which adds +2 crcm bonus to one check after 5 min of use(consultation) up to thrice per day on different topics. A valuable and impressive tool for any geometer or scholar. Each model is a simple weapon(rock) when held can pummel for 1d4B damage and sensible owners avoid this use.
A concealed puzzle compartment is often added to each model adding to the cost of the set. Each solid can hold 8 oz of material or non-damaging liquid(a potion, oil, holy/unholy water) and is opened after spending 1 full round solving the puzzle using Know:Engr or Disbl Dev DC 15 +60gp, DC 20 +100gp, DC 25 +200gp (frustration usually surmounts skill beyond this DC). After a week of opening the puzzles the owner gains a +5 comp bonus to open/close his set and usually burns the instruction sheet. Some clever owners hide a Fortifying Stone within a model.
It is rumored that an old smaller set about 1.618" in diameter and carved from solid blood crystal then inscribed with old runes of import and when anointed with the caster’s blood allows access to three metamagics up to +2 spell levels. My discreet retailer assures me such things can be found after a time for roughly half as down payment in ancient ruins from before the darkness near temples of the harsh goddess of runes. Even without knowledge of Sacred Geometry the owner may grant each crystal 1 hit point daily to activate them which he can regain as a swift action from each individual crystal deactivating them, after 3 days the crystal becomes dormant and the hit point lost. Meanwhile the owner can normally heal the sacrificed hit points and each crystal is a simple weapon(rock) can pummel for 1d4B damage and absorb up to 3 points of bleed damage(which are of no use to the owner). Each object has Hrd:10, HP:5, wt 12oz and price of the set is 3000gp.
okay - seems to have escaped negative comments! Two down!
I suspect it escaped negative comments because TLDR. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Mudfoot wrote: I suspect it escaped negative comments because TLDR. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. I did tempt fate but ya know, it's like children and candy...
First impression: wayyyy too complex.
The biggest fault of the original Sacred Geometry/Arithmancy is that the feat gives you in-character power in return for out-of-character knowledge/expenditure.
The martial counterpart to Sacred Geometry would be getting some obscene advantage (like all your attacks ignoring attack penalties and being at full BAB) in return for doing push-ups.
This is the underlying major issue that your version doesn't address.
You've also nerfed both the uses per day (which I agree with) and the effect itself, to the point I personally just wouldn't bother with it and buy some metamagic rods instead.
Wonderstell wrote: First impression: wayyyy too complex.
The biggest fault of the original Sacred Geometry/Arithmancy is that the feat gives you in-character power in return for out-of-character knowledge/expenditure.
The martial counterpart to Sacred Geometry would be getting some obscene advantage (like all your attacks ignoring attack penalties and being at full BAB) in return for doing push-ups.
This is the underlying major issue that your version doesn't address.
You've also nerfed both the uses per day (which I agree with) and the effect itself, to the point I personally just wouldn't bother with it and buy some metamagic rods instead.
fair enough
hopefully you've read the original and use the same word count and style as a metric.
Feats give the character stuff/abilities. The original had a clever method as a hindrance but it worked out to be an advantage. Honestly the method WAS most of the problem.
Method: I used the same method as Arithmancy which added text(!) but cuts down on the method/preparation to use the feat as once you've done the prep it's done. So it was a good trade IMO.
With the method comes a need to change your magic number, thus a skill check at a reasonable DC which scales.
Focus as Hindrance: It's a thing, consider Contingency and Holy Symbols. People feel that metamagic rods are fair, so I considered that in this design. You don't want the focus to be too much of a liability for a feat but keep the wonky flavor of Geometers.
Limits: The focus provides a way to limit and scales the advantage. Feats generally do not have a limit or have a once per round limit. In this case Metamagics from school powers are limited to 3 + Spellcasting Ability Score Bonus per day to 3 or so. Metamagic rods have 3/d.
Limiting the metamagic Feats constrains the variance and limiting them to 1/d each helps limit the power and push the user towards 3 different metamagics.
Casting the focus as a weapon helps its utility and adding a common concealed compartment gave it a practical use.
As an object dice are endemic to the game. A player can pick up an appropriate die and show it to the GM.
With the details and magic parts I didn't consider the word count excessive. It is not a fighter feat but a wonky magic feat dealing with metamagics.
I think many people would grab 3 (+0 to +1) metamagics per day for a 400gp focus and a feat, or 3 (+0 to +2) metamagics per day for 3000gp and the same feat. Almost sounds like a metamagic rod
It's too complex because you're forcing the player to do the homework of calculating the digital root of every spell (which to be fair, is criticism directed not at you but at the original feats), while also limiting the effect to the one Digital Root you choose for the day. Then as the metamagic feats you choose for Sacred Geometry can't be any you've taken as feats, this ends up heavily restricting the potential metamagics and spells.
I would not want to search through a spell list for potential candidates of spells that:
1) share Digital Root.
2) would benefit from one of two specific 0-1 metamagic feats that I apparently didn't find good enough to take with my normal feats.
3) I will most likely not need metamagic'd more than once per day.
It's very narrow in scope. You'd do better to just buy rods.
Also could you explain the blood crystals. Do the three 0-2 metamagics replace the two 0-1 metamagics you choose with Sacred Geometry?
on 1) I think you imagine players calculating digital roots(d√) at every session.
I'm positive they'd use a website and note the d√ next to the spell name. Next they would figure out what are their best d√ numbers such as 4 & 5.
It's also why I planned out the process of adjusting the number THEN preparing spells. For spontaneous caster's they'll just change the number as needed and may change some known spells to maximize the benefit.
2) Every spellcaster in the game wants access to 'extra' metamagics. As we're talking about metamagic feats realize that when you say 'I'd just buy metamagic rods' you are equating the feat to 3000-18000gp. That's not minor.
3) that's a hope of prepared spellcasters. This also prevents taking the same thing multiple times as the feat shouldn't replace the metamagic feat or a metamagic rod. Repetition leads to maximizing the benefit, see Magical Lineage and Wayang Spellhunter.
I'm going to add that buying a metamagic rod and not using it means $3000 potential went unused that day. Here with 2-3 metamagics that's less likely and the cost of the average potential is lower.
When a creature buys a focus he chooses the feats. A foci, feats, & creature are linked together. With a second iteration I'd assume his chosen metamagics with the first are what he thinks will work best. So a second would allow new feats but it is likely they'd keep 1-2 and add 2-1. There's always Retraining. The feat says it works with a set, one. So the old set becomes a backup(for another day).
The user could pummel foes with the foci and lose one or have several stolen and still operate. The d√ thus spell selection suffers as you can only choose a d√ number on the face of a die. If left with 1d4 & 1d6 you're down to d√[1,2,3,4,5,6]. If your metamagic rod gets pilfered - you're SOL.
The foci also functions as a [3/d] MW tool among 5 skills, of which one or Know(Arcana) is your chosen "adjust my d√" skill. The user is normally wise enough to chose a skill he has ranks in or that he expects to invest ranks in as the character levels. This helps to break it off from Spellcraft & Knowledge Arcana (classic wizard skills) if the user so chooses.
{I realize there's a mistake in the example write up as there is no crcm bonus, I was flipping on 5 or 6 skills. As of this post consider it "no bonus" with a 21 result.}
Like many I assume that the word value digital roots of spellnames are somewhat equally distributed.
I have yet to add that to my spell database.
Overall on A to B spells, 3 & 7 are lower than others... to be cont...
Azothath wrote: 2) Every spellcaster in the game wants access to 'extra' metamagics. As we're talking about metamagic feats realize that when you say 'I'd just buy metamagic rods' you are equating the feat to 3000-18000gp. That's not minor.
3) that's a hope of prepared spellcasters. This also prevents taking the same thing multiple times as the feat shouldn't replace the metamagic feat or a metamagic rod.
You're missing the point I was trying to make.
Let's say I am a blaster Sorcerer. I am interested in the Intensified, Elemental, Empowered, and Dazing metamagics. I take Sacred Geometry (Intensified, Elemental) to get two free metamagic casts per day. Now, because I have chosen them with Sacred Geometry, I'm not allowed to also have them as metamagic feats as per your description. This is a severe disadvantage as those metamagics are the ones most likely to be useful to me multiple times per day.
So instead of going for the metamagics that I actually want, I need to choose hyper specific metamagics that I probably won't need to use at all in a given day. And if I need to use them, not more than once per day. This screams "metamagic rod but worse" to me as a rod can be shared between casters, has more uses, and can be of a metamagic I already have.
Even if I choose metamagics with very specific use cases, like Still and Silent, I am far from certain to actually find them useful as the digital root of the spell I want to cast in that situation may not be my Daily Ratio.
...And if I'm still in the effect causing the need for those metamagics after I've used my one shot, I'm screwed.
Summarized, you've heavily nerfed the feat from 3 different directions.
That the metamagics chosen for Sacred Geometry are fully incompatible with your normal metamagics severely limits what metamagics you want to choose with Sacred Geometry. That the feat can only be used once per metamagic per day reduces this list to almost nonexistence.
Then that this effect is limited to an arbitrary subset of spells annihilates the original flexibility of the feat while also introducing a lot of extra bookkeeping. It doesn't matter if you personally calculate the digital root or not, you still have to sift through your spell list for compatible spells.
And it's way too arbitrary in that spells of the same school or category are even less likely to share the same digital root. Summon Monster I and II, Beast Shape II and III, Lesser and Greater.
Finally, limiting it to 0-1 metamagics* is actually almost excessive after you've already stomped the feat into the ground.
*Unless you've got a cheap trinket that basically triples the value of feat. In which case, remove the item and just use the buffed effect as the baseline for the feat.
I'll see if I can come up with something myself instead of just criticising.
Azothath wrote: Sacred Geometry (Magic or General) (SGmtry) {Replacement of RAW feat} Source: Occult Mysteries pg 49
Description: You understand the acute and obtuse proportions of sympathetic and contaigon magic to leverage your geometric prowess though ...
I waited before posting to avoid issues beyond posting.
I've cleaned and corrected the text so it's clearer and I don't get the confusion/misinterpretation from the reader.
> 6 skills for control Know(Arcn, Astro, Engr) Prof(Archt, Frtntlr, Schlr).
> (dice rolled -1) {1-4} uses per day intentionally went lower power initially
the rest looks good.
$400 base set of 5 foci at 2 MM(+0 to +1), MW Tool for Know(Astro, Engr) Prof(Archt, Frtntlr, Schlr). MM tied to foci & user.
$3000 impv'd set of 5 foci at 3 MM(+0 to +2), ....
Using digital roots for both arithromancy & sacred geometry simplifies the paperwork. It's not just "roll some dice and get free metamagics".
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