seasong
First Post
I'm working on a campaign setting, and I thought I'd post the metamagic feats I'm using here. Suggestions, critiques, other metamagic feats, etc., are welcome.
Notes: Lasting Spell was created by Nik Perez (Technik4). Lingering Touch Spell and Magnify Spell were created by Alex White (Plane Sailing). Bounce Spell and a few others were taken from or inspired by Mongoose's Ultimate Feats, although I revised them rather heavily. Others are the SRD metamagic feats. The only ones that are wholly original to me are Contingent Spell, Persistent Word, Ranged Touch Spell, and Transfer Spell.
Transmute Spell Energy was inspired by WotC, I think, but I've changed it rather completely, so it's also mine.
Bounce Spell: Spell level +2. The character casts the spell at an ally within the spell’s normal range, but the ally is not affected. Instead, the ally may redirect the spell with a free action. The spell then goes where ever the ally redirected it, using the ally as the new source for purposes of determining range and line of sight. If the ally does not choose a new target or direction, the spell fizzles and has no effect at all. Spells such as interposing hand now treat the ally as if he is the caster.
Chain Spell: Spell level +3. This may be used with any ray spell or spells with a line area of effect. The spell hits one primary target, and then sprays outward to strike up to the caster’s level in secondary targets. All secondary targets must be within 30 ft of the primary target, and are chosen by the caster; a secondary target may not be struck more than once. If the original spell was a ray, a ranged touch attack must be made against all targets; if it allowed a save, all targets get a save. Regardless, the spell halves damage against the secondary targets (or, if it does no damage, the target’s saving throw gains a +4 bonus AND the to hit roll for a ranged touch attack is at -4).
Channel Touch Spell: Spell level +1. This allows the character to cast a touch spell through his melee weapon. He must be holding the melee weapon when the touch spell is cast, and can attack with it (including a non-damaging touch attack) to discharge the spell. This can not be used by someone else – the caster must be the one wielding the weapon.
Compressed Spell: Spell level +1. The area effect of the spell is quartered (each dimension is halved, round down), and the save DC increases by +2. For example, a fireball cast by an INT 18 wizard normally has a radius of 20 ft and a save DC of 17; a compressed fireball would have a radius of 10 ft and a save DC of 19.
Contingent Spell: Spell level +3. The spell is placed so that it comes into effect under some condition dictated when it is cast. The contingent spell takes a minimum of 10 minutes to cast (but if it normally has a longer casting time, use that casting time instead), and can only be cast on the caster. The spell must be one that affects the caster's person (such as feather fall, levitate, fly, teleport, and so forth).
The conditions needed to bring the spell into effect must be clear, although they can be general. In all cases, the spell comes into effect (is "cast") instantaneously when the prescribed circumstances occur. The spell occurs based solely on the stated conditions, regardless of whether the character wants it to. In addition, the contingency itself will end after 1 day/level, at which point the spell ceases to exist and must be recast if the caster wishes to retain it. The character can have only one contingent spell in existence at a time; if a second is cast, the first one (if still active) is dispelled. In order to use this metamagic feat, the caster must cary a focus worth 1,500 GP.
Empower Spell: Spell level +2. The variable dice of the spell are increased by 50%. Thus, a spell which normally did 2d8 damage would do 3d8 damage; a spell which affected 1d4 targets would affect 1d6 targets; and so on. This affects all variables of the spell, but does not affect non-variable effects.
Enlarge Spell: Spell level +1. The range of the spell is increased by one stage (from Close to Medium, or Medium to Far). Spells with a range of personal, touch, sight or similar non-distance definitions can not use this feat. Spells with a range of Far are doubled in range (if this feat is stacked, remember that two doublings is a tripling, NOT a quadrupling). This metamagic feat can not be used with cones or other spells whose area and range are directly linked - use expand spell for those spells.
Expand Spell: Spell level +3. The area of effect of the spell is doubled. This doubles the linear dimension used to define the area of effect – for example, an expanded wall of thorns would create one 20 ft cube per level (rather than two 10 ft cubes per level). Spells which affect a number of creatures or targets, or personal, can not use this feat.
Extend Spell: Spell level +1. The duration of the spell is doubled. Spells with a duration of concentration, instantaneous or permanent can not use this feat.
Heighten Spell: Spell level +1 or more. A heightened spell has a higher spell level than normal (up to 9th level). Unlike other metamagic feats, Heighten Spell actually increases the effective level of the spell that it modifies. All effects dependent on spell level (such as saving throw DCs and ability to penetrate a minor globe of invulnerability) are calculated according to the heightened level. The heightened spell uses a spell slot of its new effective level.
Lasting Spell: Spell level +2. Choose any spell with Duration: Permanent or Duration: Instantaneous that creates or transforms something permanently – that spell's effect now can not be negated or suppressed by anything except the caster being reduced to –1 hit points. If the caster dies or chooses to end the effect, the spell's effect automatically ends, even for odd situations (wall of iron will simply disappear, for example). This costs 50 XP per spell level of the original spell. This metamagic creates a permanent thread of magic (similar to an astral thread) between the spell effect and that character, which can be traced via magical means (detect magic, scrying). A list of spell that may be used with this feat follow:
Magnify Spell: Spell level +2. The weight affected by the spell is doubled. This only affects spells which have a weight listed, such as telekinesis or dimension door. Spells which affect a number of creatures or targets are not affected, and the size of creature that can be affected is not changed.
Mass Spell: Spell level +4. A spell which normally affects one subject now affects one subject per level, all of whom must be within a 30 ft radius. This feat does not work with personal spells. Touch spells allow the caster to touch up to 6 people as a full round action.
Perfect Spell: Spell level +3. The variable dice of the spell automatically take the best possible result. Thus, a spell which does 2d8 damage would automatically roll 16 hit points; a spell which affected 1d4 targets would automatically affect 4 targets; and so on. This affects all variables of the spell, but does not affect non-variable effects.
Persistent Word: Spell level +1. Prereq 1st level or higher bard or sorcerer. This feat is only available to bards and sorcerers. A persistent word spell's verbal component works despite magical silence, allowing the caster to cast the spell in a silence area. The verbal component is audible despite the magical silence. Note: this presupposes the Word of Power class ability that bards and sorcerers have in my setting; without that class ability, this is a useless feat compared to silent spell.
Quicken Spell: Spell level +4. Casting a quickened spell is a free action. The character can perform another action, even casting another spell, in the same round as the character casts a quickened spell. The character may only cast one quickened spell per round. A spell whose casting time is more than 1 full round cannot be quickened. Note that sorcerers and bards may use this feat, and it does not increase their casting time to a full round for being metamagic; however, they can not combine this metamagic feat with any other metamagic feat in the same spell.
Ranged Channel Touch Spell: Prereq Channel Touch Spell. Spell level +3. This allows the character to cast a touch spell through his missile weapon. He must be holding the missile weapon when the touch spell is cast, and can attack with it to discharge the spell. This can not be used by someone else – the caster must be the one wielding the weapon.
Ranged Touch Spell: Spell level +3. This feat turns a touch spell into a ray with a range of Close (25 ft + 5 ft per level).
Still Spell: Spell level +1. The character can cast the spell without a somatic component.
Silent Spell: Spell level +1. The character can cast the spell without a verbal component. In my setting, bards and sorcerers can not use this metamagic feat.
Stretch Spell: Spell level +1. The duration of a "per level" spell is increased by one stage. Spells with a fixed duration (including concentration, instantaneous and permanent) can not use this feat. Regardless, a spell's duration can only be stretched for as long as the caster is awake. The stages are as follows:
1 round per level
10 minutes per level
1 hour per level
1 day per level
Transfer Spell: Spell level +2. The character can cast a spell with a range of personal or self as a touch spell, affecting someone else.
Transmute Spell Energy: Spell level +0 or +1. The character can alter the energy damage of a spell to another type. Anything from one die of damage to the full damage of the spell may be so translated (for example, a 10d6 fireball could be transmuted into a 5d6 fire, 5d6 frost ball). Each time this metamagic is applied to the spell, energy may be converted to one other energy type - thus, you could apply the metamagic twice (for +2 levels) and create a 4d6 fire, 4d6 frost, 2d6 sonic ball. If all damage is converted to the other energy type, and the energy type is not force, this adds +0 to the spell level; otherwise, this adds +1 to the spell level.
Note: Campaigns which do not address sonic damage by providing more creatures with sonic resistance should treat sonic energy as force energy when determining final spell level.
Notes: Lasting Spell was created by Nik Perez (Technik4). Lingering Touch Spell and Magnify Spell were created by Alex White (Plane Sailing). Bounce Spell and a few others were taken from or inspired by Mongoose's Ultimate Feats, although I revised them rather heavily. Others are the SRD metamagic feats. The only ones that are wholly original to me are Contingent Spell, Persistent Word, Ranged Touch Spell, and Transfer Spell.
Transmute Spell Energy was inspired by WotC, I think, but I've changed it rather completely, so it's also mine.
Bounce Spell: Spell level +2. The character casts the spell at an ally within the spell’s normal range, but the ally is not affected. Instead, the ally may redirect the spell with a free action. The spell then goes where ever the ally redirected it, using the ally as the new source for purposes of determining range and line of sight. If the ally does not choose a new target or direction, the spell fizzles and has no effect at all. Spells such as interposing hand now treat the ally as if he is the caster.
Chain Spell: Spell level +3. This may be used with any ray spell or spells with a line area of effect. The spell hits one primary target, and then sprays outward to strike up to the caster’s level in secondary targets. All secondary targets must be within 30 ft of the primary target, and are chosen by the caster; a secondary target may not be struck more than once. If the original spell was a ray, a ranged touch attack must be made against all targets; if it allowed a save, all targets get a save. Regardless, the spell halves damage against the secondary targets (or, if it does no damage, the target’s saving throw gains a +4 bonus AND the to hit roll for a ranged touch attack is at -4).
Channel Touch Spell: Spell level +1. This allows the character to cast a touch spell through his melee weapon. He must be holding the melee weapon when the touch spell is cast, and can attack with it (including a non-damaging touch attack) to discharge the spell. This can not be used by someone else – the caster must be the one wielding the weapon.
Compressed Spell: Spell level +1. The area effect of the spell is quartered (each dimension is halved, round down), and the save DC increases by +2. For example, a fireball cast by an INT 18 wizard normally has a radius of 20 ft and a save DC of 17; a compressed fireball would have a radius of 10 ft and a save DC of 19.
Contingent Spell: Spell level +3. The spell is placed so that it comes into effect under some condition dictated when it is cast. The contingent spell takes a minimum of 10 minutes to cast (but if it normally has a longer casting time, use that casting time instead), and can only be cast on the caster. The spell must be one that affects the caster's person (such as feather fall, levitate, fly, teleport, and so forth).
The conditions needed to bring the spell into effect must be clear, although they can be general. In all cases, the spell comes into effect (is "cast") instantaneously when the prescribed circumstances occur. The spell occurs based solely on the stated conditions, regardless of whether the character wants it to. In addition, the contingency itself will end after 1 day/level, at which point the spell ceases to exist and must be recast if the caster wishes to retain it. The character can have only one contingent spell in existence at a time; if a second is cast, the first one (if still active) is dispelled. In order to use this metamagic feat, the caster must cary a focus worth 1,500 GP.
Empower Spell: Spell level +2. The variable dice of the spell are increased by 50%. Thus, a spell which normally did 2d8 damage would do 3d8 damage; a spell which affected 1d4 targets would affect 1d6 targets; and so on. This affects all variables of the spell, but does not affect non-variable effects.
Enlarge Spell: Spell level +1. The range of the spell is increased by one stage (from Close to Medium, or Medium to Far). Spells with a range of personal, touch, sight or similar non-distance definitions can not use this feat. Spells with a range of Far are doubled in range (if this feat is stacked, remember that two doublings is a tripling, NOT a quadrupling). This metamagic feat can not be used with cones or other spells whose area and range are directly linked - use expand spell for those spells.
Expand Spell: Spell level +3. The area of effect of the spell is doubled. This doubles the linear dimension used to define the area of effect – for example, an expanded wall of thorns would create one 20 ft cube per level (rather than two 10 ft cubes per level). Spells which affect a number of creatures or targets, or personal, can not use this feat.
Extend Spell: Spell level +1. The duration of the spell is doubled. Spells with a duration of concentration, instantaneous or permanent can not use this feat.
Heighten Spell: Spell level +1 or more. A heightened spell has a higher spell level than normal (up to 9th level). Unlike other metamagic feats, Heighten Spell actually increases the effective level of the spell that it modifies. All effects dependent on spell level (such as saving throw DCs and ability to penetrate a minor globe of invulnerability) are calculated according to the heightened level. The heightened spell uses a spell slot of its new effective level.
Lasting Spell: Spell level +2. Choose any spell with Duration: Permanent or Duration: Instantaneous that creates or transforms something permanently – that spell's effect now can not be negated or suppressed by anything except the caster being reduced to –1 hit points. If the caster dies or chooses to end the effect, the spell's effect automatically ends, even for odd situations (wall of iron will simply disappear, for example). This costs 50 XP per spell level of the original spell. This metamagic creates a permanent thread of magic (similar to an astral thread) between the spell effect and that character, which can be traced via magical means (detect magic, scrying). A list of spell that may be used with this feat follow:
Lingering Touch Spell: Spell level +2. A lingering touch spell can discharge one additional time before ending. For example, a lingering shocking grasp would allow two touch attacks before it is completely discharged, and a lingering cure light wounds would heal twice. This does not affect the duration of the spell, however, only the number of touches allowed.
Magnify Spell: Spell level +2. The weight affected by the spell is doubled. This only affects spells which have a weight listed, such as telekinesis or dimension door. Spells which affect a number of creatures or targets are not affected, and the size of creature that can be affected is not changed.
Mass Spell: Spell level +4. A spell which normally affects one subject now affects one subject per level, all of whom must be within a 30 ft radius. This feat does not work with personal spells. Touch spells allow the caster to touch up to 6 people as a full round action.
Perfect Spell: Spell level +3. The variable dice of the spell automatically take the best possible result. Thus, a spell which does 2d8 damage would automatically roll 16 hit points; a spell which affected 1d4 targets would automatically affect 4 targets; and so on. This affects all variables of the spell, but does not affect non-variable effects.
Persistent Word: Spell level +1. Prereq 1st level or higher bard or sorcerer. This feat is only available to bards and sorcerers. A persistent word spell's verbal component works despite magical silence, allowing the caster to cast the spell in a silence area. The verbal component is audible despite the magical silence. Note: this presupposes the Word of Power class ability that bards and sorcerers have in my setting; without that class ability, this is a useless feat compared to silent spell.
Quicken Spell: Spell level +4. Casting a quickened spell is a free action. The character can perform another action, even casting another spell, in the same round as the character casts a quickened spell. The character may only cast one quickened spell per round. A spell whose casting time is more than 1 full round cannot be quickened. Note that sorcerers and bards may use this feat, and it does not increase their casting time to a full round for being metamagic; however, they can not combine this metamagic feat with any other metamagic feat in the same spell.
Ranged Channel Touch Spell: Prereq Channel Touch Spell. Spell level +3. This allows the character to cast a touch spell through his missile weapon. He must be holding the missile weapon when the touch spell is cast, and can attack with it to discharge the spell. This can not be used by someone else – the caster must be the one wielding the weapon.
Ranged Touch Spell: Spell level +3. This feat turns a touch spell into a ray with a range of Close (25 ft + 5 ft per level).
Still Spell: Spell level +1. The character can cast the spell without a somatic component.
Silent Spell: Spell level +1. The character can cast the spell without a verbal component. In my setting, bards and sorcerers can not use this metamagic feat.
Stretch Spell: Spell level +1. The duration of a "per level" spell is increased by one stage. Spells with a fixed duration (including concentration, instantaneous and permanent) can not use this feat. Regardless, a spell's duration can only be stretched for as long as the caster is awake. The stages are as follows:
1 round per level
10 minutes per level
1 hour per level
1 day per level
Transfer Spell: Spell level +2. The character can cast a spell with a range of personal or self as a touch spell, affecting someone else.
Transmute Spell Energy: Spell level +0 or +1. The character can alter the energy damage of a spell to another type. Anything from one die of damage to the full damage of the spell may be so translated (for example, a 10d6 fireball could be transmuted into a 5d6 fire, 5d6 frost ball). Each time this metamagic is applied to the spell, energy may be converted to one other energy type - thus, you could apply the metamagic twice (for +2 levels) and create a 4d6 fire, 4d6 frost, 2d6 sonic ball. If all damage is converted to the other energy type, and the energy type is not force, this adds +0 to the spell level; otherwise, this adds +1 to the spell level.
Note: Campaigns which do not address sonic damage by providing more creatures with sonic resistance should treat sonic energy as force energy when determining final spell level.
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But really, I think this works reasonably well at +3. A 40 ft radius fireball is really fricking huge - 6th level is fine with me 
