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View Full Version : Best Metamagic Feats?



tanderson11
2011-01-23, 06:02 PM
What are the most generally versatile and powerful metamagic feats for an arcane caster?

If it matters in terms of feat chains, I have 4 feats available.

Keld Denar
2011-01-23, 07:13 PM
Quicken Spell is the most powerful. More spells per round is always a good thing, especially if you find some of the really well scaling low level spells.

Other than that, the ones that are generally considered worthwhile are:

Split Ray (+2 CArc)
Sculpt Spell (+1 CArc)
Occular Spell (+2 Lords of Madness)
Twin Spell (+4 CArc)
Persist Spell (+6 CArc)
Chain Spell (+3 CArc)
Fell Draining (+2 Libris Mortis)

And sometimes Empower Spell, when used on non-damaging spells, or spells that deal with ability damage or penalties like Ray of Enfeeblement or Touch of Idiocity.

FMArthur
2011-01-23, 07:29 PM
Invisible Spell from Cityscape is probably the most ridiculous of them all, coming in at +0 and making any spell unseeable. It isn't the most directly powerful, not compared to Sculpt or Quicken, but it being +0 adjustment means you will use it pretty much all the time. With the Conceal Spellcasting skill trick, nobody even knows a spell was cast. For a feat and two skill points.

senrath
2011-01-23, 07:42 PM
For even more fun, cast an Invisible Invisibility.

FMArthur
2011-01-23, 07:47 PM
And that's just one of the nonsense combinations. There are some that are just so overpowered you have to houserule certain things' interaction with Invisible Spell or they steamroll a campaign pretty easily - like making summoned creatures lose invisibility when they attack.

Zaq
2011-01-23, 07:49 PM
What metamagics are good depends directly on how willing and able you are to get their costs reduced. For instance, Persist is phenomenal if you can shave a few levels off of the cost (or skirt it entirely), but actually paying +6 for a persistent spell probably isn't worth it. Just about the only thing worth more than +2 as a general rule is Quicken, because it's that good. Only high level characters need apply, of course.

If you're not big into metamagic reduction, I find that Extend and Sculpt are still worthwhile. The Fell X series (especially Frighten and Drain) are fun if you have a specific use for them (hint: Sonic Snap is a great candidate for those), though they're not cheap. Searing Spell is necessary if you want to be a boom-blast fire mage.

If you're willing to invest in some reduction, then go nuts. Twin, Split Ray, Repeating, Ocular (OK, Ocular can be fun even without reduction), Chain, all that good stuff. Even Maximize can be worth it on certain spells (Enervation, anyone?). I've never seen Earthbound Spell used in an actual game, but it looks like fun.

And yeah, of course there's always Invisible. I find that GMs tend to get skittish around it, though.