Ammutseba
2012-02-04, 11:26 PM
This was an idea that came to me as a result of a thought on alternate metamagic systems, although it applies to far more than just metamagic. I'm 100% certain that I have much of the wording for this wrong, so I would appreciate a hand with that. This was also mentioned on other forums, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to also post it here.
Spell Expertise
You are so familiar with one of your spells that it becomes a skill for you.
Prerequisites: Able to cast spells, Concentration 4 ranks
Benefit: Choose a spell you know and can cast. If you have multiple classes from which you can cast that spell, choose one of them for the purposes of this feat. You permanently lose one spell slot of the chosen spell's level. Whenever you cast the chosen spell, you can choose to make a Concentration check. Instead of using your Constitution score as the key ability for this check, use the ability score which is used to determine the maximum spell level of spells you can cast in the class that provides the spell for this feat. If the check succeeds, you cast the spell without expending any spell slots. If the check fails, the spell is lost.
By voluntarily increasing the DC of the check for this feat, you can achieve a wide variety of effects for the spell you cast, at the time that you choose to cast the spell. You can choose to apply these effects at the time of the spell's casting even if you normally prepare your spells in advance. The effects that you can provide to a spell in this way, and their commensurate increases in check DC are as follows:
Cast the spell without expending spell slots 5 + caster level + spell level + 4 for each time
you successfully cast the spell this day
Apply a metamagic feat you know to the spell +5 per spell level adjustment of the metamagic
feat
Cast the spell as an immediate action +5, +15 or +20
Cast the spell as a move action +5 or +10
Cast the spell as a standard action +5
Cast the spell as a swift action +10 or +15
Cast the spell without somatic components +10
Cast the spell without verbal components +10
Increase the damage inflicted by the spell +4 per die
Increase the duration of the spell +2 per 1 round or 1 additional increment
Increase the healing provided by the spell +4 per die
Increase the range of the spell +2 per 5 feet or 1 additional increment
Increase the spell's caster level +4 per caster level
If you have this feat for two different spells that share a domain or school, and you have at least 5 ranks of Concentration, you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Concentration checks made when casting those spells and using this feat. Additionally, Concentration is always a class skill for you.
Cast without expending slots: This is the standard use for this skill via the Spell Expertise feat. To apply any other use of the skill and feat to your spell, you will voluntary increase the DC of this use as indicated.
Apply metamagic: You can apply any number of metamagic feat you know to the spell as it is being cast. This does not increase the casting time of the spell and can the metamagic feat can be applied to the spell even you if you normally must apply metamagic feats to your spells when preparing them in advance. You must increase the DC of the check for each metamagic feat you choose to apply to the spell at the time that it is cast.
Cast as an immediate action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 swift action, you can choose to cast the spell as an immediate action by adding 5 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 standard action, you can reduce its casting time to an immediate action by increasing the DC by 15. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can reduce its casting time to an immediate action by increasing the DC by 20. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Cast as a move action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 standard action, you can choose to cast the spell as a move action by adding 5 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can reduce its casting time to a move action by increasing the DC by 10. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Cast as a standard action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can instead cast the spell as a standard action by adding 5 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Cast as a swift action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 standard action, you can choose to cast the spell as a swift action by adding 10 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can reduce its casting time to a swift action by increasing the DC by 15. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Increase damage dealt: If the spell you're casting normally deals hit point damage and the number of dice of damage it deals has reached its maximum (whether this number normally does not change, or is capped based on your caster level), you can add dice of damage to the spell beyond its normal maximum by increasing the check's DC by 4 for each die of damage you wish to add. If a spell does not use dice to determine damage dealt, each increment of 4 you increase the DC by increases the damage dealt by the spell by 1.
Increase spell duration: If the spell you're casting normally has a duration that is not instantaneous, you can increase its duration by 1 round by increasing the check's DC by 2 for each extra round of duration you wish to add. If the spell's duration is described in measurements other than rounds, each increment of 2 you increase the DC by adds one of those measurements, instead (1 hour if the duration is measured in hours, 1 day if the duration is measured in days, and so on).
Increase healing provided: If the spell you're casting normally heals hit points and the number of dice of healing it provides has reached its maximum (whether this number normally does not change, or is capped based on your caster level), you can add dice of healing to the spell beyond its normal maximum by increasing the check's DC by 4 for each die of healing you wish to add. If a spell does not use dice to determine healing provided, each increment of 4 you increase the DC by increases the healing provided by the spell by 1.
Increase spell range: If the spell you're casting normally has a range greater than personal and touch, you can increase its range by 5 feet by increasing the check's DC by 2 for 5 extra feet of range you wish to add. If the spell's range is described in measurements other than feet, each increment of 2 you increase the DC by adds one of those measurements, instead (1 square if the range is measured in squares, 1 mile if the range is measured in miles, and so on).
Increase caster level: You can provide yourself with a +1 bonus to caster level by increasing the check DC by 4 for every bonus caster level you wish to provide yourself in this way. For example, if you are a level 10 wizard and you had Spell Expertise (lightning bolt), you could cast the lightning bolt at an effective caster level of 13 by succeeding on a DC 30 Concentration check, without expending any spell slots (5 + 3 + 10, + 3 extra caster levels). To perform the same trick again, a round later, you would need to succeed on a DC 34 Concentration check, since you had already cast lightning bolt via your Spell Expertise feat once that day.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you do, it applies to a different spell.
It doesn't have to be named Spell Expertise. I would name it something else, but I'm drawing a blank as to another good name for it.
Spell Expertise
You are so familiar with one of your spells that it becomes a skill for you.
Prerequisites: Able to cast spells, Concentration 4 ranks
Benefit: Choose a spell you know and can cast. If you have multiple classes from which you can cast that spell, choose one of them for the purposes of this feat. You permanently lose one spell slot of the chosen spell's level. Whenever you cast the chosen spell, you can choose to make a Concentration check. Instead of using your Constitution score as the key ability for this check, use the ability score which is used to determine the maximum spell level of spells you can cast in the class that provides the spell for this feat. If the check succeeds, you cast the spell without expending any spell slots. If the check fails, the spell is lost.
By voluntarily increasing the DC of the check for this feat, you can achieve a wide variety of effects for the spell you cast, at the time that you choose to cast the spell. You can choose to apply these effects at the time of the spell's casting even if you normally prepare your spells in advance. The effects that you can provide to a spell in this way, and their commensurate increases in check DC are as follows:
Cast the spell without expending spell slots 5 + caster level + spell level + 4 for each time
you successfully cast the spell this day
Apply a metamagic feat you know to the spell +5 per spell level adjustment of the metamagic
feat
Cast the spell as an immediate action +5, +15 or +20
Cast the spell as a move action +5 or +10
Cast the spell as a standard action +5
Cast the spell as a swift action +10 or +15
Cast the spell without somatic components +10
Cast the spell without verbal components +10
Increase the damage inflicted by the spell +4 per die
Increase the duration of the spell +2 per 1 round or 1 additional increment
Increase the healing provided by the spell +4 per die
Increase the range of the spell +2 per 5 feet or 1 additional increment
Increase the spell's caster level +4 per caster level
If you have this feat for two different spells that share a domain or school, and you have at least 5 ranks of Concentration, you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Concentration checks made when casting those spells and using this feat. Additionally, Concentration is always a class skill for you.
Cast without expending slots: This is the standard use for this skill via the Spell Expertise feat. To apply any other use of the skill and feat to your spell, you will voluntary increase the DC of this use as indicated.
Apply metamagic: You can apply any number of metamagic feat you know to the spell as it is being cast. This does not increase the casting time of the spell and can the metamagic feat can be applied to the spell even you if you normally must apply metamagic feats to your spells when preparing them in advance. You must increase the DC of the check for each metamagic feat you choose to apply to the spell at the time that it is cast.
Cast as an immediate action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 swift action, you can choose to cast the spell as an immediate action by adding 5 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 standard action, you can reduce its casting time to an immediate action by increasing the DC by 15. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can reduce its casting time to an immediate action by increasing the DC by 20. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Cast as a move action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 standard action, you can choose to cast the spell as a move action by adding 5 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can reduce its casting time to a move action by increasing the DC by 10. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Cast as a standard action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can instead cast the spell as a standard action by adding 5 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Cast as a swift action: If the spell you're casting normally has a casting time of 1 standard action, you can choose to cast the spell as a swift action by adding 10 to the DC of the Concentration check to cast the spell. If the spell normally has a casting time of 1 round, you can reduce its casting time to a swift action by increasing the DC by 15. You still can't cast more than 1 spell per round in this way.
Increase damage dealt: If the spell you're casting normally deals hit point damage and the number of dice of damage it deals has reached its maximum (whether this number normally does not change, or is capped based on your caster level), you can add dice of damage to the spell beyond its normal maximum by increasing the check's DC by 4 for each die of damage you wish to add. If a spell does not use dice to determine damage dealt, each increment of 4 you increase the DC by increases the damage dealt by the spell by 1.
Increase spell duration: If the spell you're casting normally has a duration that is not instantaneous, you can increase its duration by 1 round by increasing the check's DC by 2 for each extra round of duration you wish to add. If the spell's duration is described in measurements other than rounds, each increment of 2 you increase the DC by adds one of those measurements, instead (1 hour if the duration is measured in hours, 1 day if the duration is measured in days, and so on).
Increase healing provided: If the spell you're casting normally heals hit points and the number of dice of healing it provides has reached its maximum (whether this number normally does not change, or is capped based on your caster level), you can add dice of healing to the spell beyond its normal maximum by increasing the check's DC by 4 for each die of healing you wish to add. If a spell does not use dice to determine healing provided, each increment of 4 you increase the DC by increases the healing provided by the spell by 1.
Increase spell range: If the spell you're casting normally has a range greater than personal and touch, you can increase its range by 5 feet by increasing the check's DC by 2 for 5 extra feet of range you wish to add. If the spell's range is described in measurements other than feet, each increment of 2 you increase the DC by adds one of those measurements, instead (1 square if the range is measured in squares, 1 mile if the range is measured in miles, and so on).
Increase caster level: You can provide yourself with a +1 bonus to caster level by increasing the check DC by 4 for every bonus caster level you wish to provide yourself in this way. For example, if you are a level 10 wizard and you had Spell Expertise (lightning bolt), you could cast the lightning bolt at an effective caster level of 13 by succeeding on a DC 30 Concentration check, without expending any spell slots (5 + 3 + 10, + 3 extra caster levels). To perform the same trick again, a round later, you would need to succeed on a DC 34 Concentration check, since you had already cast lightning bolt via your Spell Expertise feat once that day.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you do, it applies to a different spell.
It doesn't have to be named Spell Expertise. I would name it something else, but I'm drawing a blank as to another good name for it.