Quickened, maximized, empowered..?

[coineineagh]

:smallredface:Can somebody answer a noob question for me?
I'm mostly familiar with 3.5e D&D rules through video games, and i never encountered these terms before..
What does it involve? Do such spells take up a higher level spell slot? Or is it the effect of some skill or feat? It seems the higher levels characters use them more now. V and Z are 'supersizing' their spells too.
I'm just curious, in case these terms might have some effect on the storyline in the future..

[Hbgplayer]

First of all, video game D&D is not real D&D; it is a poor substitute. Now to answer your question to the best of my ability.

These are Meta-magic feats, allowing a spell to be more powerful, last longer, or be cast quicker, depending on what the feat says they do. Assuming you play 3.5 (that's the only rule set that I know/have played), the spell that you choose to prepare meta-magically takes up a spell slot one level higher than it's normal. For example, if you prepared an Maximized Magic Missile 1, instead of being prepared as a first level spell, it would be a second level spell.
Does that make sense/answer your question? Any one subsequent, please feel free to correct anything I've said.

Oh, and FYI, I would think that this question would go better in the gaming thread.

[Bogardan_Mage]

They're metamagic feats. They do take higher spell slots (depending on the metamagic) in exchange for different effects.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#metamagicFeats

ETA:

Assuming you play 3.5 (that's the only rule set that I know/have played), the spell that you choose to prepare meta-magically takes up a spell slot one level higher than it's normal. For example, if you prepared an Maximized Magic Missile 1, instead of being prepared as a first level spell, it would be a second level spell.
I don't know what crazy varient of 3.5 you were playing, but a Maximised Spell takes a slot three levels higher than normal. The level depends on the metamagic feat, it is certainly not +1 across the board.

[Jasdoif]

What does it involve? Do such spells take up a higher level spell slot? Or is it the effect of some skill or feat?Both, actually; each effect is associated with a feat (called a metamagic feat), and applying that effect to a spell requires the spell to take a higher level slot than normal.

Here's a summary of the effects you mentioned: An empowered spell has its variable components (most often damage) increased by 50%, and requires a slot two levels higher.
A maximized spell has its variable components (again, most often damage) set to the maximum possible (all d6s are treated as 6, for example), and requires a slot three levels higher.
A quickened spell takes less time to cast, allowing another spell to be cast in the same round, and requires a slot four levels higher.

[Blisstake]

Just out of curiosity, what video games using the 3.5 ruleset have you played? I've played 4 of them, and every single one of those has had metamagic feats involved.

[Chess Tyrant]

Both, actually; each effect is associated with a feat (called a metamagic feat), and applying that effect to a spell requires the spell to take a higher level slot than normal.

Here's a summary of the effects you mentioned: An empowered spell has its variable components (most often damage) increased by 50%, and requires a slot two levels higher.
A maximized spell has its variable components (again, most often damage) set to the maximum possible (all d6s are treated as 6, for example), and requires a slot three levels higher.
A quickened spell takes less time to cast, allowing another spell to be cast in the same round, and requires a slot four levels higher.

Just for the heck of it, I'll add that a maximized, empowered spell gets the benefit of each feat separately, dealing the max normal damage plus 50% of the normally rolled damage. So if V casts a maximized, empowered fireball, it deals 60 + 1/2(10d6) [or 5d6+60, it really doesn't matter] damage. Also, casting a quickened spell is treated as a free action, but without the epic Multispell feat, you can't cast more than one quickened spell in a round.

[Killer Angel]

...and then there are rods (that let you apply a single metamagic effect without altering the spell's level), and metamagic reducers (that let you decrease the "level cost" for metamagic feats)...
A good chunk of power lies in metamagic.

[Fenice]

Just out of curiosity, what video games using the 3.5 ruleset have you played? I've played 4 of them, and every single one of those has had metamagic feats involved.
I don't know about the OP, but the only videogame using D&D rules I've ever played is Icewind Dale II and it doesn't have metamagic feats. :smallwink:
(Well, it uses D&D 3.0, but it doesn't really matter.)

[Onyavar]

I don't know about the OP, but the only videogame using D&D rules I've ever played is Icewind Dale II and it doesn't have metamagic feats. :smallwink:
(Well, it uses D&D 3.0, but it doesn't really matter.)
My sortiment involves BG 1+2 and PS:T (which used the AD&D Rules iirc, and no metamagic feats) and NWN 1+2 (the latter one definitely has metamagic feats, but I rarely used them with wizards - they are much more useful with sorcerors, in my opinion)

[coineineagh]

I don't know about the OP, but the only videogame using D&D rules I've ever played is Icewind Dale II and it doesn't have metamagic feats. :smallwink:
(Well, it uses D&D 3.0, but it doesn't really matter.)

That's correct, good guess. I even wrote a powergaming guide (http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/IWD2-4dummies.zip) [some people will be rolling their eyes by now:smalltongue:] for IWD2 over at sorcerer's place, as well as a stickied mod link-list (http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=46611) on the forum. Kinda embarassing that I referred to it as 3.5 E though...:smallredface:

I did enjoy a few traditional D&D games with friends of friends. But you really need a regular group of close friends who enjoy that. Personally, I prefer the convenience of video games. It allows me to play when I want, stick with a character as long as I want, and not be dependant on other ppl's availability and boredom threshhold...
You can also get more dungeons done in less time. Doing all the die rolls manually, and trying to remember all relevant effects... Call me lazy, but I'd rather have a computer do all that calculation work.:smallsigh:

On a related note: Why aren't there loads more D&D games out there? Are the copyright-holders being difficult about granting licenses? The D&D games I played were all very good...

[Jaros]

On a related note: Why aren't there loads more D&D games out there? Are the copyright-holders being difficult about granting licenses? The D&D games I played were all very good...
On another note, and at the risk of derailing the thread, Why did no other games (that I know of) ever use the same engine that Temple of Elemental Evil used, I loved the way they did D&D in that game!

[coineineagh]

On another note, and at the risk of derailing the thread, Why did no other games (that I know of) ever use the same engine that Temple of Elemental Evil used, I loved the way they did D&D in that game!

I heard a lot about that game, and tried my hand at installing it. But I like to include as much extras as i can; mods and expansions. I couldn't get my install to work, unfortunately.:smallannoyed: Maybe I'll figure it out in the future, for now I'm enjoying Dragon Age Origins and Planescape Torment.

[Fenice]

That's correct, good guess. I even wrote a powergaming guide (http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/IWD2-4dummies.zip) [some people will be rolling their eyes by now:smalltongue:] for IWD2 over at sorcerer's place, as well as a stickied mod link-list (http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=46611) on the forum. Kinda embarassing that I referred to it as 3.5 E though...:smallredface:
You wrote a guide? Respect! :smallbiggrin:

I think Icewind Dale II does a good job in turning D&D into a computer game, but it also takes many liberties with the rules. So it's not a really good source for knowing the official rules.
(By the way, I'm so in love with the character creation screens of this videogame.)

[coineineagh]

(By the way, I'm so in love with the character creation screens of this videogame.)

Me too. There's also the ingame character arbitration button, allowing you to add/remove characters. So if during the game, you wished you had made a slightly different character, you can remake it (and level it up with cheats). It's a bit more complicated, since new chars don't have any accumulated quest bonuses, which means running them through 2 other savegames before they are finished... That way I played countless characters. Anyway, I was so in love with the game that I decided to summarize my experience in a guide. It handles tactics, spells, skills, feats, leveling (& timing choices, which is important), mod installation, you name it.

[guguma]

Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2 and their expansions both employ metamagic spells and based on 3.5

[Kondziu]

Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2 and their expansions both employ metamagic spells and based on 3.53.5 came a full year after NWN1, so that's not quite true. ;) Granted, 3.0 and 3.5 differences are not THAT vast...

[Kilo24]

On another note, and at the risk of derailing the thread, Why did no other games (that I know of) ever use the same engine that Temple of Elemental Evil used, I loved the way they did D&D in that game!
ToEE's engine was a heavily modified version of Arcanum's engine, another complex RPG made by Troika. It had quite a few different game mechanics (including completely distinct basic game rules). It's very much worth a look, though don't expect combat to be nearly as good (even though the character customization is open-ended and more flexible than 3.5's, a rarity in CRPGs).

[Hbgplayer]

I don't know what crazy varient of 3.5 you were playing, but a Maximised Spell takes a slot three levels higher than normal. The level depends on the metamagic feat, it is certainly not +1 across the board.

I haven't been able to play an actual tabletop game of D&D in several years, and I wasn't looking at my PHB when I said it, so I couldn't remember them exactly. Also, I don't think that I ever took the Maximize feat, but again, I don't remember. :smallredface:

[Chronos]

Quoth Chess Tyrant:

60 + 1/2(10d6) [or 5d6+60, it really doesn't matter]Technically, 1/2(10d6) is not the same as 5d6, since the former has a lower variance (you're less likely to get very high or very low results). Most DMs probably treat them as equivalent, though.