Metamagic Rods and Sorcerer's Stones

[Segev]

This is not a great patch, because magic items should never be NECESSARY, but if you think sorcerers are fine or if you just want a relatively painless way to buff them, here are some magic item ideas.

Ioun Stone: Mercury-filled Ovoid
Common magic item
This clear hollow crystal is either egg-shaped or ovoid and has a reservoir of quicksilver inside. It contains one Sorcery Point, which the wielder may expend as he likes. When it is expended, the resrvoir cracks and the quicksilver stains the whole stone, making it dull and gray.

Sorcerer's Stone
Rarity varies, requires atunement by a sorcerer
These stones contain Sorcery Points which their attuned wielders may spend as if they were their own. They recover 1d4+1 SP every dawn.

uncommon: Contains 2 SP
rare: Contains 4 SP
very rare: Contains 8 SP
legendary: Contains 16 SP


Metamagic Rod
Rare magic item, requires atunement by a spellcaster
Each of these rods is empowered with a single metamagic effect, and allows its attuned wielder to spend Sorcery Points to activate it. These Sorcery Points may come from this rod or any other reserve the wielder may have access to. This rod contains 3 SP, and recovers 1d3 SP each day at dawn.



Of note, the metamagic rod is actually intended to be available to non-sorcerers. It still should be quite useful to sorcerers, but for parties without one, I still wanted it to be potentially interesting to acquire. It is also noteworthy that, without a Sorcerer's Font of Magic ability or metamagic, the SP in the Sorcerer's Stone or the Mercury-filled Ovoid would be useless.

[JNAProductions]

I like the Mercury-Filled Ovoid. Good flavor!

Sorcerer's Stone (Legendary) feels a little too high. Admittedly, Legendary item, so... Maybe it's okay?

Metamagic Rod should probably have varying rarities based on what effect it can produce.

Overall, good stuff.

[Segev]

I like the Mercury-Filled Ovoid. Good flavor!

Sorcerer's Stone (Legendary) feels a little too high. Admittedly, Legendary item, so... Maybe it's okay?

Metamagic Rod should probably have varying rarities based on what effect it can produce.

Overall, good stuff.

Thanks!

As-is, metamagic are all, in theory, created equal. Any sorcerer of third level can pick up any of them; the only variation in power is marked by how many SP they cost. Most can be activated for 1 SP; Heighten takes 3. Twin takes as many as the spell level, and is at this time the only one I can think of that can cost more than the rod provides, so a metamagic rod of Twin is essentially Sorcerer-only.

And yeah, legendary rarity is a little tricky to balance on sheer numbers. I could just leave the legendary rarity one out entirely as an option. I need to check the DMG for when legendary items start appearing in treasure hoards.

I'm glad you like the mercury-filled ovoid; I also like the reference, and the fact that it neatly "explains" its becoming a dull grey Ioun stone is also fun.

[JNAProductions]

Thanks!

As-is, metamagic are all, in theory, created equal. Any sorcerer of third level can pick up any of them; the only variation in power is marked by how many SP they cost. Most can be activated for 1 SP; Heighten takes 3. Twin takes as many as the spell level, and is at this time the only one I can think of that can cost more than the rod provides, so a metamagic rod of Twin is essentially Sorcerer-only.

And yeah, legendary rarity is a little tricky to balance on sheer numbers. I could just leave the legendary rarity one out entirely as an option. I need to check the DMG for when legendary items start appearing in treasure hoards.

I'm glad you like the mercury-filled ovoid; I also like the reference, and the fact that it neatly "explains" its becoming a dull grey Ioun stone is also fun.

It's a reference? I just thought it was cool.

And Twin would still work, just on low level spells only.

The only issue I can really foresee is combing a Metamagic Rod of Twin with a Sorcerer's Stone of Very Rare or Legendary, to Twin Foresight.

[Segev]

Ah, the reference is that the traditional description of the philosopher’s stone (carried forward in early editions of D&D, even) held within it a magical quicksilver that could transmute matter from one element into another (e.g. the famous “lead into gold”).

The American adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, for some reason, retitled it as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

So the mercury-filled ovoid is technically also a “sorcerer’s stone.”


It would be two of your three attunements to have both items, and you’re already 17th level or higher, and using a legendary item. It’s probably okay. I would not even worry about stepping on the sorcerer’s toes; if you have this and he’s got nothing of his own comparably rule-changing, the problem lies in party dynamics more than item balance, it think.

It is a bit of a concern, but I think it’s probably okay.

Thanks again for the review. Still considering the numbers in the legendary one, or whether to keep it at all.

[Kane0]

These look pretty good, straightforward and useful. The only thing I might he concerned about is setting the ovoid ioun stone as common rarity, but handing then out depends on the DM so YMMV

[Yakk]

A rare item shouldn't give you something people do a 3 level dip for.

[Kane0]

A rare item shouldn't give you something people do a 3 level dip for.

Why's that?

[Segev]

A rare item shouldn't give you something people do a 3 level dip for.

What rarity should an item be that mimics a class feature 3 levels deep?

[Yakk]

Legendary ... maybe?

[Kane0]

Well Mantle of Spell Resistance is Rare and pretty close to a Paladin’s level 7 or Abjurer’s level 14 feature.

Rarity is not a measure of power.

[Segev]

Legendary ... maybe?So a 1-3/day use of a metamagic on a non-sorcerer is worth approximately 175,000 gp? Not asking this snarkily; is this where you'd price it? Or 100,000 gp and more than a year of downtime. Can you think of any chracters that would spend that much and / or get away with holding up a game that long for that?


Well Mantle of Spell Resistance is Rare and pretty close to a Paladin’s level 7 or Abjurer’s level 14 feature.

Rarity is not a measure of power.

It isn't? What is it a measure of? I mean, I confess, I am using it as such here in this design.

[Kane0]

Rarity is just that, rarity. As in an eyeball of how likely you are to see a given item show up in a game featuring magic items (subject to change by the DM, like everything else).
It's often used as shorthand for power but it wasn't really used as such in the DMG. Or if it was it was comically inconsistent.

5e flops back and forth between codified magic items like in 3.5 and priceless, unique items that may or may not even be in a game.

Edit: you can search for the sane magic items pdf if you’d like a solid point of comparison, i use that fairly often.

[Segev]

Never heard of it. I will try to hunt it down.

Rarity clearly has something to do with power given that it is what you base crafting cost on as well as what purchase cost is based on.

The consistency argument is valid; I think there was an intention to link power and rarity, but they made it too coarse-grained and made a few mistakes.

[Yakk]

People don't take 7 levels of Paladin for that feature.

People do dip 3 levels of Sorcerer for metamagic.

Just like an item that gives you an additional attack on the first round of combat; it is something people dip 3 levels of Gloomstalker for.

[Segev]

People don't take 7 levels of Paladin for that feature.

People do dip 3 levels of Sorcerer for metamagic.

Just like an item that gives you an additional attack on the first round of combat; it is something people dip 3 levels of Gloomstalker for.

So, if metamagic were not available until level 7 sorcerer, and thus poeple didn't dip 7 levels for it, would you say it's an okay item? I know I sound argumentative here, but I'm trying to make sure I understand your reasoning.

[Yakk]

There are certain features that people are willing to sacrifice 1, 2 or 3 levels in their "primary" class in order to gain.

These abilities are very desirable.

These include action surge, 19-20 crit range, smites, metamagic, +prof to damage, unarmored defences (various kinds), rage, reckless attack, auto-crit on surprise, expertise, and a few other abilities.

Some are stronger than others, but they should all be treated with care.