Metamagic Adept

[Recoveringcynic]

The new UA feat Metamagic Adept is pretty awesome but suffers from a lack of sorcery points. This feat does NOT come with Flexible Casting ability that the Sorcerer has correct? It doesn't specify so I assume not so you are limited to just 2 sorcery points/ long rest unless you took a two level dip in Sorcerer which would kinda defeat the point of the feat.


Metamagic Adept

Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature
You’ve learned how to exert your will on your
spells to alter how they function. You gain the
following benefits:
• You learn two Metamagic options of your
choice from the sorcerer class. You can use
only one Metamagic option on a spell when
you cast it, unless the option says otherwise.
Whenever you gain a level, you can replace one
of your Metamagic options with another one
from the sorcerer class.
• You gain 2 sorcery points to spend on
Metamagic (these points are added to any
sorcery points you have from another source
but can be used only on Metamagic). You
regain all spent sorcery points when you finish
a long rest.

[Bobthewizard]

I think you are right. With only 2SP, you probably aren't going to take Twin or Quicken, but I can see some good uses for the feat. If you take one of the 1 point options you could use it twice per day. I'm sure there are more. Otherwise, it's potentially a great feat for a sorcerer - 2 more SP and an extra meta magic would be great at level 4.

Controller - Careful to sculpt hypnotic pattern and fear.

Evoker - Empowered to make sure you don't roll all ones in a big fight.

Social god - Subtle on a bard to make them great at deception.

[Falconcry]

I think of this feat, and the invocation one, less as ritual caster or magic initiate and more of a supplement to an existing sorcerer or warlock

[AvvyR]

I think of this feat, and the invocation one, less as ritual caster or magic initiate and more of a supplement to an existing sorcerer or warlock

Both have potential to add neat tricks to other classes, but Metamagic Adept in particular suffers from being essentially required on any sorcerer. If you don't take it, you're flat inferior to any other sorcerer that does, and that's a real problem for a feat.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'd probably get Distant and Subtle on a non-Sorcerer and for Counterspell battles.

I agree though that this feat is absolutely necessary for every Sorcerer, it just makes them so much better.

[Hael]

I find it hard to imagine a world where I spend a feat on this if im not a sorcerer. Yea a subtle counter spell is nice, but it’s not worth an entire ASI or feat and can easily be worked around. Maybe if the DM gave me two or three extra feats I’d eventually get to this in the deep endgame, but I don’t see it.

[Xetheral]

Note that a sorcerer doesn't benefit from the 2 extra sorcery points (except at 1st level), because once you get Font of Magic at 2nd level you can never have more sorcery points than you have levels in sorcerer.

[RSP]

Note that a sorcerer doesn't benefit from the 2 extra sorcery points (except at 1st level), because once you get Font of Magic at 2nd level you can never have more sorcery points than you have levels in sorcerer.

If the feat were to become officially published, it would be a case of specific-over-general I’d imagine

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Note that a sorcerer doesn't benefit from the 2 extra sorcery points (except at 1st level), because once you get Font of Magic at 2nd level you can never have more sorcery points than you have levels in sorcerer.

Yeah, I'll take that as Font of Magic saying that your Sorcery points can't go higher than your Sorcerer level by using Flexible Casting.

So a Sorcerer with Metamagic Adept starts the day with Sorcerer Level + 2 sorcery points, but after spending a bunch and regaining sorcery points with Flexible Casting the upper limit is his Sorcerer level.

[Monster Manuel]

If you don't take it, you're flat inferior to any other sorcerer that does, and that's a real problem for a feat.

I'm not sure it is, though, because you have to ask "inferior compared to what?" Are they flat out better than if they had no other feat at all? Well, yeah, obviously; no argument there. Is a Sorcerer with 2 extra SP per day and an extra metamagic better than one with a ritual spellbook, or extra cantrips and +1 spell, though? How about a sorcerer with a 16 Charisma and the extra metamagic compared to one with an 18 Cha? It's really good, yeah. It's better than many other feat choices for most sorcerers, yeah. But I don't think it's a blanket "your sorcerer sucks if they don't have this"

One of the hidden costs of this feat is the extra complexity it layers on top of an already complex class. You've probably put a lot of thought into your limited number of spells known, and made choices based on what will work well with the 4 metamagics you'll have access to throughout your career. Now, let's add another metamagic to that list, but no extra spells to choose from. You examine whether to take Crown of Madness or Blindness/Deafness at level 3 based partially on the analysis of which one will work best with Quicken, Twin, Subtle, and Extended since those are the metamagics you plan to take across the span of your career. Now, add Empowered into the consideration as well. It's one more variable you have to account for. In many cases it's a good thing, since it gives your limited spell selection more variety, but it does make an already hard choice incrementally harder. For many players that's a feature, not a bug, but not all.

I think it's a great feat, for the Enchanter wizard who really wanted Subtle, or any other spellcaster who could use a little access to metamagic, and it's limited enough that it doesn't overshadow the sorcerer entirely. It's also a huge boon to a sorcerer who already has access to metamagic. I just don't think it's far and away better than any other feat a sorcerer could take

[Nhorianscum]

I'm not sure it is, though, because you have to ask "inferior compared to what?" Are they flat out better than if they had no other feat at all? Well, yeah, obviously; no argument there. Is a Sorcerer with 2 extra SP per day and an extra metamagic better than one with a ritual spellbook, or extra cantrips and +1 spell, though? How about a sorcerer with a 16 Charisma and the extra metamagic compared to one with an 18 Cha? It's really good, yeah. It's better than many other feat choices for most sorcerers, yeah. But I don't think it's a blanket "your sorcerer sucks if they don't have this"

One of the hidden costs of this feat is the extra complexity it layers on top of an already complex class. You've probably put a lot of thought into your limited number of spells known, and made choices based on what will work well with the 4 metamagics you'll have access to throughout your career. Now, let's add another metamagic to that list, but no extra spells to choose from. You examine whether to take Crown of Madness or Blindness/Deafness at level 3 based partially on the analysis of which one will work best with Quicken, Twin, Subtle, and Extended since those are the metamagics you plan to take across the span of your career. Now, add Empowered into the consideration as well. It's one more variable you have to account for. In many cases it's a good thing, since it gives your limited spell selection more variety, but it does make an already hard choice incrementally harder. For many players that's a feature, not a bug, but not all.

I think it's a great feat, for the Enchanter wizard who really wanted Subtle, or any other spellcaster who could use a little access to metamagic, and it's limited enough that it doesn't overshadow the sorcerer entirely. It's also a huge boon to a sorcerer who already has access to metamagic. I just don't think it's far and away better than any other feat a sorcerer could take

The answer here is yes.

This feat is bonkers.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'm not sure it is, though, because you have to ask "inferior compared to what?" Are they flat out better than if they had no other feat at all? Well, yeah, obviously; no argument there. Is a Sorcerer with 2 extra SP per day and an extra metamagic better than one with a ritual spellbook, or extra cantrips and +1 spell, though? How about a sorcerer with a 16 Charisma and the extra metamagic compared to one with an 18 Cha? It's really good, yeah. It's better than many other feat choices for most sorcerers, yeah. But I don't think it's a blanket "your sorcerer sucks if they don't have this"

One of the hidden costs of this feat is the extra complexity it layers on top of an already complex class. You've probably put a lot of thought into your limited number of spells known, and made choices based on what will work well with the 4 metamagics you'll have access to throughout your career. Now, let's add another metamagic to that list, but no extra spells to choose from. You examine whether to take Crown of Madness or Blindness/Deafness at level 3 based partially on the analysis of which one will work best with Quicken, Twin, Subtle, and Extended since those are the metamagics you plan to take across the span of your career. Now, add Empowered into the consideration as well. It's one more variable you have to account for. In many cases it's a good thing, since it gives your limited spell selection more variety, but it does make an already hard choice incrementally harder. For many players that's a feature, not a bug, but not all.

I think it's a great feat, for the Enchanter wizard who really wanted Subtle, or any other spellcaster who could use a little access to metamagic, and it's limited enough that it doesn't overshadow the sorcerer entirely. It's also a huge boon to a sorcerer who already has access to metamagic. I just don't think it's far and away better than any other feat a sorcerer could take

It's two metamagics, not just one. A Sorcerer without this only has two, or three at 10th level, four at 17th level. This gets you four at 4th level, and by 17th level you'll know 6/8 metamagic options, rather than just 4/8. This is going to be the equivalent of 3.5's Natural Spell (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0354.html) in that it would be unusual for a member of [class] to have not taken it.

[SLOTHRPG95]

It's two metamagics, not just one. A Sorcerer without this only has two, or three at 10th level, four at 17th level. This gets you four at 4th level, and by 17th level you'll know 6/8 metamagic options, rather than just 4/8. This is going to be the equivalent of 3.5's Natural Spell (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0354.html) in that it would be unusual for a member of [class] to have not taken it.

True, but more metamagic picks come with diminishing returns. If you're primarily a buffing Sorcerer, you're happy with Twinned, Extended, and Distant roughly in that order. If you're classic living artillery, Empowered is your bread and butter and Careful is how you keep the party alive. In the former case you might be better served taking a feat like Inspiring Leader, or in the latter Elemental Adept (Fire), or in either case a bump in Charisma might be a better pick. I'm not saying that it isn't a powerful feat for Sorcerers generally, especially for sub-10th level play, but I don't think it's anywhere as default/necessary a pick as Natural Spell was.