[3.5 Spell] Magnifying lenses: Not just an ant torture device anymore!

[Terumitsu]

Well, here is the first submission to the Homebrew area and hopefully the first of many. Let's start with a spell, shall we?

Meterex's Magnificent Metamagic Magnifier
Universal
Level: Sorc/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 round/2 levels or until all bonus levels are expended

You hold out the convex lens before you as you intone the words of power. Your vision telescopes for a dizzying second as the magnifying lens turns to dust in your hand, quickly being replaced with a feeling of enhanced competence with your spellwork

Upon casting this spell, you gain 1d4+(1/4th your caster level, rounded down) number of 'bonus spell levels' These bonus levels cannot be used to cast spells but can be used to apply any metamagic you know to any spell you cast.

However, the total spell levels (The level of the spell cast + the metamagic level requirement) cannot exceed the highest level of spell you may cast. Thus a 13th level wizard would be able to apply 'Quicken Spell' to a Fireball but not to Wall of Ice as that would exceed the maximum spell level avalible to them.

No additional time is used to apply these bonus spell levels when casting, allowing a Sorcerer to use metamagic without spending a Full Round Action to apply metamagic.

Due to the nature of this spell and it's effect on metamagic, any further metamagic applied to this spell prior to it's casting is nullified.

Material component: An exquisitely made magnifying lens with gold trim and dimond polish costing 1000 gp

[The Vorpal Tribble]

D'oh. Somehow missed it was 2 rounds/level or until expelled.

With the expelled bit, then does this mean you use up a 7th level spell each time you want to enhance another spell and that's the end of it?

[Terumitsu]

The spell is considered expended when all the 'bonus levels' have been used. So you can cast up to a 9th level spell in value at level 20 (Or 17 or 18 if you want to nitpick) and nickle and dime the levels away or blow them all in one great metamagic nova.

[vasharanpaladin]

Minor nitpick: A magnifying lens is convex, not concave. A concave lens would make things appear smaller.

[Terumitsu]

Ah, thank you. I get them mixed up sometimes. Kinda like stalagmite and stalactite.

[Gamer Girl]

I like this spell!

But, um, why is it Transmutation? It's not 'changing' anything that I can see. It gives you 'bonus spell levels', that is energy...right? And creating energy from nothing is Evocation!

And why can't you add normal metamagic to this spell? How does that work, anyway? If use this spell to cast the Maximized Magic Missie I have memorized as a Quickened spell, what happens to the spell levels I used in memorizing the magic missile? Do I get them back? Or are they wasted?


And would you let divine casters use this spell?

[Terumitsu]

I called it Transmutation as it alters the spell cast as a main function while the bonus levels are just a mechanic. I think there are other spells out there that are called transmutataion as they alter other spells as well. And what one means by the addition of metamagic, I mean that the spell itself cannot have metamagic cast on it. So no Quickened M^4 (Abbreviated because the name is just silly-long).

You can cast a prepaired Quickened Magic Missile but take into mind that such a spell will count as a 5th level spell because of the metamagic spell level adjustments so one would only be able to use 2 bonus levels (Should they be able to cast 7th level spells as a maximum, I mean. It would be 3 at 8th level spells and so on.)

As for divine casters... Well, I honestly don't see that big of a problem but the manipulation of spells like this does seem to be a more arcane sort of thing. Toss me evidence of similar manipulations for divine casters and I'll gladly make the change.

[Cieyrin]

I'd say make it Universal, given spells like Arcane Spellsurge and Arcane Fusion meta spells like yours does.

[bloodtide]

My version of this spell just gives you From seven to ten (1d4+6) spell level slots that you can add for free to a cast some metamagic spell.

I also let you freely stack metamagic feats you pay for, with free metamagic levels from my spell.

With the limit of the number of spell level slots you have, if you can only cast 6th level spells, then you can only add five levels to a 1st level spell, buy feats or the bonus spell energy.

And mine has no expensive component.

[Terumitsu]

I'd say make it Universal, given spells like Arcane Spellsurge and Arcane Fusion meta spells like yours does.

I like this idea. I was thinking that as it altered spells, it was more of a transmutation sort of thing but as a meta-spell, it seems to fit quite a bit better. I think I'll get right on that.

My version of this spell just gives you From seven to ten (1d4+6) spell level slots that you can add for free to a cast some metamagic spell.

I also let you freely stack metamagic feats you pay for, with free metamagic levels from my spell.

With the limit of the number of spell level slots you have, if you can only cast 6th level spells, then you can only add five levels to a 1st level spell, buy feats or the bonus spell energy.

And mine has no expensive component.

Technically, the growth of the 1d4+1/4 caster level bonus spell levels means that at level 20, the full range will be 6-9 bonus levels, which doesn't seem all that bad to me. At the start, you get at least 4-7 bonus levels which I think is respectable.

As for the freely stacking metamagic with a spell like this? I can see a myrad of abuses right there. So much cheese can be done with that and I mean soooooo much cheese. I made it like that as an issue of balance. In effect, you are still limited by the spell level adjustment of regular metamagic but it increases your versitility by a good mesure by allowing you to rip out a Quickened or Maximized or whatever spell that you did not have prepaired. It is this increase in versitility is why I thought the material component would be merited as otherwise a caster would prepare this a couple times and just rip it out willy-nilly.