[3.5] Metamagic Access

[Maginomicon]

In my regular game I run, certain changes to the way magic works as a whole have resulted in the Sorcerer being (unintentionally) grossly underpowered.

What follows is what I did to fix it. Feedback and suggestions are welcome. ("Just play a Pathfinder Sorcerer" isn't a valid suggestion, as PF sorcerers are a very different kind of beast)

Improved Sorcerer Class Features Progression

{table=head] Level | Additional Class Features
1 | Metamagic Access 0th 2/day, Eschew Materials |
2 | Metamagic Access 0th 3/day |
3 | Metamagic Access 0th 4/day |
4 | |
5 | Metamagic Access 1st 1/day |
6 | Metamagic Access 1st 2/day |
7 | Metamagic Access 1st 3/day |
8 | Metamagic Access 1st 4/day |
9 | |
10 | Metamagic Access 2nd 1/day |
11 | Metamagic Access 2nd 2/day |
12 | Metamagic Access 2nd 3/day |
13 | |
14 | Metamagic Access 3rd 1/day |
15 | Metamagic Access 3rd 2/day |
16 | |
17 | Metamagic Access 4th 1/day |
18 | |
19 | Metamagic Access 6th 1/day |
20 | |
[/table]

Metamagic Access

Your innate talent for magic enables you to experiment with your magic on the fly in limited amounts.

A certain number of times a day as a free action, a sorcerer can apply any metamagic feat he qualifies for of a certain spell level adjustment (regardless of whether he otherwise has access to it) to a spell he casts. All the standard rules for metamagic apply. Metamagic applied through Metamagic Access counts when determining if a metamagic feat has already been applied to a spell. A sorcerer can apply any number of their daily uses of this feature on the same spell, and can expend a use of a higher level version of this feature on a lower level metamagic feat he qualifies for.

If a metamagic feat specifies a limit on the number of times per day you can use it (such as Sudden Empower), you must follow that limitation as well when accessing it with Metamagic Access. However, if you also have it as a feat, its daily uses are separate from those granted by Metamagic Access.

This feature can only be used on sorcerer spells.

Table: Metamagic Feat Reference List by Level Adjustment

The following table shows all relevant metamagic feats, ordered by their spell level adjustment. Quicken Spell and Sudden Quicken are not included because of the full-round action restriction on spontaneous casters.

Metamagic feats under the “Free” column do not have any prerequisites, and as-such are ideal to access through Metamagic Access. Metamagic feats in the “Any” column only require having any other metamagic feat (as an actual feat), and thus are very easy for a sorcerer to qualify for.

{table=head] | Free | Any | Other
0th |

• Heighten Spell
• Sudden Enlarge
• Sudden Extend
• Relicguard Spell

|

• Cooperative Spell
• Sanctum Spell
• Sudden Empower
• Sudden Maximize
• Sudden Silent
• Sudden Still
• Sudden Widen
• Invisible Spell

|

• City Magic
• Energy Substitution
• Lord of the Uttercold
• Black Lore of Moil
• Born of the Three Thunders

|
1st |

• Bend Spell
• Enlarge Spell
• Extend Spell
• Silent Spell
• Still Spell
• Fortify Spell
• Transdimensional Spell
• Blistering Spell
• Fiery Spell
• Searing Spell
• Forceful Spell
• Flash Frost Spell
• Retributive Spell
• Deceptive Spell
• Coercive Spell
• Deafening Spell
• Umbral Spell
• Fell Energy Spell
• Fell Weaken
• Rapid Spell
• Lingering Spell
• Piercing Cold
• Slimy Spell
• Song of the Dead

|

• Sculpt Spell
• Selective Spell

|

• Clawed Spell
• Consecrate Spell
• Corrupt Spell
• Energize Spell
• Imbued Summoning
• Nonlethal Substitution
• Piercing Spell
• Purify Spell
• Smiting Spell

|
2nd |

• Empower Spell
• Explosive Spell
• Earthbound Spell
• Disrupting Spell
• Fell Frighten
• Reach Spell

|

• Split Ray

|

• Enervate Spell
• Entangling Spell
• Ocular Spell
• Radiant Spell
• Wounding Spell

|
3rd |

• Guided Spell
• Maximize Spell
• Widen Spell

|

• Chain Spell
• Delay Spell
• Repeat Spell

|

• Reaping Spell

|
4th | |

• Twin Spell

|

• Energy Admixture

|
6th | |

• Persistent Spell

|
[/table]

Metamagic Access Exceptions

Epic metamagic feats (such as Automatic Quicken Spell) cannot be accessed using Metamagic Access. Fell Drain, Sacred Spell, Violate Spell, Subdual Substitution, Energy Affinity, and Sudden Energy Affinity also cannot be accessed because they honestly should be banned. Echoing Spell and Alternative Source Spell cannot be accessed because they can only affect prepared spell slots. Disguise Spell cannot be accessed because it’s a bard-centric metamagic feat. Imbued Healing cannot be accessed because errata clarified that it is not a metamagic feat.

Metamagic Access is not a feat, and does not treat the metamagic feats accessed through it as feats for the purposes of things that can interact with metamagic feats. Some examples of things that someone might want to (but can’t) have interact with Metamagic Access in this way include:

• As a prerequisite for something (such as a feat)
• Easy Metamagic (feat)
• Practical Metamagic (feat)
• Metamagic Specialist (alternate class feature)
• Arcane Thesis (feat)
• Heroic Metamagic (feat)
• Augmented Casting (Ultimate Magus feature)
• Spelldance (Spelldancer feature)
• Sudden Metamagic (Recaster feature)
• Metanode Spell (feat)
• Residual Magic (feat)
• Accelerate Metamagic (feat)
• Metamagic School Focus (feat)
• Metamagic Spell Trigger (feat)
• Any Item Creation feat

Eschew Materials

A sorcerer gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level.

[Just to Browse]

This is an interesting class and I'm glad you're putting all this effort into Metamagic use.

My problem with this is that it looks unnecessarily complicated--it would be much easier to do away with the spontaneous metamagic rule (so sorcerers can use metamagic'd spells as a standard action like everybody else) and then give the sorcerer bonus metamagic feats. That way the player doesn't have to track the large number of potential metamagic feats that he could use, doesn't need an extra per-day resource, and keeps a similar level of flexbility.