Akbar's Discount Metamagic Feats

[Yogi]

“You don't want the very best, you want cheap.”

-- Edgar Vautrine, owner of Edgar's Discount Spells, from The Elder Scrolls IV

Wordy Spell [Metamagic]

This feat causes a spell that did not require a verbal component to now require one. This causes the spell to take up one spell level lower than it normally would. This can only be applied to spells that the caster can normally cast and cannot reduce a spell's level to below 0.

Manually Directed Spell [Metamagic]

This feat causes a spell that did not require a somatic component to now require one. This causes the spell to take up one spell level lower than it normally would. This can only be applied to spells that the caster can normally cast and cannot reduce a spell's level to below 0.

Incomplete Spell [Metamagic]

This feat causes a spell that did not normally allow a saving throw to allow one to negate its effects. The DM will decide the type of saving throw required, depending on the type of spell. This causes the spell to take up one spell level lower than it normally would. This can only be applied to spells that the caster can normally cast and cannot reduce a spell's level to below 0.

Expensive Spell [Metamagic]

This feat causes a spell to require additional material components. The components are determined by the DM, and they must be worth at least 10 gp per level of the original spell. This causes the spell to take up two spell levels lower than it normally would. This can only be applied to spells that the caster can normally cast and cannot reduce a spell's level to below 0.

Buggy Spell [Metamagic]

This feat causes a spell to require a concentration check each time it is cast, or else it fizzles. The DC of the check is the save DC of the spell being cast. This causes the spell to take up two spell levels lower than it normally would. This can only be applied to spells that the caster can normally cast and cannot reduce a spell's level to below 0.

Experimental Spell [Metamagic]

This feat causes the caster to make a will save each time the spell is cast, with the DC equal to the save DC of the spell. Failing the Will save causes the caster to lose 1d10 experience points for each level of the spell. This causes the spell to take up two spell levels lower than it normally would. This can only be applied to spells that the caster can normally cast and cannot reduce a spell's level to below 0.

Forbidden Magic [Metamagic]

This feat causes a spell to take up any number of levels lower than it normally would, and can be applied to spells the caster can not normally cast. For every three spell levels reduced in this manner, the caster will lose one experience level when casting the spell (rounded up). This can reduce a caster to negative experience level, in which case he is instantly killed (though the spell still goes off.) The level loss is applied before any other experience loss that occurs due to casting the spell. A character killed in this manner cannot be raised or resurrected. Furthermore, any spell to contact the departed spirit such as “Speak with Dead” will automatically fail.

[ishi]

Wordy Spell and Manually Directed Spell don't really seem worth spending the feat for the handful of spells that don't have components.

Buggy Spell and seems overpowered. An INT-30, Level 20 Wizard with full ranks in Concentration will pass that skill check every time if he has a Con of 20 or any modifier to that skill.

Forbidden Magic...would never be worth it to a PC.

The ideas of Un-Metamagic is interesting, but I'm not sure about the implementation.

[Behold_the_Void]

I'd need to run the numbers but I think Buggy Spell is quite a bit overpowered, due to the amount of ranks one gets per level vs. the DC of a spell increase per level.

[Roethke]

I'll second ishi...

I like the flavor of Buggy spell and Experimental spell, in particular. (I'd suggest for Experimental spell, you roll on a magical mishap table instead of an XP penalty. Always more fun. )

But I think it ends up kind of like traits & flaws-- PC's will take flaws that impact them least, and traits that impact them the most. Same thing here-- A sorcerer could more than double magic-missle/burning hands capacity, you can now turn the whole party invisible, instead of a select few. The way the spells/level are laid out, it's a real power amplifier at low-mid levels.

Expensive spell in particular is open to abuse. To a 5th or 6th level character, that incremental cost won't hurt that much if they need the spells.

[That Lanky Bugger]

Yeah... I'd pay 30 Gold per casting to cast Fireball as a 1st level spell, personally... Or pay 90 Gold and risk a Concentration check to cast Time Stop as a Quickened Spell.

I like the flavor, but the benefits should be very closely matched by the penalties. For example, it might be better to turn Expensive Spell into a formula based on the power of the original spell, for example:

Cost of components is equal to (Spell Level Squared) x 100 Gold.

That means it would cost a staggering 8100 gold to cast a 9th level spell as a 7th level spell, but only 900 gold to cast a 3rd level spell as a 1st level spell.

[Roethke]

I like the idea, that's why I'm turning it about in my head. I think Lanky's on the right track.

Maybe a restriction for combining with other metamagic feats? There's something distinctly odd about casting a Quickened, Wordy spell. Then again, a Maximized experimental spell should have the potential for some spectacular mishaps.

Back on the many, many high-powered spells tack, maybe only allow one increment. A lot of the power would come from stacking a couple of these feats (like in the example above) so you could get the 4th level spell at 4th, 3rd, and 2nd increments. Maybe make the -1 level feats also make casting a full-round action, and make it -2 levels. That way all the feats would make a particular spell 'land' on the same level. You could still layer different leveled spells, but it prevents obscenities.

[Black Mage]

Hmmm, wouldn't these feats, theoreticly allow a wizard to use higher level spells much earlier than normal? A 6th level human wizard could toss out a Meteor Swarm at 5th level if they took the Expensive Spell, Buggy Spell, and, Experimental Spell feats, and spent the money to get Meteor Swarm. They could then cast it as a 3rd level spell. Assuming a 19 intelligence (18 base, +1 from level), he would have to make a DC 23 Concentration check. If the character put max ranks into the skill, and had a minimum 14 Con score, they would have to roll at least a 12 to cast this spell. They would also have to make a DC 23 will save. If they have at least a 14 wisdom and took the Iron Will feat, they have to roll at least a 14 to cast the spell.
This is dependant on several things of course, such as whether or not the DM lets the character get a copy of the spell or not. Oh, and they need to burn 90 gold. For meteor swarm at level 6? Yes please.

[crazedloon]

Well I was just thinking dropping a few random prepared spells could be pretty devastating to a strategy (and with the higher level spells you lose more spells) or somehow effect actual effectiveness later on to gain the benefit now. However you only lose spells when you cast the spells not when you prepare them. (Also if they are the last spells cast you can affect spells prepared the next day).

Just a thought I'm no good at casters.

[Demented]

"This can only be applied to spells that the caster can normally cast"

Nope, no meteor swarm at fifth/sixth level.

The penalties should either be more straightforward and calculated, or more unpredictable. I.e. You can use experimental spell, and only experimental spell, to cast a spell you normally can't, but there's a 90% chance it behaves in some abnormal and often dangerous way. (DM: Go ahead. Scribe that Wish. I dare you.)

Edit:
Forbidden magic already seems quite excellent, in this regard. Straightforward in a "cast this, you hurt" way. The "no resurrection" penalty seems rather harsh, though such a character would be suffering pretty badly from casting such a spell anyway. And it'd have to be written to ensure you can't reduce a spell's level by 2 without penalties. (You're also losing save DC for lowering spell levels....)

[The Exile]

I think that the save DCs of the spells should be treated as if lower level. That would be an additional balancing factor.