USE ALL THE METAMAGICS! (PF PrC)

[Demonic Kitten]

Metamagi
Many spellcasters use metamagic in their spellcasting, but few have dedicated their whole lives to the art of applying metamagic to spells. These few are the Metamagi.

Prerequisites:
Feats: Any 3 metamagic feats
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 8 Ranks for arcane spellcasters or Knowledge (Religion) 8 Ranks for divine spellcasters, Spellcraft 8 Ranks, Use Magic Device 8 Ranks
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 3rd level spells
Special: Must have gone one whole level where every spell you cast was modified by a metamagic feat

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Spellcasting
1	+0	+0	+0	+2	Bonus Metamagic	-
2	+1	+0	+0	+3	Spontaneous Metamagic	+1 level of existing spellcasting
3	+1	+1	+1	+3	Bonus Metamagic, Metamastery -1	+1 level of existing spellcasting
4	+2	+1	+1	+4	Metamagic Item	+1 level of existing spellcasting
5	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus Metamagic	+1 level of existing spellcasting
6	+3	+2	+2	+5	Metamastery -2	+1 level of existing spellcasting
7	+3	+2	+2	+5	Bonus Metamagic	+1 level of existing spellcasting
8	+4	+2	+2	+6	Greater Metamagic Item	+1 level of existing spellcasting
9	+4	+3	+3	+6	Metamastery -3	+1 level of existing spellcasting
10	+5	+3	+3	+7	Grand Metamastery	-

Proficiencies: A Metamagi gains no additional proficiencies.

Spellcasting: At every level other than 1st and 10th, you gain new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in one spellcasting class in which you could cast 3rd level spells before you added the prestige class level. You does not, however, gain any other benefit a character with that class would have gained. If you had more than one arcane spellcasting class in which you could cast 3rd level spells before you became a Metamagi, you must decide to which class you add each level of Metamagi to for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Metamagic: At 1st level, and every odd level thereafter, a Matamagi gains a bonus feat. This feat must be a metamagic feat.

Spontaneous Metamagic: At 2nd level, if you cast any spells spontaneously (either as a spontaneous caster or through the ability to lose prepared spells to cast others spontaneously), you no longer increase the casting time for spells enhanced with metamagic.

Metamastery: At 3rd level, and again at 6th and 9th levels, reduce the spell level adjustment of all metamagic feats by one. This may not reduce the cost of any metamagic feat below +1 level adjustment for the spell. You may not use this ability on the Heightened Spell metamagic feat, or any metamagic that reduces the level of a spell below normal.

Metamagic Item: At 4th level, you may expend a number of uncast spell levels equal to the spell level adjustment of a metamagic feat to apply that metamagic to a single casting of a spell cast using an item. You may only apply one metamagic feat to any given casting in this fashion. You may not adjust the metamagic feat's spell level adjustment with either Metamastery or Grand Metamastery when using this ability. This ability cannot be used with metamagic feats that reduce the level of a spell below normal. Using this ability increase the amount of time spent casting the spell as if you had applied metamagic to a spontaneous spell.

Greater Metamagic Item: At 8th level, you may expend power from a magic item to use metamagic. By expending a number of charges from a magic item that has a limited number of charges or charges per day equal to the level adjustment of the metamagic feat in question, you may apply the metamagic feat to the spell without increasing its spell level. You may expend a number of charges in this fashion per day equal to twice your caster level. You may only apply one metamagic feat to any given casting in this fashion. You may not adjust the metamagic feat's spell level adjustment with either Metamastery or Grand Metamastery when using this ability. This ability cannot be used with metamagic feats that reduce the level of a spell below normal. Using this ability increase the amount of time spent casting the spell as if you had applied metamagic to a spontaneous spell.

Grand Metamastery: At 10th level, once per day you may cast a spell modified using metamagic without increasing the level of the spell for any of the metamagic feats applied to it. You may not decrease the level of the spell slot used on this spell in any way. This ability is a huge drain on the spellcaster who uses it, and for one round per spell level of metamagic added (after accounting for reductions due to Metamastery), they may not make any actions other than a single move action each round, and may not cast any spells.

[Camman1984]

Looks fun, lots of flexibility, i think the whole level only using metamagic might be tricky for some but its a high bar for a good reward.

With regard the metamagic item, are you limiting that to the application of one metamagic feat per use. I recommend that you do as this reads a lot like a class i played in 3.5 where my character used to carry round wands of fireball and for the cost of about 10 charges (with metamagic cost reducing ability) could cast a...

heightened,empowered,maximized,energy admixtured, widened, twinned, sonic fireball

[Demonic Kitten]

Good idea. I also added another limiter to it, too.

In addition, I added Greater Metamagic Item, with the same restrictions. Thoughts?

[Camman1984]

I prefer it that way, its hard to say exactly how powerful will be as high level wizards and metamagic are always really abusable, but i know piazo got rid of most of the really bad metamagics when they took over from 3.5.

My only concern would be whether the increased availability of cheap metamagic would make other wizard classes markedly inferior and make the class the new no brainer. hopefully though, burning spell levels to do it will take the edge off. I quite like 5ed's sorcery point pool way of doing it.

[Xerlith]

Let me take it for a spin:

A 14th level character. Wizard5/Metamagi9.

I have 3+5-8 metamagic feats. (By the way, this seems over the top, since you basically don't have any opportunity cost to take this class - it gives back what it required and then again. Incantatrix was balanced (heh "balanced"), against the fact you had that symbolic Iron Will feat tax).
I get a -3 metamagic adjustment per feat.

Let's see...

MM Feats:
1 Quicken
2 Empower
3 Maximize
4 Echoing
5 Dazing
6 Intensify
7 Persistent
8 Rime

And let's say I blow a feat on Disruptive.

Now!

Beginning at 14th level, I prepare EVERY spell I have as Echoing. I have doubled my spell capacity for no cost (+0!).

And I want to be nasty, so I go with Magical Lineage trait for funsies. My spell of choice: Freezing Sphere (or any medium-high level AoE spell that deals Cold damage really).

So, in my 6th level spell slots I prepare...

Empowered, Maximized, Dazing, Disruptive, Echoing, Persistent, Quickened Rime Freezing Sphere, which gives me...

max 13d6 -> 100,75 avg dmg, forcing two saves against being dazed for 6 rounds. Auto-entangling damaged targets. As a Swift action. It also forces affected creatures to make Concentration checks when casting spells.

So, beginning at 12th level really, I can force every creature (If I take selective spell: Every enemy) in the spread to make four saves against auto-sucking in four ways. Immunity to daze doesn't save you from being staggered, etc. At the cost of two spell slots (One quickened, one not) I can do that for a total of 8 saves.
Boom.

I... Don't really know how to feel about it.

My point: Pathfinder essentialy assumes there are NO metamagic reducers other than that of a final spell level - that's the feeling I got when skimming through metamagic feats.

This class breaks the whole, shaky as it is, balance, on its knee. REmember, even in the bloated monster of brokenness that 3.5 was, a -1 (!) reduction per feat was the capstone of a 10 level class. Which was widely seen as the most broken thing ever.

Rule of thumb: If it's stronger than Incantatrix was, it probably needs to be toned down.

[Demonic Kitten]

Hmm. Interesting. I always thought the broken bit of Incantatrix was the ability to apply metamagic to spells after the fact with a spellcraft check, not the -1 reducer.

For now, I'll poke the ability to make it not drop spell level adjustment below +1 (so no "free" metamagics) while I think on other fun things the class could do. Alternatively, I could just remove one level of reducer.

Also, pretty sure that the Magical Lineage trait needs to be applied to a spell when you get the trait, IE level 1.

[Xerlith]

Oh, I meant the class being the most broken thing ever. And the -1 metamagic being its capstone was one of the few ways of achieving the perfect mail delivery.

Nonetheless, the -3 metamagic reduction IS potent, very much so.

[Camman1984]

Wow, i completely missed the -3 metamagic cost, yeah thats too much. -1 very useful to have and give you a lot of mileage quickly, but going up to -3 makes this godly.

I loved my incantatrix, if it wasnt a very high powered campaign with every player taking super powered combos i would have felt dirty.