Metamastery
Hello, and welcome to the final day of Wizard Week. What appropriately arcane-themed offering do we have for you out of our workshop this week? I’m glad you asked, because the answer is quite possibly the second most wizardly thing in all the multiverse: metamagic feats (for those of you who were wondering, the most wizardly thing is spellbooks). Metamagic feats represent a wizard’s ability to study a spell, understand it, pull it apart, and then stick it back together again after tinkering with it.
I like to think that this is the reason that it takes sorcerers longer to spontaneously cast metamagic feats, but it doesn’t take wizards longer to prepare them. I’m sure that has nothing to do with it, but, there you have it. It only stands to reason that wizards, who study magic and attempt to fully comprehend its workings, would be best suited to altering the laws of the arcane. To that end, I’ve “discovered” some new metamagic feats here, many of which are designed to let you dramatically alter spells and reconfigure them into something a little bit different.
Conical Spell
You can shape your spells into cones.
Benefit: You can change a spell’s area into a cone. The size of the cone depends on the spell’s original area. If the spell originally had an area that was expressed as a line, it instead becomes a cone that is half as long. If the spell originally had an area that was expressed as a burst or blast with a radius, it instead becomes a cone that is three times as long as the radius of that burst or blast. This feat has no effect on spells whose area is not expressed as a line, or a burst or blast with a radius. Regardless of the spell’s original range, the cone always originates in the caster’s square. A conical spell takes up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Enduring Spell
Your spells last for an incredible amount of time.
Benefit: An enduring spell’s duration is increased to ten times the spell’s normal duration. Only spells whose duration is measured in rounds or minutes can be affected in this way: if the spell has any other kind of duration, this feat has no effect. An enduring spell takes up a spell slot four levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Fortified Summoning
Creatures created by your spell are more durable.
Benefit: Any creature summoned or created by a fortified spell has maximum hit points for its Hit Dice. If the spell has costly material components, that cost is doubled. This feat has no effect on spells that don’t summon or create creatures. A fortified summoning spell takes up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Frugal Spell
You are able to compensate for a lack of material components by applying extra spellpower.
Benefit: The costly material components of a frugal spell are reduced, possibly to nothing. The level of the spell slot that a frugal spell takes up depends on the amount by which the costly material components are reduced, as indicated on the table below.
Linear Spell
You can shape your spells into lines.
Benefit: You can change a spell’s area into a line. The line is 5 feet wide, and its length depends on the spell’s original area. If the spell originally had an area that was expressed as a cone, it instead becomes a line that is twice as long. If the spell originally had an area that was expressed as a burst or a blast with a radius, it instead becomes a line that is five times as long as the radius of that burst or blast. This feat has no effect on spells whose area is not expressed as a cone, or a burst or blast with a radius. Regardless of the spell’s original range, a linear spell always originates in the caster’s square. A linear spell takes up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Lingering Decay
When your spell weakens a creature, that weakness persists longer.
Benefit: Any ability damage or negative levels imposed by the affected spell is harder to recover from. In the case of ability damage, the target must succeed on a Fortitude save (at the same DC as the spell) any time that they would heal one or more points of that ability damage. If they fail, they fail to heal the ability score damage, though they can continue trying to heal it.
In the case of negative levels, if the spell allows the target to automatically recover from the negative levels, they must now succeed on a saving throw (at the same DC as the spell) or else the negative levels become permanent. If the spell already requires a saving throw to recover from the negative levels, the DC for that saving throw is increased by +4.
This feat has no effect on spells that do not deal ability score damage or impose negative levels. A lingering decay spell takes up a slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Mental Spell
Your spells are able to specifically target the mind.
Benefit: You can change a spell’s saving throw from a Fortitude save to a Will save. All other aspects of the saving throw (such as whether it negates the effect or only partially negates it, and what aspects it negates) are the same, only the type of save that is made is altered. This metamagic feat cannot be applied to spells that deal hit point damage or ability damage to physical ability scores. A mental spell takes up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Physical Spell
Your spells are able to specifically target the body.
Benefit: You can change a spell’s saving throw from a Will save to a Fortitude save. All other aspects of the saving throw (such as whether it negates the effect or only partially negates it, and what aspects it negates) are the same, only the type of save that is made is altered. This metamagic feat cannot be applied to spells with the mind-affecting descriptor. A physical spell takes up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.
Radial Spell
You can shape your spells into bursts.
Benefit: You can change a spell’s area into a radial burst. The radius of the burst depends on the spell’s original area. If the spell originally had an area that was expressed as a cone, it instead becomes a burst whose radius is equal to one-third the length of the cone. If the spell originally had an area that was expressed as a line, it instead becomes a burst whose radius is equal to one-fifth the length of the line. Regardless of the spell’s original range, the burst can be centered anywhere of the caster’s choice within close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels). This feat has no effect on spells whose area is not expressed as a cone or line. A radial spell takes up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Realistic Spell
Shadow spells you cast are more real.
Benefit: A realistic spell that has a percentage chance of being real (such as shadow conjuration) has that chance increased by 10%. This cannot increase the percentage chance of a spell being real to more than 95%, and has no impact on other spells with percentage chances (such as the chance of receiving a meaningful answer in an augury spell). Spells that do not have a percent chance of being real are not affected by this feat. A realistic spell takes up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Seeking Spell
Your spells which require a ranged touch are harder to avoid.
Benefit: Instead of making a ranged touch attack in order to hit the target of your spell, you are considered to automatically hit the target. The target is, however, entitled to a Reflex saving throw (at the spell’s appropriate DC) to resist part or all of the effect. A successful Reflex save causes the target to take half of any damage the spell deals, and negates any other effects of the spell. This feat has no effect on spells that do not require a ranged touch attack. A seeking spell takes up a slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Targeted Spell
Your spell is able to aim itself at your target, making it harder to avoid.
Benefit: You gain a +4 competence bonus on all attack rolls made with a targeted spell. This feat has no effect on spells that do not require an attack roll. A targeted spell takes up a slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.