Peileppe by Victoria Black

Peileppe by Victoria Black

This isn’t the blog post that I intended to make this week; unfortunately, I’ve been struck down by the ‘flu and had no time to get anything finished except for something that I’ve been able to recycle from my house rules for the various D&D campaigns that I run. That’s also why I’m posting a little late.

This is not a complete record of the original feats I’ve created, but they do have a couple of interesting ideas for people to try out, and I havn’t found any of them too excessive. The feats that I’ve chosen to share with our readers today fall into three categories: Reducing Metamagics, Enchantment & General Metamagics, and Magic-related General feats.

Reducing Metamagics

I’ll start each section with a little overall commentary about the contents of each category.

Reducing Metamagics reduce the standard levels of effect or increase the casting requirements of a spell incorporating the metamagic feat, in return for lower casting slot and usually some other benefit, for example Disempowered spells are harder to counter and to save against; they may have less effect but are more certain to have that effect.

I came up with Reducing Metamagics in response to frequent comments from my players that 2nd level Wizard spells in particular are not as generally useful as would be expected from extrapolations of first and third level spells, something with which I was forced to agree. A sense of symmetry suggested that most metamagics should have an “opposite number”, permitting a spell to occupy a lower spell slots with smaller versions of more powerful magics (once the mage knew how to cast the full-powered spells).

By combining Reducing Metamagics with other Metamagics, you can create innumerable variations on existing spells. This enables different groups of spellcasters to cast spells with slightly different flavour than the default. It can also cleanse any smugness from your PCs attitudes – they can no longer be certain that they’re out of range of all that nastyness!

Here are four Reducing Metamagics:

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Abrupt Spell

[Reducing Metamagic]
Prerequisite: Extend Spell
Benefit: An abrupt spell has its duration halved. Spells with a concentration, instantanious, or permanent duration are not affected by this feat. Abrupt Spells go off more quickly, effectively adding 20 to the caster’s initiative for the purposes of determining spell activation and effectively adding 10 to the roll required for a successful reflex save against the spell.
Spell Level Adjustment: -1

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Disempower Spell

[Reducing Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Empower Spell
Benefit: All variable numeric effects are reduced to ½ normal – do 50% damage, affect half as many targets as normal, and so on. However, the target numbers for saving throws, opposed rolls (including any made when the target attempts to counterspell with Dispel Magic), and Spellcraft checks are increased +50%.
Special: A spell cannot have both Empower Spell and Disempower Spell applied at the same time.
Spell Level Adjustment: -2

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Minimise Spell

[Reducing Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Maximise Spell
Benefit: All variable, numeric effects of a spell crafted with this metamagic feat are fixed at 1/3 maximum, save one (user selected in advance) which is double maximum. For example, a minimised fireball does 2 points of fire damage per caster level, but may have double range or double area of effect. Any such doubling takes place before other metamagic feats (eg Enlarge Spell) are applied.
Spell Level Adjustment: -2

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Slow Spell

[Reducing Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Quicken Spell
Benefit: Spells with casting time are doubled in casting time by this metamagic feat. Attempts to identify the spell being cast receive a DC 10 higher than normal, as do any rolls required for countering the spell. This difficulty adjustment takes place before any other metamagic feat effects are applied.
Spell Level Adjustment: -2

Enchantment Metamagic Feats

This category contains a number of spell enhancement metamagics aimed at making Enchantments more subtle and more useful, especially in the hands of NPCs. Fantasy literature and Fairy Tales are full of tales of these things, but the standard spells in D&D don’t really fit well with what legends suggest can be done with Enchantments. These five metamagics were designed to make Fey more dangerous to mortal races in my Shards Of Divinity campaign.

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Blank Memory

[Metamagic]
Special: May be restricted to Fey at the GMs discretion.
Special: Can only be applied to Enchantment spells.
Benefit: The victim of an Enchantment spell which incorporates this Metamagic cannot remember anything that happened during their time under the spell. The amnesia can be dispelled by a Heal spell or by a Remove Curse. This Metamagic cannot be used with Ensnaring Enchantment.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1

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Ensnaring Enchantment

[Metamagic]
Special: May be restricted to Fey at the GMs discretion.
Special: Can only be applied to enchantment and mind-altering spells.
Benefit: This metamagic conceals from the victim the origins of his state of mind and gives him the certainty that his actions were of his own choosing. The minimum naatural duraton of this belief determines the modifier to the spell’s level as shown below. Once this period expires, the victim may commence making WILL saves against a DC of 20+ modified spell level to realise that their thoughts have been manipulated. The interval between such checks is also a function of the increase in effective level and is also shown below.

During the minimum duration period, any suitable spell of unmodified level greater than the Ensnaring Enchantment (GM’s call) can lift the misconception provided that the target of that spell is otherwise completely healthy (ie, the lifting of the delusion is the only effect of the spell). The required level of spell reduces by 1 for every 5 failed checks to realise the truth ‘naturally’.

In order to successfully cast a spell with this metamagic, the caster must succeed on a Spellcraft check against the DC shown on the table below. If this check fails, the spell is cast as normal with none of the additional effects of this Metamagic. This spellcraft check is in addition to any checks that may be required in order to cast the spell normally. The target still gets any saving throws etc that are normally required for the base spell to take effect. A -5 modifier applies to the spellcraft DC and a +5 modifier to the Will Save DC if the effect of the enchantment is something that the subject would consider doing anyway (GM’s call).

Note that this metamagic does not extend the effects of a spell, only the subject’s ignorance of the cause of his actions. At the moment of death, the character realises the truth regardless of the remaining duration before the next check, so killing and then resurrecting someone is a sure way of overcoming this Metamagic. More importantly, any spells that permit communication with the dead will permit the target to reveal the truth – if he or she wants to.

Spell Lvl Minimum Persistance Check Frequency Spellcraft DC
+1 week-and-a-day week (½ Target’s Will) + modified spell level
+2 month-and-a-day month (½ Target’s Will) + modified spell level
+3 year-and-a-day year (½ Target’s Will) + modified spell level
+4 decade-and-a-day 5 years Target’s Will + modified spell level
+5 decade-and-a-day 10 years Target’s Will + modified spell level
+6 half century and a day 15 years Target’s Will + modified spell level
+7 century and a day 20 years (1½ x Target’s Will)+ modified spell level
+8 two centuries and a day 50 years (1½ x Target’s Will)+ modified spell level

EG: A first-level spell with an ensnaring metamagic modifier of +6 is effectively a 7th level spell and uses a 7th-level spell’s slot. To successfully cast this spell against an individual of WILL 18, the spellcaster must make a spellcraft check against a DC of 18+7=25. If the subject would consider doing, of his own volition, what the spell requires him to do, this DC is reduced to 20. If this check succeeds, and the Spell is successful, the target is subject to the effects of the spell, and will beleave any resulting actions to be his own decisions, for at least 50 years and 1 day from the moment of casting. During this time, this delusion can be lifted by casting any spell the DM considers appropriate for doing so, of at least 8th level, on an otherwise healthy individual. At the end of the day after the 50-year timespan, the target gets a Will Save to realise that he was subject to an Enchantment. The DC of this save is 20+7=27. If the subject would have considered doing, of his own volition, the acts the spell forced him to perform, this DC rises to 32. If the subject fails the check, he may check again in another 15 years. During this interval, any 7th-level spell the GM considers appropriate, cast on an otherwise-healthy individual, can lift the effects of the Metamagic. At the end of that 15 years, the subject gets a second Will Save. If he again fails, he must wait another 15 years (if he lives that long) for another chance to learn the truth; in the meantime, a suitable 6th level spell is sufficient to lift the delusion. 80 years and a day after the spell was first cast, the target gets a third attempt, and so on.
Spell Level Adjustment: varies, refer table above

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Confusing Enchantment

[Metamagic]
Special: May be restricted to Fey at the GMs discretion.
Benefit: Target experiences a penalty to INT and WIS checks for a period of time equal to the duration of the spell +1 time unit of spell duration, following the end of that duration. This penalty is -1 per 2 modified spell levels. The metamagic has no direct effect on WILL saves but the temporary loss of Wisdom may impact saving throws. The effects of this metamagic may be countered by a Remove Curse spell, by a Greater Restoration, or by a Wish spell. A lesser Restoration spell may also be effective if the base spell level of the Enchantment is less than or equal to 4th level.
Spell Level Adjustment: +2
EG: a 2nd level spell with a normal duration of 10 turns would cause -2 penalty for a period of 20+1= 21 turns. A 6th level spell with a normal duration of 1 week would cause -4 penalty for a period of 2+1=3 weeks.

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Trojan Spell

[Metamagic]
Special: May be restricted to Fey at the GMs discretion.
Benefit: Increases the DC of the saving throw the subject of an enchantment spell must make against Enchantment Spells of the same type other than the caster’s by +3, and reduces the DC of the saving throw against enchantment spells made by the caster by -6, for the duration of the spell plus an additional period. Following the expiration of the spell duration plus this period, the -6 is reduced to -5, which again persists for the additional period. At the end of this time, the modifiers reduce to +2 and -4 respectively, then +2 and -3, then -2 and +1, and finally -1 and +0. When the additional period again expires, the subject is no longer subject to the effects of the Trojan Spell metamagic.

Duration Unit Time Interval
Free 1 round
Instantanious 1 round
Move Action 1 round
Concentration 1 round
Rounds 1 round
Turns 1 round
Minutes 1 turn
hours 1 minute
days 1 hour
weeks 1 day
months 1 week
years 1 month
decades 1 year
centuries 1 decade
other 1 year

Spell Level Adjustment: +4

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Subtle Spell

[Metamagic]
Special: Can only be applied to spells that have a duration greater than instantaneous, and cannot be applied to spells which inflict damage directly, confer negative levels, or otherwise directly harm the target.
Benefit: Spells using this metamagic feat, once cast, cannot be detected by a spell (or ability of equivalent level) unless it is of a greater level than the spell’s modified level. If the spell is detected, it reads as the weakest reading possible by the analyzing spell (eg any “Cure Wounds” spell would always read as “Cure Light Wounds”).
Spell Level Adjustment: +2

General Metamagics

These are eleven general-purpose Metamagics that seemed reasonably good ideas to me.

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Chained Spell

[Metamagic]
Prerequisite: Linked Spell
Benefit: This metamagic further enhances the ability to link spells to permit one spell to be linked to another linked spell, forming a “Chain” of spells. Spellcraft checks may be required as described for Linked Spells. If the spellcraft check to establish the first link in the chain fails, no further attempts can be made for 1 hour per modified level of the linked spell (cumulative). Only once the initial link is forged can the attempt be made to chain a third link in the series. If a spellcraft check is required to do so and this check fails, no further attempt is permitted for 1 day per modified level of the chained spell (cumulative). If a fourth spell is linked into the chain, the base interval before reattempting a failure is 1 week per modified level of the chained spell. A fifth spell uses a period of 1 month, a sixth, 1 year.
Spell Level Adjustment: As per Linked Spell.
EG: A second-level spell is being linked to a 1st level spell which has metamagic feats applied that raise the effective spell level to 2nd level. The second-level spell is subject to a metamagic spell level modifier of +3, making it a fifth level spell. A third level spell which is to be chained to the second spell has a metamagic modifier of +5+1=+6, making it a 9th level spell. If all three spells are not cast simultaniously, the second spell requires a Spellcraft Check of DC 20+2+5=27 to establish the link, while the third requires a Spellcraft Check of DC 20+2+5+9 = 36. If the first spellcraft check fails, no further attempt to complete the first link can be made for 8 hours. If it fails a second time, it cannot be retried for a further period of 16 hours. Note that this gives a total of 24 hours plus casting time of the spells concerned, so even if this 2nd attempt succeeds, the first and second checks for attempting to forge the 3rd link of the chain is automatically deemed a failure. Two days later, an attempt to chain the third spell can be made.

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Deeper Focus

[Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Spell Focus; Inner Focus or Inner Material
Benefit: Reduce by half the xp cost of spells cast using inner focus and inner material.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1 level (in addition to the increase for the Inner Focus or Inner Material feat).

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Desecrating Spell

[Metamagic]
NB: based on “Consecrate Spell”, Complete Divine
Prerequisite: Non-lawful alignment, Precluded by “Consecrated Spell”.
Benefit: Spell gains the Chaos descriptor. If the spell does damage, half is considered infernal and is not subject to reduction by resistance or immunity by lawful characters and creatures. Cannot be applied to spells which already have the Chaos descriptor. Note that the casting of a spell crafted with this metamagic involves the invocation of Infernal power which may attract the attention of the Chaos Powers, and may subject the character to punishments if the spell is used for Lawful purposes.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1

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Distracting Spell

[Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Silent Spell
Benefit: This metamagic can be applied only to spells with a verbal componant. The caster’s voice is amplified and modified by the magic of the spell such that no enemy combatant can be sure of who the spell is targetting; all enemies within earshot suffer a -d6 circumstantial modifier to Attack rolls, skill rolls, etc, in consequence, as they are distracted from what they are supposed to be doing. All concentration checks made once the mage begins casting the spell and until the spell is countered, aborted, or activated, are at +5 to the DC target that would normally be required, except for any made by the caster of the spell.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1

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Enlightened Focus

[Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Deeper Focus
Benefit: Reduce by half the xp cost of spells cast using Deeper Focus;
Spell Level Adjustment: +1 spell slot (in addition to spell slot increases for Inner Focus or Inner Material and Deeper Focus feats).

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Eschew Material Componant

[Metamagic]
Prerequisites: any 2 other metamagic feats.
Benefit: Can cast spell ignoring material componant requirements of less than 1gp value.
Spell Level Adjustment: +2

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Group Spell

[Metamagic]
Benefit: Doubles the number of targets for spells that specify a maximum number of targets only. Each additional application increases the multiple of the normal number of targets by x1, ie two applications gives triple the normal number of targets for +1+2=+3 spell levels, and three applications gives four times the normal number of targets for +1+2+4=+7 spell levels.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1 (first application), +2 (second application), +4 (third application).

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Inner Focus

[Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Any 2 metamagic feats, Will bonus +2 or better.
Benefit: Cast spells substituting xp for focus requirements at the rate of 25 xp per gp value of required focus.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1

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Inner Material

[Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Eschew Material Componant, Inner Focus
Benefit: Cast spells substituting xp for material componants at the rate of 10 xp per gp value of componant.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1

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Linked Spell

[Metamagic]
Benefit: This metamagic permits one spell to be ‘tied’ to another. A spell so linked activates only when the base spell activates, can only be dispelled after the base spell is dispelled, and so on. The spell to be linked cannot itself be linked to a third spell. BOTH spells must be successfully cast in order for the link to be established. The link is not discernable using “Detect Magic” but can be seen through scrying. If the base spell is not cast simultaniously with the linked spell, a Spellcraft check of 20+total modified spell levels of all spells involved must be made to successfully establish the link. At least 1 hour per modified level of linked spell must pass before a further attempt may be made if this check fails (cumulative). Linking attempts must be made at EXACTLY the time required or the spellcraft check is automatically deemed a failure.
Spell Level Adjustment: The spell being linked has a modifier equal to the modified level of the base spell, +1.
EG: A third level spell is to be linked to a 4th level spell. The third level spell has an effective level of 3+4+1=8. If the two spells are not cast simultaniously, the caster must also succeed at a Spellcraft Check of DC 20+4+8 = 32. If the roll fails, the mage must wait 8 hours before he can make another attempt. If this also fails, he must wait 16 hours before he can make a third attempt.

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Spell In Motion

[Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Still Spell
Special: This metamagic can be applied only to spells with a somatic componant.
Benefit: Instead of making gestures to cast the spell, the caster can use larger physical movements. For the purposes of such movements, the caster can move up to double their normal movement while casting the spell. This movement must be around or within a point centered on either the caster’s initial position or on the target’s current position; they must end the movement at the same range from the target as they started. During such movement, they do not attract targets of opportunity, though they may appear to do so; any such attacks actually attempted against them recieve an automatic -10 attack modifier, as the character is not quite where they appear to be. Should any such attack succeed, the spell is prevented from activating and the character’s movement automatically stops at their current position. However, any attacks which fail are not “failed extra attacks”, they come off the attacks available to the attacker in his next round; and if a character uses all his attacks on “attacks of opportunity”, he is himself subject to an attack of opportunity from any other opponant with whom he is engaged. Even If he does not use all his attacks on “attacks of opportunity”, he is drawn sufficiently out of position that he suffers a -5 penalty to his remaining attack rolls for the rest of the round. If the spellcasting character’s movement ends within 5′ of an enemy combatant who has not failed an “attack of opportunity” against the caster, that attacker may make a genuine attack of opportunity without penalty against the mage immediatly AFTER the caster’s spell has taken effect. The round after casting a Spell In Motion, the caster may take only free actions and may not count his DEX Bonus towards his AC.
Comments: This is an effective metamagic in group combat situations; the mage dances through the field of battle, inviting multiple enemies to waste combat actions against them instead of targetting other members of the team. However, the mage is left exceptionally exposed for the subsequent combat round, so he needs the protection of others.
Spell Level Adjustment: +1

General Magic-related Feats

Finally, here are seven general magic-related feats to play with.

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Greater Spell Focus

[General]
Prerequisite: School of magic must already be subject to the Spell Focus feat.
Benefit: Additional +1 to the DC for all spells from the school of magic to which this feat is applied. This bonus stacks with benefits from the Spell Focus feat. Can be taken multiple times, applying to a different school fo magic each time.

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Greater Augment Summoning

[General]
Prerequisites: Augment Summoning, ability to cast 5th level spells
Benefit: Each creature summoned gains a +4 bonus to STR or CON for the duration of the spell that summoned it.

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Focussed Mind

[General]
Benefit: The character receives -2 DC to resist the effects of Mind-Affecting spells, making them more resistant to outside control.

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Dominating Insight

[General]
Benefit: Mind-affecting spells that the character casts receive a +2 DC to attempts to resist them because the character is better able to target sensitive or susceptable aspects of the target’s personality.

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Sharply Focussed Mind

[General]
Prerequisite: Focussed Mind
Exclusion: Characters who take Greater Dominating Insight may not choose this feat.
Benefit: As per Focussed Mind; modifiers stack with those deriving from that feat.

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Greater Dominating Insight

[General]
Prerequisite: Dominating Insight
Exclusion: Characters who take Sharply Focussed Mind may not choose this feat.
Benefit: As per Dominating Insight; modifiers stack with those deriving from that feat.

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Final Spell

[General]
Prerequisite: Caster Level 9+ in any spell-casting character class (includes Cleric & Druid).
Benefit: Can draw on physical resources of the caster’s body to cast last-ditch spells in excess of the number that can normally be cast, at a cost of 1 CON lost per level of spell, +1. A spellcraft check at a DC of 10+ 4 per level of spell must be made for the spell to succeed (the CON is consumed even if the spell fails). CON lost using this feat cannot be healed or restored with Restoration spells, it must heal naturally at a rate of 1 per game month. Spells cast using this feat must be ones that the caster has available to memorise/cast, and that their current caster level would permit them to cast.


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