A Different Take on Metamagic Components [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Different Take on Metamagic Components [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
fnuffer
01-09-07, 02:02 PM I like idea of metamagic components as presented in Unearthed Arcana. However, the implementation lacks punch. So I spent some time trying to develop a plug-in system that accomplishes much of the same idea. Please take a look at this and tell me what you think:

Metamagic Component Use

Magical energy surges through the world, but it is invisible to most mortals. Wizards and other spellcasters can harness this energy for their own purposes. Clerics and other divine spellcasters use their dedication to call on magical powers granted by their deities.

Many creatures are much more tightly bound to magic. In these creatures, a form of magic is integrated into their very being. This magic is usually concentrated in some organ or tissue deep in the physical body of the creature. This is called the constituent.

This constituent somehow provides the magic that powers the creature. In creatures with Spell-Like Abilities or Supernatural Abilities, the creature can access the magic directly. In other cases, the creature may not even be aware of its constituent.

A knowledgeable spellcaster can extract this constituent and use it as a spell component, increasing the power of spells he casts.

A spellcaster who uses a metamagic component casts a spell as if a specific metamagic feat had been applied to the spell. The casting process otherwise functions as it would if the character cast the standard version of the spell.

A wizard doesn’t need to prepare such a spell as a higher-level spell, and a sorcerer doesn’t use a higher-level spell slot or take a full-round action to cast the spell. The spellcaster merely chooses at the moment of casting whether to employ the standard material component (if any) or to add the metamagic component. In either case, the casting process consumes the material component, and the metamagic component, if used. However, the spellcaster must have the ability to cast a spell of the same level as the metamagicked spell.

The amount of the component (measured in ka) needed depends on the original spell level and the level after the metamagic feat is applied. The formula is (New Spell Level ^2 Old Spell Level ^2 + New Spell Level) * 10 ka. 1 ka of any component costs 5 gp. A spellcaster can buy a bulk quantity of the component, using discrete portions in each casting. Note: A ka is a very small unit of weight, approximately 1/2000th of a pound.

For example, Shadrach the Wizard has 500 ka of Giant Kernel. He can cast a Widened Fireball by using 330 ka Giant Kernel (the metamagic component) with a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur (the material component), but only if he is normally capable of casting 6th level spells.

Metamagic Components are available for sale using the standard magic item rules.

Components for Metamagic:

Feat Component Foe Type Knowledge Skill Base DC Craft DC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chain Spell Essentia Aberrant Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 13 18
Cooperative Spell Animus Outsider Knowledge (Planes) 10 15
Delay Spell Atom Fey Knowledge (Nature) 13 18
Empower Spell Elixir Dragon Knowledge (Arcana) 12 17
Energy Admixture Phlogiston Elemental Knowledge (Planes) 14 19
Energy Substitution Calx Elemental Knowledge (Planes) 10 15
Enlarge Spell Pith Giant Knowledge (Nature) 11 16
Explosive Spell Quick Magical Beast Knowledge (Arcana) 13 18
Extend Spell Precipitate Undead Knowledge (Religion) 11 16
Fortify Spell Id Outsider Knowledge (Planes) 11 16
Heighten Spell Umbra Outsider Knowledge (Planes) 11 16
Maximize Spell Fulminate Dragon Knowledge (Arcana) 13 18
Nonlethal Substitution Marrow Fey Knowledge (Nature) 11 16
Persistent Spell Condensate Undead Knowledge (Religion) 16 21
Quicken Spell Ichor Ooze Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 14 19
Rapid Spell Ether Ooze Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 11 16
Reach Spell Nucleus Magical Beast Knowledge (Arcana) 12 17
Repeat Spell Juice Vermin Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 13 18
Silent Spell Distillate Animal Knowledge (Nature) 11 16
Split Ray Stain Aberrant Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 12 17
Still Spell Quintessence Animal Knowledge (Nature) 11 16
Twin Spell Vitae Vermin Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 14 19
Widen Spell Kernel Giant Knowledge (Nature) 13 18

Harvesting Metamagic Components:

A character with the appropriate skills can harvest initial constituents for metamagic components from fallen opponents. These constituents can then be processed into the actual metamagic component.

The above table lists the feat emulated, the component, the knowledge skill and base DC necessary to identify and extract the constituent from the fallen foe and the craft (alchemy) DC to process it into a usable metamagic component.

Extraction:
To extract the constituent from a fallen foe, the character must have access to the corpse for one hour. After one hour of examination and dissection, character makes a knowledge check of the base DC plus the CR of the creature. If the check is successful, the character has extracted 10 ka per CR of raw constituent from the corpse. This raw constituent still needs to be processed in order to be useful. As such, raw constituent is only sells for 1/6th the price of processed metamagic component. Successfully extracted constituent does not spoil.

Processing:
The processing of raw constituent into metamagic component is similar crafting any alchemical item:

To determine how much time and money it takes to make an item, a character must follow these steps.

The character determines the craft DC from the table above.
He determines how much raw material he is going to process and how much the final amount of component is worth in silver pieces.
He pays one-third of the item’s price for the cost of raw materials (or uses constituents he harvested).
The character makes a Craft (Alchemy) check representing one week’s work. If the check succeeds, he multiplies his check result by the DC. The result is the potential purchase price of the metamagic components (in silver pieces) he has crafted. If the result × the DC doesn’t equal the price, then it represents the amount he made this week. He records the result and makes a new Craft check for the next week. Each week he makes more progress until his total reaches the price of the amount of component in silver pieces. The weight, in ka, of the finished component is 1/10th that price.

For example, Shadrach the Wizard is an 11th level wizard. He has 14 ranks in Knowledge (Religion), 14 ranks in Craft (Alchemy) and an Intelligence bonus of +5.

Shadrach and his party have just defeated a dread wraith. Shadrach decides to take the time to extract the Undead Condensate from its remains for use in making spells persistent.

Shadrach takes an hour working with the dread wraith remains. And the end of that hour, he makes a Knowledge (Religion) check. The DC for a dread wraith is 27 – a base DC of 16 plus the CR of 11. Shadrach rolls 12 + his 14 ranks + 5 from his Intelligence bonus, for a total of 31. He has successfully extracted 110 ka of raw constituent for Undead Condensate.

Upon returning to his alchemist’s lab, Shadrach wishes to process the constituent into useable Undead Condensate.

The Craft (Alchemy) DC is 21. Shadrach has 110 ka of the constituent. He takes 10 on the check, for a total of 31 (a roll of 10 + 14 ranks + 5 Intelligence bonus + 2 bonus from the alchemist’s lab). Multiplying the DC of 21 by the check of 31, he comes up with a total of 651 sp of Undead Condensate potentially produced, which is 65 ka of the metamagic component. Next week he will make another check to finish processing the other half of the batch.
fnuffer
01-09-07, 02:05 PM Reserved for responses and edits
fnuffer
01-10-07, 10:54 AM Bump.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
fnuffer 01-09-07, 02:02 PM	I like idea of metamagic components as presented in Unearthed Arcana. However, the implementation lacks punch. So I spent some time trying to develop a plug-in system that accomplishes much of the same idea. Please take a look at this and tell me what you think: Metamagic Component Use Magical energy surges through the world, but it is invisible to most mortals. Wizards and other spellcasters can harness this energy for their own purposes. Clerics and other divine spellcasters use their dedication to call on magical powers granted by their deities. Many creatures are much more tightly bound to magic. In these creatures, a form of magic is integrated into their very being. This magic is usually concentrated in some organ or tissue deep in the physical body of the creature. This is called the constituent. This constituent somehow provides the magic that powers the creature. In creatures with Spell-Like Abilities or Supernatural Abilities, the creature can access the magic directly. In other cases, the creature may not even be aware of its constituent. A knowledgeable spellcaster can extract this constituent and use it as a spell component, increasing the power of spells he casts. A spellcaster who uses a metamagic component casts a spell as if a specific metamagic feat had been applied to the spell. The casting process otherwise functions as it would if the character cast the standard version of the spell. A wizard doesn’t need to prepare such a spell as a higher-level spell, and a sorcerer doesn’t use a higher-level spell slot or take a full-round action to cast the spell. The spellcaster merely chooses at the moment of casting whether to employ the standard material component (if any) or to add the metamagic component. In either case, the casting process consumes the material component, and the metamagic component, if used. However, the spellcaster must have the ability to cast a spell of the same level as the metamagicked spell. The amount of the component (measured in ka) needed depends on the original spell level and the level after the metamagic feat is applied. The formula is (New Spell Level ^2 Old Spell Level ^2 + New Spell Level) * 10 ka. 1 ka of any component costs 5 gp. A spellcaster can buy a bulk quantity of the component, using discrete portions in each casting. Note: A ka is a very small unit of weight, approximately 1/2000th of a pound. For example, Shadrach the Wizard has 500 ka of Giant Kernel. He can cast a Widened Fireball by using 330 ka Giant Kernel (the metamagic component) with a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur (the material component), but only if he is normally capable of casting 6th level spells. Metamagic Components are available for sale using the standard magic item rules. Components for Metamagic: Feat Component Foe Type Knowledge Skill Base DC Craft DC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chain Spell Essentia Aberrant Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 13 18 Cooperative Spell Animus Outsider Knowledge (Planes) 10 15 Delay Spell Atom Fey Knowledge (Nature) 13 18 Empower Spell Elixir Dragon Knowledge (Arcana) 12 17 Energy Admixture Phlogiston Elemental Knowledge (Planes) 14 19 Energy Substitution Calx Elemental Knowledge (Planes) 10 15 Enlarge Spell Pith Giant Knowledge (Nature) 11 16 Explosive Spell Quick Magical Beast Knowledge (Arcana) 13 18 Extend Spell Precipitate Undead Knowledge (Religion) 11 16 Fortify Spell Id Outsider Knowledge (Planes) 11 16 Heighten Spell Umbra Outsider Knowledge (Planes) 11 16 Maximize Spell Fulminate Dragon Knowledge (Arcana) 13 18 Nonlethal Substitution Marrow Fey Knowledge (Nature) 11 16 Persistent Spell Condensate Undead Knowledge (Religion) 16 21 Quicken Spell Ichor Ooze Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 14 19 Rapid Spell Ether Ooze Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 11 16 Reach Spell Nucleus Magical Beast Knowledge (Arcana) 12 17 Repeat Spell Juice Vermin Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 13 18 Silent Spell Distillate Animal Knowledge (Nature) 11 16 Split Ray Stain Aberrant Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 12 17 Still Spell Quintessence Animal Knowledge (Nature) 11 16 Twin Spell Vitae Vermin Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 14 19 Widen Spell Kernel Giant Knowledge (Nature) 13 18 Harvesting Metamagic Components: A character with the appropriate skills can harvest initial constituents for metamagic components from fallen opponents. These constituents can then be processed into the actual metamagic component. The above table lists the feat emulated, the component, the knowledge skill and base DC necessary to identify and extract the constituent from the fallen foe and the craft (alchemy) DC to process it into a usable metamagic component. Extraction: To extract the constituent from a fallen foe, the character must have access to the corpse for one hour. After one hour of examination and dissection, character makes a knowledge check of the base DC plus the CR of the creature. If the check is successful, the character has extracted 10 ka per CR of raw constituent from the corpse. This raw constituent still needs to be processed in order to be useful. As such, raw constituent is only sells for 1/6th the price of processed metamagic component. Successfully extracted constituent does not spoil. Processing: The processing of raw constituent into metamagic component is similar crafting any alchemical item: To determine how much time and money it takes to make an item, a character must follow these steps. The character determines the craft DC from the table above. He determines how much raw material he is going to process and how much the final amount of component is worth in silver pieces. He pays one-third of the item’s price for the cost of raw materials (or uses constituents he harvested). The character makes a Craft (Alchemy) check representing one week’s work. If the check succeeds, he multiplies his check result by the DC. The result is the potential purchase price of the metamagic components (in silver pieces) he has crafted. If the result × the DC doesn’t equal the price, then it represents the amount he made this week. He records the result and makes a new Craft check for the next week. Each week he makes more progress until his total reaches the price of the amount of component in silver pieces. The weight, in ka, of the finished component is 1/10th that price. For example, Shadrach the Wizard is an 11th level wizard. He has 14 ranks in Knowledge (Religion), 14 ranks in Craft (Alchemy) and an Intelligence bonus of +5. Shadrach and his party have just defeated a dread wraith. Shadrach decides to take the time to extract the Undead Condensate from its remains for use in making spells persistent. Shadrach takes an hour working with the dread wraith remains. And the end of that hour, he makes a Knowledge (Religion) check. The DC for a dread wraith is 27 – a base DC of 16 plus the CR of 11. Shadrach rolls 12 + his 14 ranks + 5 from his Intelligence bonus, for a total of 31. He has successfully extracted 110 ka of raw constituent for Undead Condensate. Upon returning to his alchemist’s lab, Shadrach wishes to process the constituent into useable Undead Condensate. The Craft (Alchemy) DC is 21. Shadrach has 110 ka of the constituent. He takes 10 on the check, for a total of 31 (a roll of 10 + 14 ranks + 5 Intelligence bonus + 2 bonus from the alchemist’s lab). Multiplying the DC of 21 by the check of 31, he comes up with a total of 651 sp of Undead Condensate potentially produced, which is 65 ka of the metamagic component. Next week he will make another check to finish processing the other half of the batch.
fnuffer 01-09-07, 02:05 PM	Reserved for responses and edits
fnuffer 01-10-07, 10:54 AM	Bump.