Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Chiba_Monkey Jul 18, 2012 21:56:25	Hey guys, I'm playing in a 3.5e game (it's been awhie), and it's a Forgotten Realms game.  My character (Sun Elf Wizard 5/Incantatrix 10), just hit level 15. My level 15 feat is going towards my second Spel Focus to qualify for Archmage next level. Problem is: level 10 of Incantatrix grants me another bonus metamagic feat, and I don't know which one to take. My current metamagic feats are Empower, Maximize, Quicken and Twin Spell.  Now, due to my "Improved Metamagic" class ability, each feat now costs one less level of increase in spell level (so empower is +1 level, Maximize +2, Quicken and Twin +3).  Now, I've also got Instant Metamagic 2/day, so I can add some of these feats on the fly (which can be fun when casting a Twinned, Empowered Disintegrate with a 7th level spell slot). Some of the feats I've considered are Chain Spell, Split Ray, Sculpt Spell and Fortify Spell.  I'm leaning towards Chain, but wanted some CO input.  Especially since the interaction of Fortify Spell with Improved Metamagic means that I get an additional +2 bonus on SR penetration over the normal +2 per level increase.  So if I fortify a magic missile to a 4th level spell slot, I'd get a +8 on SR checks (since getting a +8 on checks would normally require an increase of 4 levels, but I can reduce that by one). I don't know how useful Sculpt will be, since I only have a limited amount of area spells (on the other hands, I can apply metamagic feats to spell-trigger items like wands, so getting some more area spells wouldn't be a problem). Split Ray is nice, but seems redundant with me already having Twin Spell (save that Split Ray, unlike Twin, can target 2 different creatures). Any input on other feats I've left out would be good, too.
#2 Koenig Jul 19, 2012 1:25:53	You can use Persistent Spell (Complete Arcane) to buff yourself, most swift spells have a range of personal.
#3 draco1119 Jul 19, 2012 8:49:05	I'd go with Chain, Reach, or Heighten, personally.
#4 StevenO Jul 19, 2012 12:48:40	I may second Heighten.  I know it seems like a weak feat and when a wizard could just learn the higher level version of a spell it doesn't help as much but it does give you the opportunity to use a low level spell known in a higher level spell slot and actually treat it as a higher level spell.  Charm Person may be next to worthless at high levels but with Heighten you can actually boost the save DC enough to make it useful.
#5 Caker Jul 19, 2012 15:41:59	Easy Metamagic can reduce the cost of one of your metamagics by a further one, and is actually a metamagic feat in itself. It's in dragon magazine #325 on page 62. This is useful if you plan on doing any blasting. If not I would also go with heighten, because sometimes you just need those low level spells to be useful again.
#6 Eld20Generalissimo Jul 20, 2012 11:27:32	With all that metamagic I hope you have Residual Magic in there somewhere.
#7 aelryinth Jul 21, 2012 22:39:34	If you want to increase damage, Split Ray is the cheapest. A Split Twinned Empowered Disintegrate spell is x12 damage. It is, however, restricted to ray spells. Residual metamagic is another great meta feat. If you cast the same spell twice in a row, one of the  metas in the first spell is added to the second one for free. So, you could do the Twinned Empowered Disintegrate...and then Quickened Twinned Empowered Disintegrate as a follow-through, making Twinned 'free'. If you want pure doubling, Elemental Admixture will help you with that, although you probably want to wait until you have Archmage levels and can swap elements in and out. It's not a metamagic feat, but Arcane Thesis is probably right up your alley if you want to focus it on disintegrate... ==Aelryinth
#8 Chiba_Monkey Jul 27, 2012 11:31:46	If you want to increase damage, Split Ray is the cheapest. A Split Twinned Empowered Disintegrate spell is x12 damage. It is, however, restricted to ray spells. Residual metamagic is another great meta feat. If you cast the same spell twice in a row, one of the  metas in the first spell is added to the second one for free. So, you could do the Twinned Empowered Disintegrate...and then Quickened Twinned Empowered Disintegrate as a follow-through, making Twinned 'free'. If you want pure doubling, Elemental Admixture will help you with that, although you probably want to wait until you have Archmage levels and can swap elements in and out. It's not a metamagic feat, but Arcane Thesis is probably right up your alley if you want to focus it on disintegrate... ==Aelryinth Has to be a metamagic feat, so Arcane Thesis does me no good. I went with Chain Spell, which, with the Improved Metamagic ability only costs a 2 level increase.  I have an 8th level spell slot with a Chained Disintegrate prepared.  Last session we hit level 16 and I picked up a level of archmage and took Spell Power as my first High Arcana, so my caster level is now 17.  If I cast Spell Enhancer ( a level 4 spell, swift action, allows next spell cast this round to be cast @ +2 caster level and +1 save DC), and then use my Instant Metamagic ability to add Twin to it, I have 2 chained disintegrate spells that do 38d6 each to the primary target, and half to secondary targets.  The save DC is 27 (+9 Int bonus, level 6 spell, Spell Focus Transmutation, and the +1 for Spell Enhancer), so the target's got a pretty good chance of failing that save.  So, assuming failed saving throws, that gives me a total of 76d6 to the primary target and 38d6 to every enemy within 30 ft of the primary.
#9 CURBSTOMP Aug 03, 2012 4:52:17	You consider Sudden Empower or Sudden Maximize?
#10 taerg_nor Aug 12, 2012 12:11:00	I have played a very similar build (actually Taerg Nor is the name of that character), incantatrix abusing disintigrate, and split is your best friend since its only +1 and there are lots of nice ray spells, as was said before, a Split Empo (insta)Twin Disintigrate is a lvl 8th spell, that even if your target (yes FOCUS the 4 rays) manages the 4 saves, he still takes 20d6x1.5, thats an average of 105 damage, and thats if it manages the 4 saves, when using this kind of uber-spell-combo-once-a-day wiz always get the tome that allows you once a day to aply an extra +8 to your caster lvl for pourposes of bypassing SR (i think it was on MIC i have been away from books and min/maxing for a couple years now). It may be late now, but if your group is fine with rebuilding, you should replace maximize, unless it is vital for a spell combo it gives not that much more punch than empower (and with the right spells and feats it actually gives less) and costs 1 spell level more, which you should be using for split. Part of the combo to make empower even more damaging than maximize involve taking the feat tree  Snowcasting (gives [Cold] descriptor to any spell u cast)  > Frozen Magic (+1 or +2 CL to spells with [Cold] depending on temperature)   > Cold Spell specialization (+1 or +2 damage PER DIE to spells with [Cold]) that means for example that Split Empo Twin Disintigrate, would deal 20d6+20 * 1,5 if all saves are passed (if they're not passed empo or max are already irrelevant) that averages 90 * 1,5 = 135, a maximised would've done 120+20 = 140, if u get to a really cold area (should be easy for u to do this u are a 16th lvl incantatrix) it would be 20d6+40, avg of 110+1,5 = 165, which is even more than 120+40 of maximize About the other options mentioned, since you have Chain spell then you should get Arcane Reach as a high arcana (DONT get the reach spell metamagic if you already are an archmage), since that basically lets you chain any touch spell. And as a final tip, if the above about chaining any touch spell didn't sound good enough, think that it can be followed by an Chain Empo (insta) Twin Recyprocal Gyre, efectively doing 3d12 (30d12= 195 dmg if it only had 10 spell lvls affecting it) per spell lvl affecting it to the main target and half to the rest, its really impolite :P