explaining the glory of metamagic to a new player.

[Darth Stabber]

So in my current game I am having a hard tine explaining why metamagicbfeats are a good investment. I tried telling her that they add versitility to her list and make certain good spells great. I almost had her sold on quicken spell, until she saw the +4 spell level attached, and since she can't quicken anything yet, she opted no to. She is a lvl 7 tibbit dread necromancer, and the only metamagic feat she knows is natural spell (house ruled to allow spells in cat form for tibbits, still does not work while polymorphed). She can't figure out why anyone would want one aside from prc requirements. She is currently working on getting a slaymate purely for roleplay reasons. This is just really sad to me because I am not enforcing any cast time increases for spont casters, and she could atleast use extend or widen spell handily. Can someone help me explain to her she would want them?

[Jallorn]

Well a good start would be to point out that Silent and Still allow you to cast while gagged and bound, respectively. Or while trying to be noticed, so you can cast a spell like, say, Bestow Curse, and no one will know it was you. Also suggest Invisible spell, which doesn't have any adjustments to the spell level, and is loads of fun when used creatively.

Other people can better articulate the numerical advantages of the other metamagic feats.

[Koury]

Enervation. Level 4; 1d4 negative levels.
Energy Drain. Level 9; 2d4 negative levels.
Split Ray Enervation. Level 6; 2d4 negative levels.

See where I'm going? There are many things like this.

[Gamer Girl]

More power!

Granted the PH metamagic feats are not the greatest. Not that they are not good, but they lack flashyness. It can be nice for some spells to last a little longer sometimes, but it does not often look like it's worth all them spell levels.

But how about offering her the metamagic feats from Libris Mortis? Look at the Fell metamagic feats. Fell animate is great for a Necromancer type, for example.

[Sacrieur]

Still Spell will allow you to cast in armor without arcane spell failure.

[Koury]

Still Spell will allow you to cast in armor without arcane spell failure.

So will GP in most cases.

[faceroll]

Dread Necromancers using quicken spell take a full round to cast their spells.

Most metamagic is useless without mitigation, or only useful at higher levels. Heighten Spell is great for sorcerers, that's about it. Quicken spell is good on wizards with 6th level spell slots.

In general, metamagic feats just aren't worth your feat slots unless you are high level, a sorcerer, or are abusing metamagic mitigation.

[Darth Stabber]

Dread necromancer already has armored mage (light), and given she already has a decent dex I doubt she would even want to move up.

She's already going to a fair bit of effort to get a slaymate (which will be another post later), I would think that having any 1lvl metamagic feat would be a massive boon at that point (since slaymates reduce metamagic adjustment by 1).

[Darth Stabber]

Dread Necromancers using quicken spell take a full round to cast their spells.

Most metamagic is useless without mitigation, or only useful at higher levels. Heighten Spell is great for sorcerers, that's about it. Quicken spell is good on wizards with 6th level spell slots.

In general, metamagic feats just aren't worth your feat slots unless you are high level, a sorcerer, or are abusing metamagic mitigation.

1)I am allowing quicken spell to work for spont casters.
2)a slaymate is metamagic reduction (necro only, but that is 90% of her spell list).
3)with a slaymate she can widen, extend, silent, or still any spell for free.

[Jack Zander]

Tell her to grab any metamagic spell that only increases the level by 1 so that once she enters the PrC she can apply it to all of her spells free. Extend spell is a great one for buffs and debuffs, or even summons.

[KillianHawkeye]

She is a lvl 7 tibbit dread necromancer, and the only metamagic feat she knows is natural spell (house ruled to allow spells in cat form for tibbits, still does not work while polymorphed).

Natural Spell is not a metamagic feat.

Tell her to grab any metamagic spell that only increases the level by 1 so that once she enters the PrC she can apply it to all of her spells free. Extend spell is a great one for buffs and debuffs, or even summons.

Wait, what prestige class are you referring to? I haven't seen anyone mention anything about prestige classes....

The metamagic reduction is coming from a slaymate, which is an undead creature from Libris Mortis.



Personally, I think not using metamagic is a perfectly valid option. Let her learn to play the game on her own. I don't see why it's even bothering you.

Anyway, if you want to give her advice on metamagic: Extend is pretty good if you cast buff spells. Empower (or maybe Widen) is good if you like blasting. Chain, Split Ray, and Quicken are great, but only when you're pretty high level. Fell Animate can be a lot of fun for a Necromancer, but you need to know when to use it.

[Wings of Peace]

Explain it through the magic of baking!

"See these cookies? Note how while good they taste sort of bland. Now try these, they're the same cookies but with chocolate chips added. Notice how with the second batch we expended slightly more ingredients but dramatically enhanced the flavor? That's metamagic."

[The Boz]

I don't think you'll ever need more magic than the four free Suddens, as those may be applied to any spell at any moment, only once per day. You're a caster with limited spells per day anyway, so whatever.
The regular Still Spell is far too slot-expensive to use just to ignore the armor casting penalry. There are better feats for that, unless you really love Full Plate.
And regarding mitigation, what good sources of MM mitigation are there? Off the top of my head, I can only think of Thesis...

[Tvtyrant]

SandShaper gives you 5 free sudden metamagics a day, with the ability to use them however you want. 5 maximize, 3 maximize 2 empowers, whatever. Good because you can use it in conjunction with orbs to get empowered maximized admixtured Orb of Fire/Lightning (with Born of the Three Thunders of course).

[Elrihm]

Tell her that with circle magic, she becomes a near omnipotent spellcaster with the right feats. Course that's intentionally breaking the game, but if you're looking for more balance, it's an easy way to add metamagic without increasing spell level, and is available at lvl 10 if you work it right.

[Doc Roc]

Dread Necromancers using quicken spell take a full round to cast their spells.

Most metamagic is useless without mitigation, or only useful at higher levels. Heighten Spell is great for sorcerers, that's about it. Quicken spell is good on wizards with 6th level spell slots.

In general, metamagic feats just aren't worth your feat slots unless you are high level, a sorcerer, or are abusing metamagic mitigation.

This, with some enormous exceptions here and there. I'm afraid that your player may actually have a good understanding of what's going on after all. I do like many of the MM items, and the athenaeum of boccob is a great way to get bang for your buck.

Explain it through the magic of baking!

"See these cookies? Note how while good they taste sort of bland. Now try these, they're the same cookies but with chocolate chips added. Notice how with the second batch we expended slightly more ingredients but dramatically enhanced the flavor? That's metamagic."

I think we're so used to MM mitigation that it's hard to remember a lot of people don't use it.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Explain it through the magic of baking!

"See these cookies? Note how while good they taste sort of bland. Now try these, they're the same cookies but with chocolate chips added. Notice how with the second batch we expended slightly more ingredients but dramatically enhanced the flavor? That's metamagic."

Assuming heavy cost reducers aren't on the table, this is a beautiful way to sell them on it. Further add that quicken spells is like tasting two cookies at the same time, but one has a little less to it!

Also, this is now saved for future posters.

[The Glyphstone]

I dunno, without reducers or mitigations the analogy becomes more like:

"So, casting a spell is like baking cookies. Casting a quickened spell is like eating raw cookie dough - it's faster, but not as satisfying, and still takes all the ingredients. On the other hand, you can eat cookie dough while simultaneously cooking actual cookies in the oven.'

[Tvtyrant]

I dunno, without reducers or mitigations the analogy becomes more like:

"So, casting a spell is like baking cookies. Casting a quickened spell is like eating raw cookie dough - it's faster, but not as satisfying, and still takes all the ingredients. On the other hand, you can eat cookie dough while simultaneously cooking actual cookies in the oven.'

...You have won the internet now and forever.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

I dunno, without reducers or mitigations the analogy becomes more like:

"So, casting a spell is like baking cookies. Casting a quickened spell is like eating raw cookie dough - it's faster, but not as satisfying, and still takes all the ingredients. On the other hand, you can eat cookie dough while simultaneously cooking actual cookies in the oven.'

Sir, I don't know who you are, but never could I imagine raw cookie dough being less satisfying than freshly cooked cookies. Equally, maybe, but never less.

[MammonAzrael]

Personally, I think not using metamagic is a perfectly valid option. Let her learn to play the game on her own. I don't see why it's even bothering you.

I find myself agreeing with KillianHawkeye. Why does it matter if she takes any metamagic? On top of the fact that the feats aren't in any way desirable for every caster ever, she is a dread necromancer. She has plenty of valid, strong feats to choose from.

If you really want to convince her that metamagic is a powerful option, then throw some NPCs at the party that use it. Use spells that she favors, except augmented, and see how she reacts.

Also, I baked cookies the other day, and they are delicious. As was the cookie dough.

[The Glyphstone]

Sir, I don't know who you are, but never could I imagine raw cookie dough being less satisfying than freshly cooked cookies. Equally, maybe, but never less.

Well, the salmonella poisoning you can get from eating raw eggs can put a bit of a damper on it.

[flabort]

That's why you make snaps, and other eggless cookies.
Personally, though, I don't like gingersnaps. Chocolatesnaps? Now those are good.
See, eggless cookies are what you get with metamagic reducers, or +0 metamagic.

[Darth Stabber]

Well, the salmonella poisoning you can get from eating raw eggs can put a bit of a damper on it.

One of the many benefits of Vegan Cookies.

On a more serious note, you guys may be right about not trying to force it on her. But there are a menagerie of reasons why she should aside from them being good.
A) Slaymate, she wants one for roleplay purposes, and they are useless in combat. Figure she should get something out of her effort.
B) She wants a PRC (though i don't think she wants a specific one), and auto-turns down ones that require metamagic.
C) Complaining about spell duration running out too soon.

[Vladislav]

Can someone help me explain to her she would want them?

The best way to explain to a player why some ability is good is to use it against them. Have her fight some metamagic-using enemy casters, this will get the wheels in her head spinning, no doubt.

[Doc Roc]

One of the many benefits of Vegan Cookies.

On a more serious note, you guys may be right about not trying to force it on her. But there are a menagerie of reasons why she should aside from them being good.
A) Slaymate, she wants one for roleplay purposes, and they are useless in combat. Figure she should get something out of her effort.
B) She wants a PRC (though i don't think she wants a specific one), and auto-turns down ones that require metamagic.
C) Complaining about spell duration running out too soon.

Or throw an extend rod into the treasure. :|

I dunno, without reducers or mitigations the analogy becomes more like:

"So, casting a spell is like baking cookies. Casting a quickened spell is like eating raw cookie dough - it's faster, but not as satisfying, and still takes all the ingredients. On the other hand, you can eat cookie dough while simultaneously cooking actual cookies in the oven.'

With MM reducers, it's like working in a patisserie. You can make a truly stunning number of cookies at a time, but you're either going to start to hate cookies really fast or discover that there's stiff competition in the pastry market.

[KillianHawkeye]

Or throw an extend rod into the treasure. :|

Do this. Suddenly, everyone's happy! Shocking, I know.