Editing Metamagic (section)

=Metamagic Feats=
The first Metamagic Feats were seen in the Player's Handbook, which gave us the now iconic lineup of:
* Empower Spell: +50% to all variable numeric effects.
* Enlarge Spell: Doubles range.
* Extend Spell: Doubles duration.
* Heighten Spell: +1 to effective spell level.
* Quicken Spell: Cast this spell as a free action.
* Silent Spell: Removes the need for Verbal components.
* Still Spell: Removes the need for Somatic components.
* Widen Spell: Doubles area of effect.
* Maximise Spell: All die are cast at maximum value.

However, [[Wizards of the Coast]] knew that they had something special on their hands, so a considerable number of metamagic seeped into the games in drips and drabs through the various [[splatbook]]s.

THe Player's Handbook II gave us:
* Blistering Spell: A fire-spell exclusive metamagic that buffs the damage by +2 per spell level and causes it to leave an -2 attack & ability check penalty until the end of your next turn.
* Earthbound Spell: Turns the chosen spell into a mine, basically. You designate a spot on the ground when you cast, and the spell waits to go off on whatever dumb bastard steps there.
* Flash Frost Spell: A cold-and-AOE-spell exclusive metamagic; +2 damage per spell level, ad creates a slippery slick of ice across the AOE for 1 round.
* Imbued Summoning: A Summoning metamagic spell that causes the  critter you summoned to be under the effects of a 3rd level or lower touch spell of your choice when they appear.
* Smiting Spell: Channels a touch spell into your weapon; great for [[gish]]es.

Lords of Madness, the [[Aberration]] spell, has the Ocular Spell feat, which lets you cast your spells as cool eyebeams. 

Races of the Dragon has two "meta-metamagic" feats in the form of Accelerate Metamagic and Practical Metamagic, both of which are exclusive to spontaneous casters with the Dragonblood subtype; the former lets you ignore the time penalty caused by using one specific metamagic, and the latter can knock off one "spell level penalty" of using metamagic.

Libris Mortis features
* Energize Spell (+50% damage to undead)
* Enervate Spell (+50% damage to living)
* Fell Animate (spell's casualties turn into zombies)
* Fell Drain (spell inflicts 1 negative level)
* Fell Frighten (creatures damaged by spell are Shaken)
* Fell Weaken (creatures damaged by spell suffer -4 STR).

The Book of Exalted Deeds has
* Consecrate Spell (adds Good descriptor to spell)
* Nonlethal Substitution (spell damage is nonlethal)
* Purify Spell (adds Good descriptor, spell does half damage to Neutral targets and no damage to Good targets).

The Book of Vile Darkness naturally counterpointed with the Corrupt Spell and Violate Spell metamagics, which turns half the damage the spell inflicts into Unholy Damage or Vile Damage respectively.

The Consecrate and Corrupt Spell feats would show back up in the Complete Divine, along with the new metamagic feats
* Rapid Spell (decrease casting time)
* Reach Spell (touch spell becomes a 30ft ray)
* Transdimensional Spell (no penalty to magicing incorporel, ethereal or shadow critters).

Now, you'd naturally expect the Complete Arcane and Complete Mage books to have plenty of new metamagic toys right? Surprisingly, Complete Mage only has the one new metamagic in Retributive Spell (spell auto-casts on anyone who hits you in melee). Complete Arcane, on the other hand...
* Black Lore of Moil: Adds bonus negative energy damage to necromancy spells.
* Born of the Three Thunders: Apply to a spell that normally does either Sonic or Electric damage to make it do both damage types simultaneously.
* Chain Spell: Spell affects secondary targets, similarly to a Chain Lightning spell.
* Cooperative Spell: Cast this spell in conjunction with other casters to boost Save DC and caster level checks.
* Delay Spell: Spell's effects are delayed 1-5 rounds.
* Energy Admixture: [[Elemental Damage Types]] spell does two damage types simultaneously.
* Energy Substitution: Change the [[Elemental Damage Types]] of spell.
* Explosive Spell: AOE spell also pushes targets.
* Fortify Spell: Boosts spell's ability to punch through spell resistance.
* Lord of the Uttercold: Cold damage spell deals half negative energy damage.
* Persistent Spell: Fixed/Personal range spell lasts 24 hours.
* Repeat Spell: Spell you cast recasts itself the next round.
* Sanctum Spell: The spell is more powerful in a specific location, but weaker elsewhere.
* Sculpt Spell: Alter's spell's area of effect.
* Split Ray: +1 target with a Ray spell.

In addition to all of these, the Complete Arcane also features reprints of Nonlethal Substitituion and Transdimensional Spell, as well as the "Sudden" versions of the OG metamagic spells; these let a caster apply their specific metamagic effect "on the fly", without needed to prepare that spell with that metamagic effect beforehand or without boosting their casting time if they're a spontaneous caster. The downside is that it can only be done once per day, which makes them largely pointless.

Cityscape added three new metamagic feats, plus reprinting Sculpt Spell:
* City Magic: Half the damage of an energy spell becomes untyped and irresistable.
* Deceptive Spell: Spell's apparent origin point becomes wherever you wish.
* Invisibile Spell: Spell's effects become invisible.

Frostburn added the Piercing Cold metamagic, which makes a Cold spell so utterly cold that it ignores Cold Resistance and still does 1/2 damage to creatrues with Cold Immunity.

Sandstorm would follow suit with oth Searing Spell, the Fire counterpart to Piercing cold, and Fiery Spell, which simply grants +1 damage per die to a Fire spell and is basically an inferior version of the Blistering Spell metamagic.

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Gamer Slang]] [[Category: Game Mechanics]]