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METAMAGIC
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Metamagic Feats present a distinct challenge
for converting into the HERO System for
several reasons.
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The primary reason is that in the HERO System,
Power Constructs are priced according to
their base effect, plus a premium for any
enhancements to that base effect, minus
a rebate for any detriments to the enhanced
effect. Thus if you want a better version
of a Power Construct, you simply design
a version of the Power Construct that has
the improvements you want and pay the Character
Points indicated. |
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Another obstacle is that a given GM may
be using whatever form of Magic they think
appropriate for their campaign in the HERO
System, so providing Metamagic Feat conversions
that will work universally is practically
impossible. |
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Finally, since many Metamagic Feats work
by increasing some aspect of a Spell's base
effect, this often translates into the HERO
System as an Advantage. The cost of Metamagic
Feats to Spells in D&D 3e is to raise
Spell Levels in flat increments, but the
cost of Advantages in the HERO System are
assessed as a cost multiplier; thus applying
them has a greater effect on the cost of
more potent (higher point cost) Power Constructs
than applying the equivalent Metamagic Feat
would have on a Spell's level in D&D
3e. |
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HOWEVER.... |
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This web site provides detailed conversions
of each of the
D&D 3e Magic Systems, and thus
a method of converting Metamagic Feats with
those Magic Systems can be provided. If
your GM is using the Magic System conversions
offered on this web site or close variants,
then the following method will work for
you to convert your Character. Consult with
your GM on the subject. |
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THE METHOD |
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Most of the Metamagic Feats can be correlated
into effects that are meaningful in the
HERO System. For simplicities sake it is
recommended that each Feat be represented
by a Custom Talent, detailed later.
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The Magic System conversions provided for
Wizardry and Sorcery (and Bards by extension)
include detailed instructions for both creating
new Spells and learning existing Spells.
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The Magic System conversions provided for
Clerics, Paladins, Druids (and Rangers by
extension) indicate that such Divine Spellcasters
cannot create Spells, but conversely don't
have to learn them either; they automatically
know and can cast any Spell on their relevant
Spell Lists that they can fit into their
VPP's Pool restrictions. |
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If these various rules are used, then a
Character that has a Metamagic Talent can
also automatically add virtual versions
of a Spell they learn, create, or gain via
their Divine Spell List that is modified
as indicated by the relevant Metamagic Talents
that are applicable to that Spell to their
"Known Spell List" for free.
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These virtual Spell versions do not count
against a Character's maximum number of
Spells per Level limit, require any Skill
Rolls to learn or create, or pose a detriment
to the Character in anyway. |
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NOTE: Characters using the Dominine
Magic System cannot apply Metamagic Talents
to Spells they gain from their Domains;
only to the Spells they gain from the common
Spell List for their type of Spellcaster.
Individual GM's may allow this however if
they feel it does not unbalance the game. |
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LEVEL LIMITS STILL APPLY |
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A Character still must be able to cast Spells
of the modified version's Spell Level to
use any such variants. Further, the Character
cannot teach or Scribe a Scroll with a Spell
version using a Metamagic Talent (unless
the GM so permits). |
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USING A METAMAGIC MODIFIED SPELL -- SPONTANEOUS
CASTERS |
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Characters using either the Spontaneous
or Gestalt Casting methods can chose to
use a Metamagic version of a Spell "on
the fly", but the casting of that Spell
automatically takes at least a Full Phase;
if it already takes a Full Phase to cast
then the Metamagic version of the Spell
takes an Extra Phase to cast beyond what
it already takes. |
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Further for Characters using the Spontaneous
or Gestalt Casting methods, casting a Spell
modified by a Metamagic Feat expends a Charge
from the appropriate Spell Level Multipower
(as determined by the standard (AP/15)+1
method used by all of the
Vancian Magic Systems provided on
this web site). |
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EXAMPLE: A Sorcerer with Spontaneous
Magic Multipowers for Spell Levels 0 through
5th has the Empower Talent and uses it to
cast a 3rd Level Spell that has 60 Active
Points from his 3rd Spell Level Multipower.
The Empowered version of the Spell has 30
more Active Points and thus is considered
to be a 5th Level Spell; therefore casting
this Spell expends a Charge from the Sorcerer's
5th Spell Level Multipower instead of the
3rd Spell Level Multipower. |
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USING A METAMAGIC MODIFIED SPELL -- PREPARED
CASTERS |
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Characters using the Prepared Casting method
must prepare Metamagic versions of Spells
to their VPP in the normal fashion indicated
in the relevant Magic System documents.
Casting a Metamagic version of a Spell expends
the Real Cost of the Metamagic Spell from
their VPP just like any other Spell such
a Character casts. |
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EXAMPLE: A Wizard with a Prepared
Magic VPP of 90 Pool can have 270 Pool Real
Cost worth of Spells that each have only
one Charge also has the Empower Talent.
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In the morning the Wizard is preparing his
Spells (i.e. allocating his 270 Real Cost
to buy Spells from his Known Spell List
that he will be able to cast that day),
and decides to Prepare an Empowered version
of a 3rd Level Spell that normally has 60
Active Points and a Real Cost of 20 due
to having -2 in total Limitations.
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Normally if the Wizard wanted to Prepare
that Spell they would allocate 20 Real Cost
to it from their 270 Real Cost limit for
that days Spells. |
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However the Empowered version instead has
90 Active Points (as it adds 30 Active Points
to the base effect of the Spell), and a
Real Cost of 30 (due to having the same
-2 in total Limitations); thus the Wizard
must allocate 30 points from his 270 Real
Cost limit for Spells for that day in order
to prepare and be able to cast the Spell
later in the day.
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When the Wizard casts the prepared Empowered
version of the Spell, it is expended and
he cannot reuse the 30 Real Cost allocated
to it for some other Spell until the next
day. |
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CUSTOM TALENT CONVERSION |
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Custom Talents can be used to model most
-- but not all -- of the Metamagic Feats. |
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Some of the Metamagic Feats just have no
meaning in the HERO System, or else overlap
so much that they convert into the same
ability in the HERO System making one or
more redundant. If your Character had one
of these Metamagic Feats, just pick a different
one and call it a wash. |
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The Feats that do not convert into the HERO
System, overlap too much with another Feat,
or deserve special mention are: |
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HEIGHTEN SPELL: This Feat is designed to
interact with the saving throw rules of
D&D 3e, which doesn't translate well
into the HERO System. It simply has no use
and no conversion is provided.
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ENLARGE / WIDEN SPELL: These two Feats merge
together in the HERO System. If your Character
had one or the other, then you are not affected
by this. If your Character had both, then
just take a different Feat for the second
slot.
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AUGMENT SUMMONING: This is not categorized
as a Metamagic Feat, but it essentially
functions like one and is treated as such
by this material.
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| METAMAGIC FEATS |
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AUGMENT
SUMMONING |
| Your Character is able to summon more
powerful versions of Creatures using Summoning Spells. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Summoning Spell they have access to that has up to 15 Active
Points more effect, allocated towards the Character Points
available to the creatures they Summon |
| Real Cost: 1 Point |
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EMPOWER SPELL |
| Your Character is able to cast more powerful
versions of Spells they have access to. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to that has up to +30 Active Points applied to the base
effect of the Spell (but is otherwise unchanged). |
| Real Cost: 1 Point |
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ENLARGE /
WIDEN SPELL |
| Your Character is able to cast Area of
Effect (AoE) Spells with an increased Area of Effect. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to that has either the Explosion or Area
Of Effect Advantages with up to 15 Active Points
applied towards increasing the area affected by the Explosion or Area of Effect Advantage. |
| Real Cost: 1 Point |
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ESCHEW
MATERIALS |
| Your Character is able to cast Spells that
normally require components without those components. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to that normally has either a required
Focus Limitation, or a Restrainable by Spell Pouch Limitation
without those Limitations. |
| Real Cost: 5 Points |
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EXTEND SPELL
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| Your Character is able to cast Spells that
have duration and have them last longer than usual. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to that uses a Continuing Charge with
up to 15 Active Points more effect applied towards increasing
the duration of the Continuing Charge. |
| Real Cost: 1 Point |
| MAXIMIZE SPELL |
| Your Character is able to cast Spells that
have the maximum possible effect for a Spell of that type. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to that does damage or otherwise
determines effect by rolling some number of d6, with the
addition of a special +1 Advantage called "Maximum Effect" which
causes the Spell to have the maximum possible effect based upon
the number of dice available to it. |
| For instance, a Maximize Spell version of
a Spell that had a 10d6 Energy Blast effect would do 60 STUN and
20 BODY, with no roll necessary (Knockback would still be
determined normally). |
| Real Cost: 1 Point |
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QUICKEN SPELL |
| Your Character is able to cast a version of
a Spell that they have set up earlier at will. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to with the addition of the following
version of the Trigger Advantage: |
| Trigger (Activate the Trigger
at will as an action that takes no time, Trigger is reset by
casting the same Spell again; +1/2) |
| Real Cost: 1 Point |
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SILENT SPELL |
| Your Character is able to cast Spells that
normally require Incantations without speaking. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to that normally has Incantations without
that Limitation. |
| Real Cost: 5 Points |
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STILL SPELL |
| Your Character is able to cast a version of a Spell they have access to that normally has Gestures without that Limitation. |
| Your Character may cast a version of a
Spell they have access to that normally has Gestures without
that Limitation. |
| Real Cost: 5 Points |
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