The Gaming Den

My group still uses 3.0 for the most part, so this is still legal, but when combined with the Incantatrix this can get out of hand.

I'm wondering if it would help for Improved Metamagic to apply once pertypeof feat, no matter how many you use.

For instance and empowered empowered maximized magic missile would be a sixth level spell. 1+((2+2)-1)+(3-1).

Thoughts?

Game On,
fbmf

Well, I've seen interpretations that say the cost is reduced by 1 total, no matter how many feats or what order you use them.

I mean, the description for Improved Metamagic is really ambiguous about it.

Improved Metamagic, and the Incantatrix in general, is not balanced whatever you do.

The fact is that when you compare a +1 Metamagic Feat to a +2 Metamagic Feat, the +2 Metamagic Feat would be balanced if you got a little more than twice what you got out of the +1 Metamagic Feat. If you compare a +1 Metamagic Feat to a +3 Metamagic Feat, the +3 Feat would be balanced if it gave a little more than triple the bonus of the +1 Feat.

So if you assume that the feats are balanced to begin with (a dangerous assumption, but these numbers are going to look even worse if its not true), the relative cost and ability weight should look something like this:

Cost Weight Ratio
+1 . +1 . +1
+2 . +2.1 . +1.05
+3 . +3.2 . +1.07

When you apply Improved Metamagic, the +1 Feat stays the same cost, the +2 Feat is halved in cost, and the +3 Feat is discounted by 33%. The new cost and weight ratios look like this:

Cost Weight Ratio
+1 . +1 . +1
+1 . +2.1 . +2.1
+2 . +3.2 . +1.6

The new relative cost/advantage of using various metamagic feats is now essentially randomly scrambled to a factor of more than double! If things were balanced before - they sure as hell aren't balanced now!

-Username17