[3.5] (Metamagic) Negating Energy with Energy [Repost of OLD GitP] (P.E.A.C.H.)

[Draco Dei]

((Figuring out the formatting for these was pretty hard since no one solution seemed best for all cases. Suggestions welcome.))

Balance of Energies [Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Must meet the specific pre-requisites for at least one of the sub-abilities.
Benefits: You may use any of the sub-abilities you qualify for. Semi-obviously, when a sub-ability talks about ability to cast separate spells this counts spells a cleric has access to as generl cleric spells and domains (of levels your class levels and relevant casting ability score allows), wizard, sorcerer and archivist spells known, warmage spells gained via Advanced Learning, etc. etc. Which spells you have prepared and/or which spell slots you have available make no difference. Being able to cast the same spell via more than one source (such as for multi-classed characters) only counts once.

In all cases casting with this feat only works with spells that natively have a casting time of a single one of the following actions: Standard, Swift, Immediate, Free. The casting time becomes and immediate action, even for spontaneous casters. This applies even if a spontaneous caster chooses to apply other metamagic feats to the spell.

Prepared casters DO NOT need to prepare spells with this metamagic feat to use it. Simple having the spell prepared and having the feat is sufficient.

Energy substitution feats from items do not count, only from feats, including bonus feats.

When you are about to take damage of a type a sub-ability you qualify for protects against(1), and after resolving any applicable spell resistance, saving throw, multiplications for energy vulnerabilities and/or energy resistance, and either before or after applying the effects of Protection from Energy or similar at your option, you may cast a spell of the correct energy type to counter the energy type you are about to be damaged by.
(1) Which may or may not be the same as the one used to counter it.

Spells or breath weapons expended in this way produce no other effect than shielding the caster and their carried items.

The sub abilities are as follows:

Alchemical Aura
Your studies of the alchemical arts allow you to neutralize one destructive reaction with the fundamental principles of another, equally vigorous, reaction.
Prerequisites:
Craft(Alchemy) 5 ranks
AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
Ability to cast at least two damaging spells with the [Acid] and/or [Base] descriptors, including via Energy Substitution feats if you have it.
OR
A breath weapon capable of dealing [Acid] or [Base] damage (including via feats).
Protects against: Acid (and Base if your campaign uses that)
Protects using: Acid if your campaign does not use Base.  If it does then [Acid] counters [Base] and vice-versa.

Example:high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Acid] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a black dragon's breath weapon.
 


Balance of Fulminating Energies
By reversing the direction of lightning, you may bring it to stillness and harmony with your body.
Prerequisites:
Ability to cast at least four damaging spells with the [Electricity] descriptor, including via the Energy Substitution[Electricity] feat if you have it. Access to the Air Domain and/or having a breath weapon capable of dealing [Electricity] damage (including via feats) each count as knowing three such spells.
Protects against: Electricity
Protects using: Electricity

Example: A high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Electricity] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a blue dragon's breath weapon.



Balance of Life and Death
Life has its power, as does its opposite.
Prerequisites:
Must meet all three:
4 ranks Knowledge [Religion] OR (Neither Good nor Evil AND 4 ranks Knowledge[Nature] AND 4 ranks in Heal) 
AND
Ability to cast at least one Cure spell.
AND
Ability to spontaneously cast Cure and/or Inflict spells OR have at least one neutral component to your alignment.

Protects against: Positive and Negative Energy (See also below.)
Protects using: Positive Energy negates Negative Energy and vice-versa (See also below.)

Example: A Cleric could expend a Cure Light Wounds to reduce or negate the hitpoint damage from a Lich's touch.

In addition you may expend any spell that would remove negative levels or level drain to reduce the number of negative levels and/or level drain you take from a single spell or effect by the amount that that spell would normally cure. Similarly, you can use spells capable of inflicting negative levels to protect yourself from positive levels.

So, for example, a cleric could expend a Restoration to negate the effects of an Enervation or Energy Drain spell, or reduce the level drain from an epic level spell cast upon them by one level.



Heart of Fire and Ice
A man standing neck-deep in ice-water is in serious trouble, as is a man standing in flames. However, by combining the two states, they may be bought into a safe balance.
Prerequisites:
Ability to cast at least three spells damaging that either have the [Cold] or [Fire] descriptor, including via the Energy Substitution[Cold] and/or Energy Substitution[Fire] feats if you have one or both. At least one of these spells must be [Fire] and at least one of them must be [Cold].
OR
Access to both the Water and Fire domains.

(See also "Special" below)

Special: If you have a breath weapon capable of dealing [Cold] damage (including via feats), it counts as knowing two damaging spells with the [Cold] descriptor, and having access to the Water domain for purposes of qualifying for this feat.

If you have a breath weapon capable of dealing [Fire] damage (including via feats), it counts as knowing two damaging spells with the [Fire] descriptor, and having access to the Fire domain for purposes of qualifying for this feat.

Protects against: [Fire] and [Cold]
Protects using: [Fire] negates [Cold] and vice-versa
Example: A high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Cold] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a red dragon's breath weapon.



Negative Sound
With a perfect counter-vibration at exactly the same time you can turn flesh-disrupting sound into near-perfect silence.
Prerequisites:
Perform [Any TWO sound-based] 4 ranks each
AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
Ability to cast at least one damaging spell with the [Sonic] descriptor, including via the Energy Substitution feat[Sonic] if you have it.
OR
A breath weapon capable of dealing [Sonic] damage (including via feats).
Protects against: [Sonic]
Protects using: [Sonic]
Special: If a spell or effect deals [Sonic] damage and you negate all of it, you are also immune to deafening from that individual instance of that spell or effect.
Example: A high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Sonic] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a dragon's breath weapon.

(click to show/hide)

Alchemical Aura [Metamagic] [Energy Balance]
Your studies of the alchemical arts allow you to neutralize one destructive reaction with the fundamental principles of another, equally vigorous, reaction.
Prerequisites:
Craft(Alchemy) 5 ranks
AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
Ability to cast at least two damaging spells with the [Acid] descriptor, including via the Energy Substitution[Acid] feat if you have it.
OR
A breath weapon capable of dealing [Acid] damage (including via feats).
Benefits: When you are about to take [Acid] damage, after resolving any applicable spell resistance, saving throw, multiplications for energy vulnerabilities and/or energy resistance, and either before or after applying the effects of Protection from Energy or similar at your option, as an immediate action you may expend a spell/spell slot or breath weapon with the [Acid] type to reduce the damage you are dealt by the damage your spell or breath weapon would normally inflict when cast offensively. If you are a spontaneous caster, you may apply metamagic feats to the spell slot expended without increasing the casting time.

So, for example, high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Acid] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a black dragon's breath weapon.

Spells or breath weapons expended in this way produce no other effect than shielding the caster and their carried items.
 

Balance of Fulminating Energies [Metamagic] [Energy Balance]
By reversing the direction of lightning, you may bring it to stillness and harmony with your body.
Prerequisites:
Ability to cast at least four damaging spells with the [Electricity] descriptor, including via the Energy Substitution[Electricity] feat if you have it. Access to the Air Domain and/or having a breath weapon capable of dealing [Electricity] damage (including via feats) each count as knowing three such spells.

Benefits:
When you are about to take [Electricity] damage, after resolving any applicable spell resistance, saving throw, multiplications for energy vulnerabilities and/or energy resistance, and either before or after applying the effects of Protection from Energy or similar at your option, as an immediate action you may expend a spell/spell slot or breath weapon with the [Electricity] type to reduce the damage you are dealt by the damage your spell or breath weapon would normally inflict when cast offensively. If you are a spontaneous caster, you may apply metamagic feats to the spell slot expended without increasing the casting time.

So, for example, high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Electricity] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a blue dragon's breath weapon.

Spells or breath weapons expended in this way produce no other effect than shielding the caster and their carried items.


Balance of Life and Death [Metamagic] [Energy Balance]
Life has its power, as does its opposite.
Prerequisites:
Must meet all three:
4 ranks Knowledge [Religion] OR (Neither Good nor Evil AND 4 ranks Knowledge[Nature] AND 4 ranks in Heal) 
AND
Ability to cast at least one Cure spell.
AND
Ability to spontaneously cast Cure and/or Inflict spells OR have at least one neutral component to your alignment.

Benefits:
When you are about to take hitpoint damage from negative energy, after resolving any applicable spell resistance, saving throw, and either before or after applying the effects of Protection from Positive/Negative Energy or similar at your option, as an immediate action you may expend a spell/spell slot that would cure you using positive energy to reduce the damage you are dealt by the damage your spell would normally cure you. If you are a spontaneous caster, you may apply metamagic feats to the spell slot expended without increasing the casting time.

Similarly, you may use spells that can cause negative energy damage (such as the Inflict line or Harm) to counter gaining potentially harmful temporary hitpoints (such as while on the Positive Energy Plane) or taking damage from positive energy.

So, for example, a cleric could expend a Cure Light Wounds to reduce or negate the hitpoint damage from a Lich's touch.

In addition you may expend any spell that would remove negative levels or level drain to reduce the number of negative levels and/or level drain you take from a single spell or effect by the amount that that spell would normally cure. Similarly, you can use spells capable of inflicting negative levels to protect yourself from positive levels.

So, for example, a cleric could expend a Restoration to negate the effects of an Enervation or Energy Drain spell, or reduce the level drain from an epic level spell cast upon them by one level.


Heart of Fire and Ice [Metamagic] [Energy Balance]
A man standing neck-deep in ice-water is in serious trouble, as is a man standing in flames. However, by combining the two states, they may be bought into a safe balance.
Prerequisites:
Ability to cast at least three spells damaging that either have the [Cold] or [Fire] descriptor, including via the Energy Substitution[Cold] and/or Energy Substitution[Fire] feats if you have one or both. At least one of these spells must be [Fire] and at least one of them must be [Cold].
OR
Access to both the Water and Fire domains.

(See also "Special" below)
Benefits: When you are about to take [Fire] or [Cold] damage, after resolving any applicable spell resistance, saving throw, multiplications for energy vulnerabilities and/or energy resistance, and either before or after applying the effects of Protection from Energy or similar at your option, as an immediate action you may expend a spell/spell slot or breath weapon with the opposite energy type to reduce the damage you are dealt by the damage your spell or breath weapon would normally inflict when cast offensively. If you are a spontaneous caster, you may apply metamagic feats to the spell slot expended without increasing the casting time.

So, for example, high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Cold] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a red dragon's breath weapon.

Spells or breath weapons expended in this way produce no other effect than shielding the caster and their carried items.
Special: If you have a breath weapon capable of dealing [Cold] damage (including via feats), it counts as knowing two damaging spells with the [Cold] descriptor, and having access to the Water domain for purposes of qualifying for this feat.

If you have a breath weapon capable of dealing [Fire] damage (including via feats), it counts as knowing two damaging spells with the [Fire] descriptor, and having access to the Fire domain for purposes of qualifying for this feat.


Master of the Balance of Energies [Metamagic] [Energy Balance]
Learning the principles of various damaging energies has made studying the others easier.
Prerequisites:
Must meet the requirements for at least four other [Energy Balance] feats (including ones you already have)
AND
Must have two other [Energy Balance] feats.
Benefits:
You gain the benefits of all [Energy Balance] feats. In addition, whenever you use such a benefit, all allies within 30' gain one quarter of the same numerical benefit against that same damaging spell or effect. For effects with the "all" descriptor treat this as a numerical value (before division) equal to your caster level for the spell used to counter the effect.

So, for example:
If a character is in the process of being dealt 50 points of fire damage by a dragon's breath weapon and negate 80 points of damage via an Empowered Delayed-Blast Fireball, then all of their allies within 30' would reduce the damage from that application of the breath weapon by 20 points. If the dragon then followed up with a Quickened Fireball you would then have to expend another spell if you wished to protect yourself and your comrades.

If a 7th level cleric with this feat is a secondary or the primary target of a Chained Spell Enervation and counters it with a Restoration spell, then all allies within 30' struck by that same Chained Spell Enervation would reduce the number of levels lost by 1.

Negative Sound [Metamagic] [Energy Balance]
With a perfect counter-vibration at exactly the same time you can turn flesh-disrupting sound into near-perfect silence.
Prerequisites:
Perform [Any TWO sound-based] 4 ranks each
AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
Ability to cast at least one damaging spell with the [Sonic] descriptor, including via the Energy Substitution feat[Sonic] if you have it.
OR
A breath weapon capable of dealing [Sonic] damage (including via feats).
Benefits:
When you are about to take [Sonic] damage, after resolving any applicable spell resistance, saving throw, multiplications for energy vulnerabilities and/or energy resistance, and either before or after applying the effects of Protection from Energy or similar at your option, as an immediate action you may expend a spell/spell slot or breath weapon with the [Sonic] type to reduce the damage you are dealt by the damage your spell or breath weapon would normally inflict when cast offensively. If you are a spontaneous caster, you may apply metamagic feats to the spell slot expended without increasing the casting time.

So, for example, high level sorcerer with could use a Maximized Energy Substituted[Sonic] Fireball to reduce damage taken from a dragon's breath weapon.

Spells or breath weapons expended in this way produce no other effect than shielding the caster and their carried items.




Comments:
I did this pretty quick, because I have some social and organizational problems that mean if I took any longer I'd forget to EVER post stuff. Please inform me of any typos (or at least overlook them).

As I said, the formatting ended up a bit varied because the individual feats were clearest that way.

The positive/negative energy feat looks really strong against negative levels until you realize that Restoration is the same level as Death Ward. I'm actually wondering if it should allow Immediate speed self-Counter-Turning (or preventing control via the Command Undead sub-ability of Rebuke Undead) for undead/deathless casters.

I figured that sinking three feats into this sort of thing was enough to get the whole shebang, plus a small kicker in the ability to shield your allies. What do people think of this conclusion?

Should the sonic one only require one skill at rank 4? One at 5 or more ranks? Two at much more ranks? Sonic is sorta a narrow energy type, and most of the natively sonic damaging spells are pretty poor. Sound Burst is probably the exception.

Did I give too many examples?

Should I abstract the mechanics into a paragraph describing what [Energy Balance] feats at the beginning of the post and then just have the individual examples give the pre-requisites, effected energy types (both to be countered and what type is used to counter them), plus any special effects such as the negative/positive one also being useful against negative levels?

Should I split the positive/negative energy stuff into two separate feats?

[Garryl]

Interesting concept. I don't think these are worth the cost, though. Spending a feat and additional limited resources to protect against a single type of energy damage is a big ask. The nature of the resource expended is also suspect.
- For spell slots, you have to have available a blasting spell of the appropriate energy type, which typically means reserving a spell slot for an often suboptimal spell. This does make a bit more sense for spontaneous casters, though, as they don't have to reserve the slot in advance and having a blasting spell or two among your spells known is often a decent enough choice if only for dealing with swarms.
- For breath weapons, monsters that have breath weapons usually (although not always) have immunity or high resistance to their breath's energy type. In case of immunity, the damage is already negated, and in the case of resistance, attackers are already discouraged from using that damage type against the monster. Player breath weapons tend not to be tied to associated resistances or immunities as frequently, but also tend to be much more limited in their damage or uses.

If I was worried about energy damage, I would prefer to reserve a 2nd and/or 3rd level spell slot for Resist Energy and/or Protection From Energy. They last for 10 minutes/level, which is usually long enough for multiple encounters or even a full adventuring day (especially when extended). They're also flexible enough to let you pick the energy type you're protecting against on the given day, instead of needing to pick/predict it multiple levels in advance.

For comparison, the example Sorcerer (who must be at least 12th level) with the Maximized Fireball is using a 6th-level spell slot to prevent up to 60 points of damage. A Quickened Resist Energy also uses a 6th-level slot and provides 30 points of resistance, granting equal total effective HP over the course of two hits as that single expended spell slot. A precast Extended Protection From Energy provides 120 points of damage protection (twice as much), lasts for at least 4 hours, carries over the remaining damage protection if the initial hit doesn't deplete it, and only uses a 4th-level spell slot.

I think there's something here, but the implementation across numerous feats doesn't work. Maybe condensing it into a single feat, covering all 5 energy types and possibly also positive/negative energy, with a followup feat to share the protection with your allies, to remove the immediate action cost (so you can use it multiple times per round), and/or to let any excess damage protection persist for a time. I could also see these as part of the class features for an energy-focused spellcaster or Dragonfire Adept PrC.

[Draco Dei]

Yeah, condensing everything into a single feat is probably better balanced.

As for making it a (PrC) class feature I think that would work, but I am also lacking inspiration. I don't even have that great a grasp on the Dragonfire Adept despite having, IIRC, had two separate painful experiences with people wanting to play it, but running into some killer problems with making the build actually work in the setting I was running.

[Draco Dei]

Have edited it into a single feat and then asked on the Discord for a Grammar/Clarity/Spelling double-check.

This is what I got there so far:
the_bluez
Just two things, as I'm going to sleep
1) you counter the spell? Negating it? Even if after having used SR, saving throws and all other things?  The text says It counters "the energy"
2) Why metamagic? It has no upcasting, and prepared spellcasters need not to prepare spells with this already applied

DracoDei
Both good points. I will answer here, and hopefully edit in clarifications to the thread later.
1.) You just negate the damage to yourself and your attended items. Other party members hit by that Fireball are out of luck (but I might make a sequel feat that lets you help them out too... I think the original version had an option for that. If so it was removed because it was paired with the now-redundant function of a removed feat that gave you the rest of the original Energy Balance Feats if you had a certain number of them.
2.) Because it is very much re-working the spell to do something different, and it can meet requirements for, say a PrC that requires "3 metamagic feats"... ironically enough, I think Energy Substitution requires one other metamagic feat as a pre-requisite. The irony is because Energy Substitution is very useful for qualifying for this feat at very low class levels or maybe for Sorcerers/Favored Souls.