Quicken Spell (Feat)

You can cast spells in a fraction of the normal time.

Prerequisites: Caster Level 11

Related: Multispell (Feat), Quicken Spell, Automatic (Feat)

Benefit: You may use this feat up to once per round to cast a spell with a casting time no greater than a standard action, as a swift action. You can perform other activities with your remaining actions, including casting another spell, in the same round as you cast a quickened spell, as long as you have sufficient actions left to do so.

• Normally, standard-action spells can be cast as the first attack of a Full Attack Action (and only the first attack), while all remaining attacks in the Full Attack Action can be used for melee or ranged attacks, combat maneuvers, 5-foot steps, or any other activities that require an attack action to perform. Since a full attack action does not use up your swift action for the round (it uses up your Standard Action and your Move Action, but not your Swift Action), you can use Quicken Spell to cast a spell using your swift action, and still perform your entire full attack action.

• Note that spells that have a casting time of an Immediate Action can already be cast during your turn without the need for this feat (and with no increase to their spell level). Furthermore, these spells do not provoke attacks of opportunity, since they are cast so quickly. You can never perform more than one Immediate Action per round, regardless of whether you use it during your turn or outside of your turn.

• A spell whose casting time is greater than a standard action, such as Rituals (which require 1 minute or more to cast), or True Dweomers (which require a full-round action to cast) may not be quickened. To use Quicken on a True Dweomer, you must first successfully perform a Caster Check to cast it as a Standard Action (see the "Casting Time" section of the True Dweomer for details on fast casting).

• If you are a spontaneous caster, you can apply the effects of Quicken Spell (or any other metamagic feat you know) to a spell as you cast it, so long as it has a casting time no greater than than a standard action. Of course, you must expend a spell slot of an appropriately increased spell level when you do so. If you can successfully make a caster check to cast a True Dweomer as a standard action (instead of a full-round action), you may then spontaneously apply Quicken Spell to it to cast it as a Swift Action, if you wish (using the higher level spell slot to do so, obviously).

• If you a Vancian caster who needs to memorize their spells, then you must apply any metamagic feat(s) to the spell at the same time as you are memorizing your spells for the day (using a spell slot of an appropriately increased spell level when you do so). This is also the case with True Dweomers; you must memorize it ahead of time with Quicken Spell (or any other metamagic feat(s)) already applied, using an appropriately higher level spell slot for it. When you start casting the True Dweomer, you must attempt to fast cast it by making a caster check, in order to attempt to gain the use of Quicken. If you fail to beat the DC required to cast the Quickened True Dweomer as a standard action, you lose the benefit of Quicken when casting that True Dweomer (the True Dweomer is still cast as a Full-Round Action, but since you didn't succeed on the check to make it a Standard Action, you cannot apply the effects of Quicken to it). You do not get a 'refund' for the wasted spell levels.

Special: Casting a spell as a swift action (such as those spells cast with Quicken Spell) does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If you are threatened by enemies, you can choose to only use Quickened spells as a way to avoid making defensive casting checks, if you wish. Of course, any non-Quickened spells you cast while threatened are still subject to the rules for casting on the defensive.

Level Increase: +4 (A quickened spell uses up a spell slot four levels higher than the spell's actual level.)