Can a magus use metamagic arcana with spell scar

Question

My magus character was previously captured and with his hands shackled he had little possibilities of casting a spell and escaping. To prevent this in the future, I was thinking about a way i could escape while being bound, or grappled even. I was thinking that a spell like gaseous form would be suitable for escape, but this spell contains the S component, making casting while properly bound difficult/impossible. I sadly found no other third level or lower spells that did not use the S component that would allow me to escape the shackles. If I could use the still magic arcana, my problem would be solved if I had the spell prepared. Since gaseous form is more of an utility spell, I don't want to keep it prepared at all time, but rather make a spell scar, so that to can't be taken away. Here is what I want to find out: can I use the still spell arcana on a spell scar, and if so do I use it when I scribe the scar, or at casting. Also will this do anything for the spell level?

From the item creation chapter:

A material component is consumed when she begins writing, but a focus is not. (A focus used in scribing a scroll can be reused.)

Another part from the item creation states:

The act of writing triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting until the character has rested and regained spells.

There are four possibilities here.

1. I can use the still magic arcana the moment I use the spell scar. The gaseous form spell is scribed as a normally with no special adjustments.
2. I can scribe the gaseous form spell adjusted with the still magic arcana, and not need to supply somatic components at the time when i cast the spell. The still spell arcana states that the spell level is not increased, so I'm left with a gaseous form spell scar with that does not require somatic components to use.
3. I can scribe the gaseous form spell with an increased spell level appropriate for the meta magic feat.
4. Its not possible to combine metamagic arcanas with spell scars, since there is no adjustment for level for the spells, making this feature overpowered.

I would think option 2 is realistic, but it might create a power imbalance. option 3 would be more fair.

Any ideas? thoughts?

EDIT: option one is no longer relevant since spellcasters can't use a metamagic feat to alter a spell being cast from a scroll as ShadowKras stated

Answer 1

It’s ambiguous and you will have to ask your GM. Personally, I would allow it.

Argument for “Yes, you can do this, and it doesn’t change the spell level”

Spell scars are created like scrolls, and

Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal.

Your still magic arcana allows you to use Still Spell, a metamagic feat, while casting a spell. To put spells in a magic item, you cast the spell into it. So nothing is saying you can’t use the still magic arcana to cast the spell you put into the spell scar, resulting in a stilled spell in the spell scar.

Argument for “No, you can’t do this; you need the feat”

Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal.

The still magic arcana is an arcana, not a feat, and therefore does not apply here. It’s like a feat, but not enough like a feat.

The best argument for this is actually not arcana at all, but metamagic rods, which function similarly. While I’d be inclined to happily allow a magus to create items of spells metamagic’d by his arcana, I’d be much, much less happy to allow a wizard to create cheap swift-action wands or something by using a metamagic rod of quicken spell.

Argument for “No, you can’t do this; something something preparation”

You can't normally apply metamagics to a scroll on the fly, the scroll's spell has to be prepared using the metamagic.

Since the still magic arcana applies Still Spell on the fly, rather than preparing the spell with the metamagic, it cannot be used here.

This particular argument is bad because this wording is horrible. As written, it would mean that spontaneous casters cannot put metamagic in magic items at all, and that’s just terrible. Instead, this looks like a very-poorly-edited line intended only to introduce the idea that you need to factor the metamagic into the item’s original construction, as would be described in greater detail later. But they said “the scroll’s spell” rather than just “the scroll” and they used “prepared” instead of something else, so you could argue that spontaneous spellcasters are just out of luck.

But you shouldn’t, because that’s awful and this line is awful and Paizo’s editing is awful and to play Pathfinder you have to accept that fact so that you can understand that sometimes, they say really dumb things they don’t mean.

One thing we can be sure of: the feat would work

If you took Still Spell as a metamagic feat, you are a prepared spellcaster so you could prepare the spell with the feat and then stick it into the spellscar. Then it would work, though you would be stuck with the spell level increase.

Answer 2

You have to prepare the spell-scar using the Metamagic feat.

You can't normally apply metamagics to a scroll on the fly, the scroll's spell has to be prepared using the metamagic (or cast using a metamagic feat you know, for spontanous casters). That means you can scribe a scroll of Fireball (3rd) using Silent Spell (+1), but it will cost the same as writing a 4th level scroll (700 gp).

This rule can be seen on the chapter about Metamagic Spells:

A spellcaster can't use a metamagic feat to alter a spell being cast from a wand, scroll, or other device.

And again on Scribe Scroll:

The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material component or focus the spell requires.

Since, for all purposes, a spell-scar says it can be used as a scroll, that also means you can apply metamagics when scribing the scar just like you can while scribing a scroll.

Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal.

When crafting a magic item, you must be able to cast the spell at least once per day, for every day spent on the creation process. Since the Still Spell Magus Arcana does allow that, but you are not preparing the spell with it, you are using the ability on a spell prepared without the metamagic effect applied to it. And thus, you cannot use the arcana for to scribe scrolls.

You can use the ability to enhance your own spells, but for magical item creation, it still requires increasing the spell level and thus the item's cost (or scar's cost, in your case), which the ability also does not provide.

There is a thread on paizo's messageboards explaining how metamagics can be applied on magic items, and the consensus of the community (based on developer's posts) that you cannot apply metamagic-reducing effects on the process of magic item creation. Although there is no RAW for this, it seems to be the developers's intent.

Answer 3

You would have to take Still Spell (Metamagic) and prepare the spell-scar using the Metamagic feat.

As ShadowKras indicated,

You can't normally apply metamagics to a scroll on the fly, the scroll's spell has to be prepared using the metamagic. That means you can scribe a scroll of Fireball (3rd) using Silent Spell (+1), but it will cost the same as writing a 4th level scroll (700 gp).

This rule can be seen on the chapter about Metamagic Spells

"A spellcaster can't use a metamagic feat to alter a spell being cast from a wand, scroll, or other device."

Since, for all purposes, a spell-scar says it can be used as a scroll, that also means you can apply metamagics when scribing the scar just like you can while scribing a scroll.

"Using metamagic feats, a caster can place spells in items at a higher level than normal."

However!

Still Magic (Su) Magus Arcana is an action not a metamagic:

The magus can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Still Spell feat.

Emphasis Mine

You cannot prepare spells with the Still Magic Arcana, therefore you cannot prepare spell scrolls with it either. And because you cannot apply Metamagic effects to scrolls, you cannot apply Magus Arcana to scrolls, ever.

Answer 4

If Still Magic (Su) Magus Arcana is not a metamagic, then you can apply it when you cast your spell scar.

If you're saying that only metamagic feats with no level reduction can be applied when creating a magic item, then I would argue that anything that is not a metamagic feat could be applied when using a magic item.