Quicken Spell-Like Ability — Innate Magic in an Instant
A dragon’s roar, a demon’s curse, or a creature’s inborn blast of sorcery can be unleashed with scarcely a moment’s effort. The creature pays no higher spell slot, but the chosen power must be strong enough—and within the spell-equivalent level allowed by its caster level.
At a Glance
| D&D 2024 | No standard feat under this name; use the individual creature’s innate spellcasting rules |
|---|---|
| D&D 2014 | No standard feat under this name; use the individual creature’s innate spellcasting rules |
| Pathfinder 1e | Monster feat: caster level 10+, quickens one eligible ability up to 3/day as a swift action |
| D&D 3.5e | General monster feat: caster level 10+, quickens one eligible ability up to 3/day; core SRD calls this a free action |
| Eligible spell level | No higher than floor(caster level ÷ 2) − 4 |
| Round limit | Only one quickened spell-like ability may be used in a round |
Rules by Edition
D&D 2024 — Creature Spellcasting
This legacy monster feat is not a standard D&D 2024 feat. Creatures use the spells, actions and innate traits described in their own published stat blocks. The Sorcerer’s Quickened Spell Metamagic option uses Sorcery Points and does not automatically grant the feat to monsters or other characters.
D&D 2014 — Creature Spellcasting
This feat is not a standard entry in the 2014 Basic Rules. A monster’s Innate Spellcasting or other specific traits determine its casting time, and there is no general permission to quicken three innate powers a day. Any conversion needs to account for Bonus Action spellcasting and the individual creature’s action economy.
Pathfinder 1e — Quicken Spell-Like Ability
Type: Monster feat. Prerequisite: At least one spell-like ability at caster level 10. Choose a spell-like ability equivalent to a spell no higher than floor(caster level ÷ 2) − 4.
Benefit: Up to three times daily, or fewer if the selected ability itself has fewer uses, activate that ability as a swift action. The use does not provoke an attack of opportunity. You may use only one quickened spell-like ability per round.
Example: A creature with caster level 14 can select an ability equivalent to a third-level spell (floor(14 ÷ 2) − 4 = 3). If that power is normally usable at will, three of its daily activations can be quickened. This does not add three uses to an ability already limited to fewer daily activations.
Abilities duplicating spells with casting times greater than one full round are ineligible. Taking the feat again selects a different eligible ability.
D&D 3.5e — Quicken Spell-Like Ability
Type: General monster feat. Prerequisite: Spell-like ability at caster level 10 or higher. Select one eligible ability, using the spell-equivalent level limit floor(caster level ÷ 2) − 4.
Benefit: The creature may quicken the selected ability three times daily, or fewer if its normal daily use limit is lower. The core SRD describes this as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Certain later 3.5e presentations use swift-action terminology; follow the source chosen for the campaign. The creature may use only one quickened spell-like ability per round.
Example: A caster level 12 fiend can quicken a spell-like ability equivalent to a spell of level 2 or lower. Its 3/day quickened uses do not give it three additional ordinary uses of the ability.
Normal: A spell-like ability typically takes a standard action and provokes an attack of opportunity unless its description says otherwise. No ability duplicating a spell with casting time longer than one full round can be quickened. This feat may be selected again for another qualifying spell-like ability.
Eligibility by Caster Level
| Spell-equivalent level | Minimum caster level, including feat prerequisite |
|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 3 | 14 |
| 4 | 16 |
| 5 | 18 |
| 6 | 20 |
The published table’s level-0 entry begins at caster level 8, but the feat itself requires caster level 10. This table applies both conditions together.
Epic Spell-Like Abilities — Optional Extension
The Dicefreaks Gates of Hell project extends the underlying mathematical progression beyond caster level 20. This is campaign material, not the core monster feat’s published table. If a GM explicitly adopts the extension, spell-equivalent levels 7, 8 and 9 would need caster levels 22, 24 and 26 respectively, as predicted by the same formula. Do not apply these optional epic values to normal Pathfinder or D&D 3.5e characters without consent.
See Automatic Quicken Spell-Like Ability for the Dicefreaks epic feat that removes the usual three-quickened-uses ceiling from one already qualifying innate ability.
Using the Feat at the Table
- Record the creature’s caster level and normal uses for the selected spell-like ability.
- Confirm the spell-equivalent level is allowed by the feat’s caster-level limit.
- Mark no more than three quickened uses per day—or fewer if the ability is otherwise limited.
- Use the action type specified by the edition and source, keep the one-per-round limit, and resolve the normal effect.
Related: Empower Spell-Like Ability · Maximize Spell-Like Ability · Metamagic Rules.
Sources and Attribution
The standard D&D 3.5e feat appears in its Monster Feats SRD and Pathfinder 1e has a separately published monster feat. The optional beyond-level-20 progression is from Dicefreaks’ The Gates of Hell: Grimoire of Cosmic Entities, Volume One, credited to Eli Atkinson, William Church and Serge W. Desir Jr.; original concept credited to Serge W. Desir Jr. The original numerical rules, the optional expansion, and the new examples are distinguished rather than merged.
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