Metamagic Feats

[Manly Man]

The difference in cost between a base spell and a -ra version of it is two more MP, and you'd instead be spending three more to turn your normal spell into something that's still worse (since the spell is centered on you, and therefore doesn't have the 400+x ft. casting range that the -ra spells do). If you're gonna spend more on a spell, you should make it worthwhile.