Help with Beguiler/Binder/Anima Mage/Shadowcraft Mage

[HCL]

I think I am going to put together a test of spite character with the class combination in the title Here is what I am thinking I want out of the character so far

-High ranks in tumble, UMD, search with trapfinding, diplomacy
-Great spellcasting
-at least 1-2 familiars to help me out by UMDing items
-reduced metamagic

Some other prestige classes I might want to sneak in would be
-Ur Priest because it is uber
-Nar demonbinder might be nice because of the bonus imp familiar

Here is what I am thinking so far

Dragonborn Tinker Gnome (Dragonlance Campaign setting)
Beguiler 2/Binder1/Anima Mage 7/Shadowcraft Mage 3

Feat 1: Versatile Spellcaster
Flaw 1: Heighten Spell
Flaw 2: The feat that gets you a domain... what is the domain that grants Shadow Conjuration/Evocation?
Feat 3: Improved Binding
Feat 6: Practical Metamagic (Heighten)
Feat 9: Obtain Familiar
Feat 12: Draconic Familiar (Wyrmling Red Dragon)

[Havok4]

The feat that you are looking for is arcane disciple and the domain is the shadow domain from ebberon.

[JaronK]

Arcane Thesis: Silent Image, Earth Sense, Earth Spell and Residual Metamagic are the feats I'd look into.

JaronK

[Havok4]

Arcane thesis does not work with heighten spell.

[JaronK]

It doesn't need to.  A Shadowcraft Mage nearly always uses Silent Image, so +2 Caster Level on that spell is awesome.

If you can then throw in another few metamagics on it and get them cheaper, so much the better.

JaronK

[Havok4]

I am actually playing a shadowcraft mage in a game now, and it is really feat intensive, so getting other metamagic feats to apply is tricky. If it applied to heighten spell it would be worth it though.

[HCL]

Aww damn, I need spell focus illusion to qualify for ScM 

are there any tricks to getting that for free? or another way to cast metamagiced spells without it being a full round?