How exactly does Heighten Spell interact with other metamagic feats applied?

For example, we prepare a maximized fireball (6th), and we also want to slap on Heighten Spell as well.

1. If said spell is prepared in the 6th slot, does it behave like a 6th level spell? (Save DC, Punching through Globe of Invulnerability, etc)

2. Or does it require a higher spell slot on a 1-for-1 basis?
i.e. Said spell is maximized and heightened by 1 (7th), but behaves like a 4th level spell.

2 is correct. Heighten Spell increases the spell's effective level by the same number of levels that it increases the spell's slot.

That's what I derived as well. Otherwise, it would be nearly mandatory for those that want to fiddle with metamagic.

Actually, heighten spells are a level equal to the slot they take up. Rules are very clear on this. It's not +1 spell level for +1 spell slot.

This sucks for people with Magical Lineage or other ways of reducing the slot cost, but that's what the rules say.

Actually, heighten spells are a level equal to the slot they take up. Rules are very clear on this. It's not +1 spell level for +1 spell slot.

This sucks for people with Magical Lineage or other ways of reducing the slot cost, but that's what the rules say.

I honestly think this is what the rules say as well, but man we need a clarification on this.

ShakaUVM wrote:

Actually, heighten spells are a level equal to the slot they take up. Rules are very clear on this. It's not +1 spell level for +1 spell slot.

This sucks for people with Magical Lineage or other ways of reducing the slot cost, but that's what the rules say.

I honestly think this is what the rules say as well, but man we need a clarification on this.

This is how I usually read it as well, but I can see that RAI may have been the other way.

I prefer heighten to be "acts as a spell with a level equal to the level of slot it takes" for two reasons:
1) It prevents people from using Magical Lineage or other ways of reducing slot cost in order to, for example, cast what is treated as a 4th level spell from a 3rd level slot. That just feels weird-wrong to me. With spell perfection this could get really bad, theoretically casting something that is treated as a 9th level spell using a slot as low as 0 (though admittedly the effect itself would be weak). Maybe it wouldn't cause problems, but it still feels wrong. (Note that this allows a caster to cast a spell that is treated as a higher level than the others that they can cast.)
2) It allows metamagic users to get a tiny bit more bang for their buck (in general), which is something I think they could use. Essentially, it would allow them to tack on a slightly higher save DC for free when they tack on metamagic to make a spell better. Since adding metamagic to a spell is almost always worse than just casting a spell of that higher level (even with spell-level-based aspects discounted), I'm okay with this.

This seems to have gone on for a few years.

A heightened spell has a higher spell level than normal (up to a maximum of 9th level). Unlike other metamagic feats, Heighten Spell actually increases the effective level of the spell that it modifies. All effects dependent on spell level (such as saving throw DCs and ability to penetrate a lesser globe of invulnerability) are calculated according to the heightened level. The heightened spell is as difficult to prepare and cast as a spell of its effective level.

Could we please get an official word on this one way or another?

If you want to use heighten spell with another metamagic feat you apply it first.

Example: A fireball is heightened to say 5th level for a 2 point raise in DC. If you want to then Empower the fireball it would have to be prepared or cast in a 7th level slot it's spell save DC's would be calculated as that of a fifth level spell.

LazarX: Where does it say this? I haven't found it printed or FAQed anywhere.