What do folks think of this feat. I'm planning on taking it on my sorcerer since it seems fairly good on paper. Since I have such a small known spell list as a sorcerer, I have a few spell levels that have more utility spells than say damage or spells that require a foe to save. By taken Heighten Spell it would seem thatI could just bump up my lower level damage spells or debuff spells to make them more difficult to resist while using up a daily use of a spell level that doesn't get as much use. Is this how it works out in practice or do most folks find that you never end up using it?
Bestow curse is one of those spells that are really nice when heightened, along with hold person and similar spells. It's a good way of keeping lower level spells viable past the early stages of the game.
Isn't that why they make spells like Bestow Greater Curse, and Hold Monster? I thought that was why they allowed you to switch out spells at later levels as well. That way if you select Hold Monster after you already have Hold Person, you can just switch out the weaker Hold Person for a different spell of the same level.
Although there are some spells that don't have more powerful versions....hmmmm, this idea has merit. I'd give it a shot. How many spell slots above normal should it use up?
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What do folks think of this feat. I'm planning on taking it on my sorcerer since it seems fairly good on paper. Since I have such a small known spell list as a sorcerer, I have a few spell levels that have more utility spells than say damage or spells that require a foe to save. By taken Heighten Spell it would seem thatI could just bump up my lower level damage spells or debuff spells to make them more difficult to resist while using up a daily use of a spell level that doesn't get as much use. Is this how it works out in practice or do most folks find that you never end up using it?
Make sure to read up on sorcerers taking metamagic feats. Unless you use the feat Arcane Preparation, it would take your character a full round action (or is it just a full action) to cast the spell. To me that makes it a bit less worthwhile.
Increasing a spell one level only modifies the save DC by one. It feels like Spell Focus might be a better choice -- especially since there isn't a spell level increase.
How many spell slots above normal should it use up?
It uses the spell slot of whatever level you move it to. So you can cast say Hold Person as a 4th level spell using up one of your daily uses of a 4th level spell and it has the ssave DC of a 4th leevl spell as well as acting like a 4th level spell for things like getting through minor globes of invulnerability.
It uses the spell slot of whatever level you move it to? Ok, that sounds fair. There have to be some limitations though, a 9th level Magic Missile would be sick....especially if one were to take the Force Missile Mage PrC!
Make sure to read up on sorcerers taking metamagic feats. Unless you use the feat Arcane Preparation, it would take your character a full round action (or is it just a full action) to cast the spell. To me that makes it a bit less worthwhile.Increasing a spell one level only modifies the save DC by one. It feels like Spell Focus might be a better choice -- especially since there isn't a spell level increase.
Yeah a full round action can suck, but a lot of times I don't move much or just take a 5' step. I'm thinking spells like Flaming Sphere would benefit from a higher DC since it's damage is negated with a successful save. When I pick up Web next level it's another one that will benefit, plus I'll be picking up some illusions pretty soon too so three different schools of spells that could benefit depending on the situation.
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It uses the spell slot of whatever level you move it to? Ok, that sounds fair. There have to be some limitations though, a 9th level Magic Missile would be sick....especially if one were to take the Force Missile Mage PrC!
Deathedge, here is the text from the SRD:
Heighten Spell [Metamagic]
Benefit
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.
Since magic missile doesn't allow a save, the only real gain from heightening it is to bypass globes of invulnerability.
It says ALL effects dependent on spell level. So wouldn't that mean an increase in the number of missiles?
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It says ALL effects dependent on spell level. So wouldn't that mean an increase in the number of missiles?
# of missiles is dependant upon level of caster, not the level of the spell. A third level caster who cast magic missile gets 2 missiles. Heightening the spell would not change the actual caster level.
edit - two others a touch faster on the keys than I
Aha, I actually realized that right after I posted. D'oh!
This is my favorite metamagic feat (Empower a close second).
I typically play a Cleric of Moradin in a few campaigns whose made a living on this feat. Examples of what the cleric heitens include:
#2) Destruction. He has spell focus and greater spell focus necromancy, so heightening this spell could have greater chance of success than a 9th level Implosion.
#1) Sanctuary. My all-time favorite spell to heighten. In my opinion its better than anti-life shell, repulsion, and any other spell that keeps enemies at bay because it allows for battlefield mobility and may disrupt an enemies attack if they risk the will save and fail it. I memorize this at the highest level available, to include 9th level.
Sounds cool! In which book would I find this feat?
Heighten Spell is in the Player's Handbook. So's Empower Spell.
Hahahahahahaha.....figures...
I'd have looked for myself except I'm currently at work, and nowhere near my books!
Here's another question (and thank you people for humoring my questions!): If you cast a spell at a higher level, would it increase the damage past the spell's normal damage cap? Such as, say, Lightning Bolt?
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Spell level only affects the spell's save DC and whether or not it gets past things like Globe of Invulnerability. It doesn't affect the maximum damage dice, area of effect or anything like that. Empower Spell, however, specifically increases random amounts by 50%, so you can use that to increase your fireball damage.
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Here's another question (and thank you people for humoring my questions!): If you cast a spell at a higher level, would it increase the damage past the spell's normal damage cap? Such as, say, Lightning Bolt?
No. Damage caps are determined by the spell description. The only thing Heighten Spell does is treat the spell as a higher slot. It has no effect on the functionality of the spell and no effect on the variables themselves.
Ok, cool. That would be pretty broken if it allowed spells to up their damage caps.
Heighten Spell is one of the most useful feats for a sorcerer !!
It makes low-level spells still useful at higher levels by allowing to increase the DC (much more than Spell Focus who works for only one school)
It allows your low level spell to bypass globes of invulnerability.
It lets you dissipate a Darkness with a simple Light, heightened to the right level.
It lets you dissipate a Darkness with a simple Light, heightened to the right level.
I so hadn't thought of that. That's a great use of Heighten.
I have a Small Air Elemental as a familar so the alternative class feature in PHII doesn't work for me. The increased casting time for metamagic I don't think will be an issue. If it is there is a feat that I could take at 9th level (prerequisite is Spellcraft 12) that does the same thing.
Wow, I'm necroposting...
The single greatest use of heighten spell in our campaigns is to apply it in conjunction with other metamagic feats to raise its effective spell level to be equal to the slot.
So for example, you can empower a fireball to give it 1.5x normal damage. It uses up a fifth level spell-slot, but it's still considered a 3rd level spell for the purpose of saving throws. You could then heighten it to 5th level - giving it the +2 save DC a normal 5th level spell would get.
It's still usually questionable whether or not said spell with both heighten and empower would be comparable to a true 5th level spell, but it's served us pretty well for several years.
@Russell
If what you are saying is that an Empowered Fireball Heightened to level 5 only takes up a 5th level spell slot, your wrong. The Heighten spell feat is a variable adjustment that is still added to the total adjustment of other metamagic feats. Thus Heightening a spell from level 3 to level 5 is a +2 and when added to the +2 of empowering a spell would result in a +4 adjustment. An Empowered Fireball Heightened to level 5 takes up a 7th level spell slot.
You could specialize in evocation or take spell focus (evocation) and then take the feat Metamagic school focus (evocation) and then take the feat Thesis Spell (selecting Fireball)...
Then you could prepare an Empowered Fireball Heightened to level 5 as a 5th level spell. But if your going to take those feats you might as well drop heighten for quiken spell or maximize spell.
Honestly I've never really used or thought much of Highten Spell. Yes it makes those lower levels spells more useful. Unfortunately they still aren't as useful as the actual spells of that level are. Frankly I find it a waste of a feat.
Also if you check the Complete Mage there is a feat Rapid Metamagic which lets you add metamagic feats without raising casting time.
Honestly I've never really used or thought much of Highten Spell. Yes it makes those lower levels spells more useful. Unfortunately they still aren't as useful as the actual spells of that level are. Frankly I find it a waste of a feat.
Also if you check the Complete Mage there is a feat Rapid Metamagic which lets you add metamagic feats without raising casting time.
I no longer play that charcter any more but I did find the feat very useful. When you have a sorcerer with limited known spells being able to use your lower ones more effectively was a great help. Things like dancing lights to cancel darkness or to use spells like grease or wall of smoke with a much higher DC. A Heightened Grease spells on the brutes weapon changed the tides on a number of battles.
Honestly I've never really used or thought much of Highten Spell. Yes it makes those lower levels spells more useful. Unfortunately they still aren't as useful as the actual spells of that level are. Frankly I find it a waste of a feat.
It's more useful for a sorcerer than a wizard, IMO; heightened Glitterdust or Charm Person are worth heightening, for instance.