Heighten Spell: Clever and Interesting Examples

[revloc02]

What are some clever and interesting ways in which you have used, or have seen used, Heighten Spell?

Or, what are some effective uses you have heard of?

[Kayerloth]

Mostly Heighten Spell is going to get used for one of the following:
1) To raise the DC of any saves involved.
2) To allow the spell to be used on someone within a Lesser Globe of Invulnerability or Globe of Invulnerability. Similarly it can be used to beat the various forms of Spell Immunity. Not sure if a FAQ or elsewhere has clarified whether an otherwise metagmagicked Fireball (such as Empowered) is sufficient to bypass Spell Immunity but clearly a 5th level version defeats Spell Immunity's limit of 4th level or less.
3) To defeat wording such as appears in Continual Flame and other spells (bolding mine):

spell text wrote:

Light spells counter and dispel darkness spells of an equal or lower level.

So, for example, if I had an archer companion getting routinely (or in a critical situation) shut down by Fickle Winds you can bet I would be using the last line in Fickle Winds to deal with the issue in some manner while on my Loremaster:

text of Fickle Winds wrote:

This spell has no effect within the area of a higher-level wind or weather spell.

[Rogar Stonebow]

What higher level wind or weather effect would you use?

[Orfamay Quest]

Rogar Stonebow wrote:

What higher level wind or weather effect would you use?

Fog cloud would do it, assuming that the archer had some way to deal with the concealment.

[wraithstrike]

I dont know if a fog counts as weather. They should have given examples.

[Orfamay Quest]

wraithstrike wrote:

I dont know if a fog counts as weather.

What else would you call it? Given that the National Weather Service tracks fog and issues "fog warnings" at appropriate times, you have to be pretty hard-core into disempowering PCs to argue with that.

[wraithstrike]

Orfamay Quest wrote:

wraithstrike wrote:

I dont know if a fog counts as weather.

What else would you call it? Given that the National Weather Service tracks fog and issues "fog warnings" at appropriate times, you have to be pretty hard-core into disempowering PCs to argue with that.

I guess it is weather, but I never thought of it as weather. However the control weather spell does mention fog.

[Kayerloth]

Rogar Stonebow wrote:

What higher level wind or weather effect would you use?

Depends on the situation. If I was routinely encountering the situation I'd probably need to research a new or variant spell as a relatively quick glance shows few Sor/Wiz spells of those sort that aren't already higher level (negating the need for Heighten) or simply aren't Sor/Wiz spells. One could simply Heighten Gust of Wind. Yes your Archer companion would take a -4 to hit but at least he could use a Full Attack for the next round on the offender. Similarly I might use a Heightened Cloak of Winds. This spell is intended for use on yourself and allies but nothing prohibits you from targeting a foe either they are just likely to take advantage of the saving throw option ... which is a Fort save. I'd probably have whatever choice I came up with on a scroll since it isn't likely something I'd have memorized routinely (in Heightened form anyway) regardless of which spell I was using to deal with Fickle Winds (unless my GM really liked to use Fickle Winds, a lot). That would be one advantage of being a spontaneous caster in this situation. If it was a critical situation and/or perhaps the first time encountering the situation I might resort to using Limited Wish rather than Heightening something. Otherwise Heighten Control Winds or Control Weather could both be used by the appropriate caster.

Ninja'd big time (yeah for slow typing)
And yes Fog Cloud should work I'd think. And yes it would have been really nice to either use/create the appropriate descriptor (Wind or Weather) or make it somehow clear. As is we are left with normal English usage and all the table variation one might expect as a result.

[Orfamay Quest]

I think a strong case could be made that any of the weather domain spells are "weather spells."

1st—obscuring mist, 2nd—fog cloud, 3rd—call lightning, 4th—sleet storm, 5th—ice storm, 6th—control winds, 7th—control weather, 8th—whirlwind, 9th—storm of vengeance.

[Kayerloth]

I think Orfamay Quest hit it out of the park, scored a hat trick and dropped a hole in one all at the same time with the response above. My mind was too focused on "Wind" spells and sort of forgot about the "Weather" side of things. If the Weather domain doesn't consist of just weather spells I don't know what would.

Lastly the long term solution my Loremaster would have probably adopted if finding himself up against Fickle Winds with any frequency would have been to Craft a Staff with an appropriate spell or two on it for nullifying Fickle Winds.

[revloc02]

I am still pretty new, and I am naive sometimes (I can't help it), but I thought I'd get more responses. But now that I've read more around the forums, I am thinking that Heighten Spell is not that great a feat, and is mostly just a feat tax for Preferred Spell. That true?

[wraithstrike]

It can help keep lower level spells useful, but it is not a "great" feat.

[Hogeyhead]

It is a prerequisite for a really great feat; preferred spell that allows you to cast a single spell both spontaneously, and with no increase in casting time.

[Adept_Woodwright]

If you get the fancy to build a counterspelling (Arcane) sorcerer for a duel, you can use heightened cantrips to counter high level spells. I get a kick out of the idea of countering limited wish with a heightened prestidigitation.

(I think it can be done to Wish too, with the right set up... I can't recall if the idea leaned on mythic or not)