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So I've been the GM at my table, and it's been a little slow. We can't always get together and we started late so we've just started Part 2 (the advantage being we get to use a lit of the Errata fixes and see how they function afyer the chapter than inspired them).
With Part 1 characters I assumed Heightened just meant when prepared in a higher slot they were better, ala 5e design. However, when running through practice with a Sorcerer character I got to read through Spontaneous Heightening, which basically says heightening in the Playtest works like Starfinder's where you have to purchase the spell again at a higher level. This doesn't make a lot of sense with the character sheet layout which has a section for the spell's level and a section for heightened. This is also weirdly unclear since in Starfinder it works because the only 2 classes with spells are both spontaneous casters, and when they take a multi-level spell they get to immediately replace their lower level version, and they can still cast every lower level version as normal. So half the system appears to be there in buying the spell better.
Here's heightened spells from the Sorcerer entry:
When you get spell slots of 2nd level and higher, you can heighten lower-level spells to higher levels. You must learn them at the new level to do so, as described on page 192. The spontaneous heightening class feature lets you select two spells you can heighten freely.
And here's from the Wizard entry:
When you get spell slots of 2nd level and higher, you can prepare lower-level spells in those slots to strengthen them (see page 192). This increases the spell’s level to match the heightened spell slot. Many spells have specific improvements when they are heightened to certain levels.
Going to page 192, you get essentially two different heightened rules. Prepared get 5e only need low level, and spontaneous get needing 5 copies of the same spell eating up their precious known spells. Maybe I'm just picky but the spontaneous version seems needlessly overcomplicated compared to Starfinder's, and I don't see a lot of sense in having it work differently.
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Don't forget the third version of the heightened rules, the auto-heightening of cantrips and powers. Those spells don't use spell slots, so they are always cast at the highest feasible spell slot they would use if they used spell slots.
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Going to page 192, you get essentially two different heightened rules. Prepared get 5e only need low level, and spontaneous get needing 5 copies of the same spell eating up their precious known spells. Maybe I'm just picky but the spontaneous...
Its been talked about. Most people want spont-heighten to apply to everything all the time. The (apparent?) rational for the "pick two" was to prevent analysis paralysis during combat.
(To which I say b$@~!*@s: I already know what spell effect I want, let me then decide that it needs to be Extra Effective this time).
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The devs are overestimating the ability of a sorcerer heightening any of his very limited list of spells at will, unlike Wizards, which even though need to buy and prepare spells, they have a vast amount of them available.
If this freedom is "too strong", which I don't think it will be, they could get better results balancing the system after the sorcerers are unbound by this unnecessary, fun-killer and borderline stupid restrictions.
I mean, the current system is completely clunky, unnecessary and it's BAD. Why not just use a little bit of reasonableness and apply to the class, because for one thing, the current system seems to be swapped. Sorcerers should be able to shape their spells at will, specially with experience, while Wizards would need to learn each level of the spells, because they work their intricacies in a methodical manner instead of a spontaneous manifestation.
Seems pretty obvious what I said, doesn't it? That's because it is and it baffles me why the system WAS NOT conceived like that.
Also:
Clairaudience is a lv3 spell. Lasts 1 min, range 500ft. It does not heighten.
Clarvoyance is a lv4 spell. Lasts 1 min, range 500ft. It does not heighten.
Also:
Clairaudience is a lv3 spell. Lasts 1 min, range 500ft. It does not heighten.
Clarvoyance is a lv4 spell. Lasts 1 min, range 500ft. It does not heighten.
Not sure what this is in reply to.
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Not sure what this is in reply to.Also:
Clairaudience is a lv3 spell. Lasts 1 min, range 500ft. It does not heighten.
Clarvoyance is a lv4 spell. Lasts 1 min, range 500ft. It does not heighten.
I suspect that Ediwir wants them combined into a single spell with different effects at different casting levels.
Here are the originals.
Clairaudience Spell 3
Divination, Scrying
Casting 1 minute (Material, Somatic, Verbal)
Range 500 feet
Duration 1 minute
You create an invisible floating ear at a location within range (even if
it’s outside your line of sight or line of effect). It can’t move, but you
can hear through the ear as if using your normal auditory senses.
Clairvoyance Spell 4
Divination, Scrying
Casting 1 minute (Material, Somatic, Verbal)
Range 500 feet
Duration 1 minute
You create an invisible floating eye at a location within range (even if
it’s outside your line of sight or line of effect). The eye can’t move, but
you can see in all directions as if using your normal visual senses.
Here is a possible combined form.
Extrasensory Perception Spell 3
Divination, Scrying
Casting 1 minute (Material, Somatic, Verbal)
Range 500 feet
Duration 1 minute
Clairaudience - You create an invisible floating ear at a location within range (even if it’s outside your line of sight or line of effect). It can’t move, but you can hear through the ear as if using your normal auditory senses.
Heightened (4th) Clairvoyance - You create an invisible floating eye instead of an invisible floating eye. The eye cannot hear and cannot move, but you can see in all directions as if using your normal visual senses.
Heightened (6th) Full Perception - You create an invisible floating sensor that has all your non-magical senses, such as hearing, vision, touch, taste, and smell. It can’t move, but you can see, hear, and smell in all directions as if using your normal visual senses, and feel the temperature, texture, and taste of any substance within one inch of the center of the sensor.
I had used the chain of fog spells in the Core Rulebook as an example back in July during the playtest previews. Now I can construct the example with the playtest rules.
The playtest versions.
Obscuring Mist Spell 2
Conjuration, Water
Casting [[A]] Material Casting, [[A]] Somatic Casting, [[A]] Verbal Casting
Range 120 feet; Area 20-foot burst
Duration 1 minute or until dismissed
You create a cloud of mist in the area that makes all creatures
within it concealed. You can dismiss the cloud with a Verbal
casting action.
Solid Fog Spell 4
Conjuration, Water
Casting [[A]] Material Casting, [[A]] Somatic Casting, [[A]] Verbal Casting
Range 120 feet; Area 20-foot burst
Duration 1 minute or until dismissed
Per obscuring mist, except that the area is also difficult terrain.
And the combined version.
Stubborn Fog Spell 2
Conjuration, Water
Casting [[A]] Material Casting, [[A]] Somatic Casting, [[A]] Verbal Casting
Range 120 feet; Area 20-foot burst
Duration 1 minute or until dismissed
Obscuring Mist - You create a cloud of mist in the area that makes all creatures within it concealed. You can dismiss the cloud with a Verbal casting action.
Heightened (4th) Solid Fog - Per obscuring mist, except that the area is also difficult terrain.
Heightened (6th) Acid Fog - Per solid fog, except it gains the Acid trait. Also, when you cast the spell and at the beginning of your turns, the fog deals 2d6 acid damage to each creature and object within it.
Pretty much.
The heightening rules SEEM like a game mechanic at the start, until you run into Sorcerers, who pretty much ignore them and use spells separately (but have a feature to use spell chains, albeit less effectively than bards). Then it becomes an artifice to save space in the book, until you run into other spells that look pretty much the same but are separate.
Basically, I’m not sure what Heightening is supposed to be.
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Pretty much.
The heightening rules SEEM like a game mechanic at the start, until you run into Sorcerers, who pretty much ignore them and use spells separately (but have a feature to use spell chains, albeit less effectively than bards). Then it becomes an artifice to save space in the book, until you run into other spells that look pretty much the same but are separate.Basically, I’m not sure what Heightening is supposed to be.
Heightening is supposed to be a method of keeping a spell from becoming useless at higher levels.
Consider Burning Hands, a 1st-level spell that deals 2d6 fire damage in a 15-foot cone. Once the party's fighter starts dealing 2d8+4 damage with his +1 longsword, that 2d6 looks pretty pathetic. And the fighter gets that sword by 5th level, so the wizard does not have much time to learn a good 2nd- or 3rd-level replacement to all his pathetic 1st-level spells.
Thus, 2nd Edition Burning Hands can be heightened to 2nd level to deal 4d6 fire damage as a 2nd-level spell. It is a temporary stopgap to learning a replacement 2nd- or 3rd-level spell.
Pathfinder 1st Edition handled it by scaling the spell with caster level. 1st Edition Burning Hands deals 1d4 points of fire damage per caster level (maximum 5d4). 5d4 is an average of 12.5 damage, about the same damage as two hits with a 1d8+2 weapon or one hit with a 2d8+4 weapon. Burning Hands in 1st Edition stays meaningful longer.
Of course, wizards are masters at learning new spells and clerics and druids are even better, but we have the spontaneous casters who, um, who don't get the benefit of heightening, since they would have to learn the spell at the heightened level.
Okay, my argument fell apart and I am just as bewildered as Ediwir.
There just is no good reason why sorcerer's and bards cannot heighten spells at need if they have the empty slot. Making them have to burn one of their precious few known spell slots is horrid just know the spell at a higher level.
Bard can burn a feat to get more heightens.
Sorcerer, who is an inferior spellcaster, is stuck at two forever....more seriously, I don't overly hate the idea of restricting heightening in some way since apparently the devs decided it was needed, but I would want it to be more flexible (and to favour Sorcerers, not Bards. Who the heck decided Bards were better?). A metamagic-style "You can Heighten a spell by using a higher spell slot and spending an extra action" would honestly be fine, and the feat can let you do that by burning your reaction instead (thus allowing to make use of your full turn and heighten 3-acts spells) - Sorcerers heighten would scale with level, getting the reaction bit at first and then a free action later.
Heighten works fine with a spell like Heal, where it's replacing four spells all called "Cure Wounds" that only varied in throughput. But Clerics don't have to learn Heal 1, Heal 2, Heal 3... the way Sorcerers are working right now is just silly.
That's the area of it that needs addressing the most, I think.
Though it would be confusing, I honestly wouldn't mind if they stole Starfinder's system for the spontaneous casters. Purchase the spell at a higher level, replace the lower version, and you can still cast the lower version if you want from the lower slot. It would allow you to
A: Let the Sorcs lower spell slots be slowly cycled out for utility without losing their (mostly) damaging spells,
B: Simplify the system and let them have more spells,
C: You could still keep Spontaneous Heightening as a feat for those sorcs who either can't invest all their current-level spell slots, or who really really want a new spell and not an upgrade.
The downside of course is that it's the polar opposite of the prepared caster method, which will add to new player confusion. Less so than the current, but still if one is "buy low, cast high" and the other is "buy high, cast low" there will be some head scratching.
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I concur that the spontaneous heightening restrictions are unnecessary, over-complicated, and unfun. It's not terrible at low levels when you don't have very many spells that are even candidates to be heightened, but past 10th it gets draconian.