Heighten Spell [Metamagic]

[Tuzenbach]

OK, maybe I'm just magnanimously dense, but.......


From what I gathered in my 3.0 PHB, the "Heighten Spell" Feat was incompletely written. It stated that a spell could be cast "as if" it were "higher level than normal (up to 9th level)", but then doesn't explain away anything. Not only that, but this was the only metamagic feat to not include in it's description "preparing a spell with this feat uses a spell slot X levels higher than the actual spell".

And figuring the SRD to be the final word on the matter, I downloaded that. And it's written almost word for word, so I really don't know what to think about the Heighten Spell feat.

And there are no prerequisites, either.

So, based upon these vague rules, a 1st level Wizard could apply the Heighten Spell feat to his Magic Missile and cast it at the strength of a 9th level spell!? I'm so confused!!!

 

[Pyrex]

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.

The key part is the "...is as difficult to prepare and cast..." part.

A first level wiz can only use Heighten to boost a spell to 1st level.

All* Heighten does is change the level of the spell. Any 17th level wizard can prepare a 1st level Magic Missile in a 9th level slot. With Heighten, the wiz can prepare a 9th level Magic Missile in that 9th level slot.

*Boosting the level has many benefits. Save DC goes up (as it's calculated by spell level), spells Heightened to 5th level will penetrate a Globe of Invulnerability or the clerical Spell Immunity, Heightened spells are less susceptable to Spell Turning, etc.

 

[apsuman]

From the SRD I downloaded.

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.


I think it is clear. But just in case it's not... If you wanted to apply the heighten feat to charm person and cast the spell as a ninth level spell, it would occupy a ninth level slot and have it's save based upon being a ninth level spell.

 

[Tuzenbach]

Ah, so it's not as if really low-level casters can all of a sudden turn their 1st level spells into 9th level juggernauts, but that really high-level casters can take spells that they thought they outgrew, apply Heighten, and get whole new spells. Thanks for the explanation! I only wish the original description was that well-written.

I'm guessing the description takes into account the reader knowing that a 1st level caster casn't really cast a 9th level spell, huh? I suppose I was looking at it through the "backwards logic" glasses.

 

[Felix]

It's most useful for those spells that have a Save to Negate description. For instance, Blinding a 17th level fighter is almost as useful as Blinding a 3rd level fighter, but the 17th level fighter will have a much higher save... so you [Heighten] the spell to whatever level you want and that will increase the save the target has to make.

And yeah, you can only [Heighten] a spell to the highest spell level you have available, 5th level Wiz can [Heighten] to a 3rd level spell, etc.

 

[Thanee]

The biggest advantage of Heighten Spell is - for the sorcerer - that it expands the spells known at higher levels.

Glitterdust or Slow, for example, are both next to useless (except for their additional ability to make invisible seen or dispel Haste) at higher levels, but with Heighten and a decent save DC they become completely viable spells, which can even compare with some higher level options.

Bye
Thanee

 

[MerakSpielman]

Wasn't there some confusion about applying Heighten with other metamagic feats? I don't remember what the debate was, though.

 

[mikebr99]

Wasn't there some confusion about applying Heighten with other metamagic feats? I don't remember what the debate was, though.

Some people were looking to get it for free... If I extended something, it needed to be in a higher slot, and if the character also had the heighten feat, they thought that the DC would also be at the higher slot without further adding levels to the spell. Which isn't the case.

A 1st level spell, extended, uses a 2nd level slot... if you want the 2nd level DC, you heighten it once, which uses a 3rd level slot.


Mike

 

[apsuman]

Wasn't there some confusion about applying Heighten with other metamagic feats? I don't remember what the debate was, though.

IIRC, some people thought that you could, for example, empower fireball, then heighten it to a fifth level spell and it would still be a fifth level spell in a fifth level slot, instead of a fifth spell in a seventh level slot.

And I believe that the consensus was that was not the way it was supposed to work, meaning that in the above example an empowered fireball heightened to a fifth level spell would indeed be a fifth level spell but it would take a seventh level spell slot to cast.

 

[Lamoni]

Wasn't there some confusion about applying Heighten with other metamagic feats? I don't remember what the debate was, though.

One more point. On the thread where this was discussed, very few people continued to debate whether heighten was supposed to work like that (what was explained in the previous two posts), but it went on for several pages discussing whether or not it would be balanced or game breaking to allow it to work that way. As far as I recall, it was split about even or maybe in favor of it not being broken. I am happy using it as it was intended, but as it is written you can interpret it differently... and if you want you could make it work that way as a house rule if you feel as many other people do about heighten being quite underpowered (at least for wizards). I also feel it is underpowered, but I am perfectly happy just not ever taking the feat for my characters.