Heighten Spell (Feat)

You can cast spells as if they were a higher level.

Prerequisites: Caster Level 1

Related: Heighten Spell, Improved (Feat)

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) are calculated according to the heightened level.

Level Increase: Varies (The heightened spell is as difficult to prepare and cast as a spell of its effective level. While Heighten Spell does not natively require a higher spell slot to use, it allows a higher level spell slot to be used, and when this is done, the spell's DC and all other spell-level-dependent effects are calculated as if it was of that higher level. Note that some spells have their save DC's calculated in different ways, and thus, this feat is not universally effective.)

Example: Burning Hand of the Magus (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell) is a level 1 spell with a Weak save, so the saving throw DC is 10 + 1 (spell level) + Stat Mod. With Heighten Spell, you may memorize a Burning Hand spell in a level 6 spell slot, making the save DC 10 + 6 (spell level) + Stat mod.

Even more powerfully, you may stack Heighten Spell with other Metamagic feats, using the additional level increase(s) of the other metamagic feats as the level increase of heighten spell. That is, you treat the level increase of the other metamagic feats as level increases for Heighten Spell as well, in addition to any spell levels you add just for Heighten Spell.

Example: the Perfect Spell feat adds +6 spell levels, so a Perfected Burning Hand of the Magus requires a level 7 slot to cast. If you also have the Heighten Spell feat, you could memorize a Heightened Perfected Burning Hand of the Magus in a level 7 spell slot, and gain all benefits of Perfect Spell AND Heighten Spell, calculating the save DC as 10 + 7 (spell level) + stat Mod. Indeed, you could even memorize a Heightened, Perfected Burning Hand using an eighth level spell slot and raise the Save DC even higher, if you so desire. The only limitation is that the highest level spell slot that may be used with Heighten Spell is a ninth level spell slot.