heighten spell?

[jimmyk321]

Heighten Spell
"While this metamagic feat is active, your spells are raised to the highest spell level your character can cast, making them more difficult to resist, but increasing their spell point cost.
Prerequisite: Able to cast 2nd level spells"

now im new to the game but from what i see im guessing if you have a spell like

"Negative energy is channeled through your touch to inflict 1d8 +1 per caster level (max +5) damage on your target enemy or heal undead a like amount. A successful Will save reduces the damage by half."

does useing heighten spell make it so even if lets say your lvl 1 you get the +5 and if so dosent that make it a useless metamagic at lvl 14 or is there something im missing?

[mgoldb2]

It has more to do with spells difficulty check. It calculated as 10+stat mod+spell level+items/enhancements/feats.

If you casting a level 1 spell with 20int with a level 14 wizard it world equal 10+5+1=16. With heightened it would be 10+5+7=23. Since level 7 spells the max level you can cast so it calculates the level 1 spell as a level 7 spell and would have the cost of a level 7 spell now also.

[Kargon]

More simply, if a spell says the enemamy can make a reflex/fortimatute/will save for half or to negate somemathing the spell does, heighten adds to the numbamer they have to roll so its hardermer for them to make the save.

if are casting a levamel 2 spell, and you have lev 4 spells at max, will make the numbamer they have to roll 2 higher (4 - 2 = 2).

[Mr._Dna]

In the OPs example, heighten doesn't affect the damage of a spell, healing or otherwise (maximize, empower, and empower healing spell do this), but it USED to affect the will save for half, ie making harder to resist. I know this was changed for healing spells or going to change with MOD 6 - don't have it on my cleric for this exact reason (well and a general lack of feats). Don't think it was changing for the "inflict" line. Maybe someone knows?

On my sorc, I leave heighten on 100% of the time. Logic being that if I'm casting something that can be saved against, I'd rather add a few more SP the first time rather than have to (potentially) cast it twice. When you get so few spell slots it also keeps spells like hypnotic pattern useful at high level.