Minimized spell

[Scublacus_Venn]

The idea is basically that of a maximized spell but in reverse. The spell effect would be minimized so it would do minimum damage, cure the minimum number of hit points, etc, as appropriate. The benefit of this spell is that it would take up a spell slot three levels lower than the spell's actual level. What do you think

[Jormengand]

The idea is basically that of a maximized spell but in reverse. The spell effect would be minimized so it would do minimum damage, cure the minimum number of hit points, etc, as appropriate. The benefit of this spell is that it would take up a spell slot three levels lower than the spell's actual level. What do you think

Use it on Heal, a spell which doesn't have any variable, numeric components and therefore functions normally.

Basically, it's asking to be broken.

[Zaydos]

Would this be a feat? I'm assuming you'd still have to be able to cast spells of the unmodified level, and it only affects spells with a random numerical component.

Let's look at things.

Fireball: 5 damage in 20-ft radius as a cantrip. Not too bad. Combine with Fell Drain to make it 20-ft radius negative level.

Cure Serious Wounds: Heals 8 hp (eventually 18) as an orison.

Fire Shield: 1st level spell, anything hitting you takes 8 damage. Extend it to get a good enough duration.

Orb of Fire: 1st level spell, 7 damage and save versus Daze.

Enervate: 1st level spell. Ranged touch inflicts negative level (instead of 2.5 on average).

Cloudkill: 2nd level spell, automatically kills creatures with 3 or less HD, 4-6 have to save (and take 1 Con) or die, and 7+ save or take 1 Con damage a round.

Finger of Death: 4th level spell. Failed save die. Successful save 16 damage.

It might work on spells that are just blasting, but there are spells that blast as a secondary effect, or have a rolled effect other than raw damage (enervate, cloudkill).

[Just to Browse]

Use it on divine power. Or fly.

[Admiral Squish]

You know, I came to this thread imagining some kind of offensive debuff effect you can use on other casters.

[ben-zayb]

Well, you get a Lvl6 Time Stop for 2 Turns. Not bad, considering Temporal Acceleration only gives 1 (but is a swift action to manifest).

And Magic Missile... oh, so ripe for metamagic seeding.

[TuggyNE]

Even after you fix the most blatant problems with the feat (namely, the need to restrict it to spells with variable numeric effects, the odd interaction with casters too low a level to cast the spell normally, and the excessive level reduction this gives — try one level at most), you still have the basic problem that it's eminently abusable in the same situations metamagic reducers in general are. In fact, like Practical Metamagic and Easy Metamagic, it's actually a double-reducer when used with Arcane Thesis: it's a metamagic, so it applies -1 there, and it's also got a -1 (or -3, or whatever) all on its own.

Most abuses will involve one of two conditions:
Cases where the rolled quantity is largely irrelevant, like Fell Drain magic missile, since all you care about is landing at least one point of damage on each of several targets to trigger the drain.
Cases where the variable is only a very small part of the total, like mass inflict light wounds, since the caster level (up to +25!) is not reduced at all.

I can also imagine using this on time stop, since knowing exactly how much time you get is worth something in itself, and two rounds is enough to get a lot done.