Can you voluntary lower the Save DCs as you cast a spell?

[Prometheius]

I know that there are plenty of ways to raise your Save DCs, but is there any way to voluntary lower lower them when you cast a spell?

Example: For some reason you want to make sure that those affected by your spell don't fail its Save.

 

[MarkB]

Voluntarily, none that I know of. About the best you could do is cast touch of idiocy on yourself beforehand.

 

[AuraSeer]

What are you trying to do this for?

I don't know of a way to lower the save DC (making the spell easier to resist), but depending on what your actual goal is, there might be other ways to get the same effect.

If you're trying to do less damage for some reason, you can voluntary lower the caster level and usually do fewer dice. For instance, a high-level wizard normally does 10d6 damage with a fireball, but he may choose to use a caster level as low as 5 (the minimum for casting that spell). That fireball would then do 5d6 damage, instead of the 10d6-damage-halved that you asked for.

 

[frankthedm]

What are you trying to do this for?

Most commonly this is done so the party rogue can use evasion succesfully or so the fire resitant tank can reliably make the save when he is surrounded by foes.

Fire resist 10 means being ground zero for a maximised fireball is worth it if you can make the save when the stat damaging foes around you only had 28HP to start with. Fail that save and you have a 5-10% chance to die anyway [massive damage save], but hey, there are worse things than death. Any more fire resist than 10 makes the choice even easier.

 

[Vanye]

I know that there are plenty of ways to raise your Save DCs, but is there any way to voluntary lower lower them when you cast a spell?

Example: For some reason you want to make sure that those affected by your spell don't fail its Save.

Not really. Other than weakening your mental stat needed...

The closest thing I can come to that is lowering your effective caster level, but that doesn't affect your saves, just the overall effectiveness.

 

[Cedric]

It's not covered in the rules (to my knowledge). But I would allow it on a successful Spellcrafting Check, DC 15 + Spell Level. That likely wasn't what you were looking for though, sorry.

 

[ValhallaGH]

By the rules, no, there is no way to lower a save DC except by 1) lowering your key ability or 2) somehow lowering a spell's (effective) level.

Pulling off your ability buffing magic item would accomplish 1. As far as I know, 2 is impossible.

 

[kaomera]

A metamagic feat like Minimize Spell, Disempower Spell, or Reduce Spell could do the trick...
(That is, if there was such a feat. Sounds like something from an April issue of Dragon!)

 

[Hypersmurf]

A metamagic feat like Minimize Spell, Disempower Spell, or Reduce Spell could do the trick...

The best feat for reducing Save DCs is probably Craft Wand

-Hyp.

 

[Dracandross]

It's not covered in the rules (to my knowledge). But I would allow it on a successful Spellcrafting Check, DC 15 + Spell Level. That likely wasn't what you were looking for though, sorry.

I'd allow that too like wands (minimum possible DC [ie 10+spell lvl+min int needed]). If you have INT high enough, which allows you to use spells more effectively, you should be able do do them also on lower potency. Why you should hit with full power, if its your knowledge that allows more effect.
Like STRONG fighter doesnt have to hit full force each time. I can imagine that giants can just bump threateningly instead of squashing one to bits. But of course it's not RAW.

-Dracandross