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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 6911049" data-attributes="member: 996">Probably not.  Higher level spells tend to have basic effects in excess of lower level ones.  Spell level acting as a sort of gating effect.  But, I suppose, if it's a known or prepared spell, that gate has been opened...Probably the simplest would be to base the effect on the most similar low-level spell I could find, and, since clearly should be sub-optimal, probably a level /back/ from the slot actually used.  So casting a fireball in a second-level slot gives you a feeble fireball that flutters to the ground in front of you and sets fire to an area, and with a damage potential, comparable to burning hands - casting it in a first level slot gets you an effect comparable to a fire bolt.  That'd probably keep it at the level of a desperation move, though I'd still worry it makes the decision to skip prepping certain lower-level spells too easy.What I wouldn't do is just reverse the up-level procedure.  For instance, a 2nd level fireball just doing a die less would be too much for a 2nd level slot.Brainstorming other possibilities:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the spell is offensive, it gives a save, whether it normally does or not, with advantage.  If any target succeeds on the save, the spell fails completely.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The caster must spend more than 1 lower-level slot to the tune of slots totaling the level of the spell being cast, plus the difference between the highest level slot expended and the spell being cast.  So if casting a fireball with 1st level slots (two lower than the fireball), it'd be 3 slots for the fireball, +2 to 'pay off' the level gap for a total of 5 first level slot, but if you use 2nd-level slots it'd only require 2 (3 + a 1-level difference).  But at least you'd get a full-fledged fireball.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The caster loses one HD (or takes one rolled HD of damage if he's out of HD) per spell level the slot is below the spell being cast.  That'd be on top of a reduced effect, because that's really a very light price to pay for casting another high-level spell.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The caster must save vs the spell he's casting, with disadvantage, if he fails, the spell fails, if both dice results would be failures, the spell backfires, harming him.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The caster gains a level of exhaustion per level the spell is above the slot used.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The caster has one less slot of the level of the spell cast (or the nearest level, if he's run himself out of such slots entirely) after he takes a long rest, this loss lasts until he gains levels equal to the difference between the slot used and the spell cast.  So, if you're 9th level and cast a 5th level spell with a 1st level slot, you have one less 5th level slot than normal, every day, until you reach 13th level.  Cast Meteor Swarm with a 1st level slot and your 9th level slot is just gone - do it again and your 8th level slot is just gone.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></li> </ul>Ultimately, I don't think it's a great idea.  Instead, if there's a high-level spell that you've prepared, and you anticipate needing a similar, lower-level function, pick a much lower level spell with a similar function and cast it up-level, if needed.  Don't down-step-meteor-swarm some orcs, fireball them or up-level Sleep them.  For that matter, prep fireball, not meteor swarm and up-level it if you really need to blow something up.  There's lotsa other 9th level spells that do more unique things than blow stuff up.</blockquote>

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