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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Radiating Gnome" data-source="post: 412351" data-attributes="member: 150">Here's what I was thinking:The base DC of 10 is to get the difficulty into the right baseline ballpark.Adding the spell level represents the basic complexity of the spell -- higher level spells are harder to cast.  Of course, as the caster's skill goes up with levels, casting lower level spells will become a no-brainer, and casting the newest, high level spells will be the ones that are challenging.Adding the caster level represents the relative level of power that the spellcaster wants to put into the spell -- and if the spellcaster wants to, he can cast at a lower level to make the spell easier to cast and the drain easier to resist.  She can also cast spells at a Higher caster level than she is, risking real damage (rather than subdual) and making the spell harder to cast.In this way, a 6th level Mage, who has the ability to cast up to third level spells, can cast Fireball at her current caster level (6), for a DC of 19 (10 + 6 (cl) + 3(sl)). She could cast magic missle at three different levels of effectiveness: caster levels 1, 3, and 5 (no reason to cast it at lvl 6, that wouldn't make the spell any more powerful).  That would mean DCs of 12, 14, and 16 resepctively, and shooting off 1, 2, or 3 magic missiles at a time.  In a pinch, she could decide to risk boosting her caster level for her fireball -- prehaps to try to take out some very bad enemies -- and might try to cast the spell at CL 10.  That would boost the spell's damage from 6 to 10 d6, would boost the DC to cast the spell and resist the drain to 23, and the drain would be real damage, not stun damage (she would be risking 13 points of real damage, a significant blow to a 6th level mage, but that probably wouldn't kill her).  But the higher base DC is an interesting idea.  You've got me thinking about adding another feat - something along the lines of power attack -- that would allow a character to take penalties on the Spellcraft roll to cast the spell in exchange for a boost to the subject's saving throw. Here, I'll write it up:Force of WillThe spellcaster exerts her will in the casting of the spell, focusing extra energies on trying to push the spell past the target's defenses.  Effect:  The spellcaster can voluntarily take a penalty on a spell's Spellcraft roll for success and add an equal number of points to the target's DC to save against the spell.  This would allow a spellcaster to make her lower level spells -- the easy ones -- harder to resist in exchange for taking greater risks of spell failure.-rg</blockquote>

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