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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rushlight" data-source="post: 1528285" data-attributes="member: 3801">Actually, my campaign doesn't allow sorcerers.  The campaign started back in 2e, and for consistancy, they don't exist. Second, I do think that the cost of Heighten (it still takes one of your precious feats) is worth the sometimes marginal gain you might get from it.  In order to use it most effectively, you'd need to combine it with a second metamagic feat.  Even then you'd still usually be worse off than using a spell natural to the level you are casting. In the examples of 6th level spells above, the most damage shown in a single round is 47.5, no save and it only affects one target.  But the 6th level spell Chain Lightning (cast by a 12th level caster) will hit one target with 42 points average, and another 11 targets for 21 points, all with a base save DC of 16 + ability.  That's 273 average points of damage, spread across 12 targets - which requires only the spell. If you wanted to spend 3 feats (Empower, Maximize and Heighten) and the spell Burning Hands (which is the only 1st level damage spell I can find that can make use of all 3 feats) to get 32.5 points of damage per target (assuming you could fill the entire cone, that's 7 targets) that's 227.5 points of damage.  Not only is it 45.5 points less of damage, I see no reason why it shouldn't be allowed to have a base save of 16 + ability.  It would be absurd to require this spell to be 11th level (which it would need to be to have that base save). Not only is it harder to use (you have to ask all your enemies to get in a nice pattern for you) it does less damage, AND requires 3 feats.  Assuming you are a human mage, at 12th level you'll only have 8 - that's over a third of your feats.  Compared to just using a single spell, that's not much of a balance issue. I suppose I should issue this challenge: Find a spell that can be Empowered, Maximized and Heightened (assume that Heighten stacks with the +5 from the other feats - this also means that the spell must allow for a save) that can dish out more damage to the same number of targets in the same amount of time than a native spell of that level.  Perhaps then we can see if allowing Heighten to stack is truly unbalanced.  Also assume that we're not getting into epic levels - just keep this at 9th level and under.</blockquote>

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