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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 7021994" data-attributes="member: 20564">I agree with your basic premise.  In some ways it's like AC, but unlike AC that has boosts for foes in terms of natural armor and such, saves are basically flat.  Increased stats for foes still leave plenty of openings in terms of saves not advancing, and usually obvious ones (don't use STR or CON vs. an ogre, but maybe CHR or WIS would be good.)The solution you are putting forth seems more to address the symptoms (reducing effects if a save is failed) than the root cause (too many saves stay low vs. (slowly) advancing DCs and fail a lot).But, that being said, I love the idea of adding in an additional level of tactics where it's far from the best to throw out "nova" spells at the beginning of combat.  You now get a balancing point - do I wait until later in combat, granting actions but having a bigger effect, or go now.This even carries for straight damage spells.  Fireball early, with the most targets (and the least intermingling of your front-liners), knowing that many/most/all of the foes will take reduced effect vs. waiting until more are under the threshold - BUT with focus fire you may end up with several targets dead and others still above the threshold.Now, this does make fighter type PCs and foes more resistant to magic simply by virtue of having more HP.  CON, already one of the three big saves, now serves double duty in helping to prop up against all failed saves.This makes lower level slots drop off even quicker in offensive usefulness since not only will they have less effect vs. more powerful foes being lower level but will have a lower threshold so more likely that lesser effect will be even more reduced.  I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it is a balance changer when only a few highest level slots are available.  Balance might be better suited by allowing spells of about 2/3 your max spell level are suitable against on-level opponents, allowing you to have a reasonable selection of slots that will affect your most common foes, and a few that will still work well when the encounters have fewer, more powerful foes.It also seems to encourage throwing damaging spells first before debuffs in order to ensure that they are under the threshold.  Mostly noticeable because it's not intuitive to the in-game narrative.  "Burn them so that my prayer may bind them!"It seems a straight-out weakening of non-support casters - at best they have by-the-book effects but they can also have them reduced.  Do you see casters (of the various different tiers and types) as too powerful or should there be an offsetting bonus to them?</blockquote>

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