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<blockquote data-quote="Al" data-source="post: 399805" data-attributes="member: 2486">One major problem with tinkering with spells so that the DCs become identical for all levels of spell has not been dealt with yet: metamagic.Even ignoring the other problems (which I feel Elder-Basilisk deals with very well indeed) metamagic would be a constant problem.&nbsp; Part of the trade-off with metamagic is that the DCs are typically lower than of standard spells of equivalent level.&nbsp; With this house rule, they match them, throwing the spotlight very strongly onto metamagic.For blast spells, the dichotomy is clear.&nbsp; Comparing an Empowered Fireball with a Cone of Cold, under this ruling Emp. Fireball is better up to and including 14th caster level.&nbsp; Maximised Cone of Cold will trump Horrid Wilting up to and including 19th caster level.&nbsp; Maximised Flame Strike overwhelms Fire Storm at all levels.&nbsp; With the standard rules, this is mitigated by the lower save.&nbsp; With this house rule, there is no such mitigating factor.For non-blast spells, the possibilities are equally available.&nbsp; Chain Spell is a big help in this department, especially for lower-level spells that map almost directly onto higher-level ones.&nbsp; A Chained Charm Person will almost certainly be superior to a Charm Monster (on balance) with this modification.&nbsp; Twinned Spells can be devastating, making it very difficult indeed to save against such spells.So unless a compromise is made, Metamagic is a major winner from this house rule: so much so as to shift the balance strongly in its favour and away from conventional spells.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Al, post: 399805, member: 2486"] One major problem with tinkering with spells so that the DCs become identical for all levels of spell has not been dealt with yet: metamagic. Even ignoring the other problems (which I feel Elder-Basilisk deals with very well indeed) metamagic would be a constant problem. Part of the trade-off with metamagic is that the DCs are typically lower than of standard spells of equivalent level. With this house rule, they match them, throwing the spotlight very strongly onto metamagic. For blast spells, the dichotomy is clear. Comparing an Empowered Fireball with a Cone of Cold, under this ruling Emp. Fireball is better up to and including 14th caster level. Maximised Cone of Cold will trump Horrid Wilting up to and including 19th caster level. Maximised Flame Strike overwhelms Fire Storm at all levels. With the standard rules, this is mitigated by the lower save. With this house rule, there is no such mitigating factor. For non-blast spells, the possibilities are equally available. Chain Spell is a big help in this department, especially for lower-level spells that map almost directly onto higher-level ones. A Chained Charm Person will almost certainly be superior to a Charm Monster (on balance) with this modification. Twinned Spells can be devastating, making it very difficult indeed to save against such spells. So unless a compromise is made, Metamagic is a major winner from this house rule: so much so as to shift the balance strongly in its favour and away from conventional spells. [/QUOTE]

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