A prepared spellcaster can heighten a spell by preparing it in a higher-level slot than its normal spell level, while a spontaneous spellcaster can heighten a spell by casting it using a higher-level spell slot, as long as they know the spell at that level. However, you cannot combine lower level slots to cast higher level spells or split the spell slot. Prep-based casters apply metamagic to spells they prepare and must fill a slot of the new level or higher.
Spell slots are the number of spells a character can cast per day, with the first level having only a small number. In Pathfinder 2nd edition, characters can cast a number of spells of each level a character can cast per day, and these openings for daily spells are called spell slots. A cleric gains one domain spell slot for each level of cleric spell she can cast, from 1st on up.
A spell can be cast with a higher-level spell slot, but it doesn’t gain any benefit from it. Bonus spells only apply if your class level grants access to those spell levels, and they can’t even be used for lower-level spells. A spell can be cast with a higher-level spell slot if there is no “at higher levels” entry, and a spellcaster always has the option to fill a higher-level spell slot with a lower-level spell.
Having a higher casting stat gives a minor bonus to spell slots, which may not be noticed. In the tabletop, some items can be filled with a higher-level spell slot, and a spellcaster who lacks a high enough ability score can still cast a spell at a higher level.
📹 Can You Use Higher Level Spell Slots For Lower Level Spells? (Pathfinder 2e Rule Reminder #113)
Can you use a higher level spell slot to cast a lower level spell without heightening it in Pathfinder 2nd edition? For more …
📹 Pathfinder Rule Reminder #13: Can I Heighten a Spell That Has No “Heightened” Entry?
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Hmmm… this is a tough question for me. My “gut reaction” is “no,” mostly because Spell Slots are a very limited resource in 2e. And, having run a lot of 2e, as much as I loathe limited spell slots, I have to admit it has had a positive impact on my games – in particular, limited spell slots has severely toned down my players hoarding an irrational amount of consumable items. But, I do also respect Buhlman & Seifter’s opinions. It’s never come up in my games. I think I might have a “side effects” roll if I did allow it. I don’t know for sure though. Interesting question, though. Thanks for the article.
I think it depends on what exactly a “spell slot” is meant to emulate. I have never actually looked this up, I kind of just accepted it as the nature of the game, but if I have to make a decision it feels to me spell slots are your own ability to actually cast spells, your magical or spiritual energy, your mana, and in that sense I see no reason why you would maintain reserves of magical energy and not use them on a spell simply because it’s more energy than the spell would naturally require. I’d say just do it, it doesn’t make logical sense otherwise.
As others have mentioned, the main reason this comes up is Invisibility. If a caster prepares/uses a 4th level slot for Invisibility, but wants the 2nd level version (longer duration) do they get it, or is it automatically heightened for prepared casters? If a spontaneous caster uses the higher level slot without knowing the heightened spell, then it’s the base 2nd level Invisibility effect. If a prepared caster uses a 4th level slot, it’s heightened (unless you are allowed to chose not to heighten) and therefore can’t provide the longer duration.
I’d think of this as kind of like most rule of cool/flavor rulings, the rules don’t say you can’t, so you can. There’re obvious exceptions to that line of reasoning, and that’s what gms are for, but imo the leeway it gives casters is definitely a good thing, both just in case the caster forgot to prepare, for example, a damaging spell for that level and for players to intentionally skip some aspects on certain slot levels. The only downside I can predict is that if a certain spell is too strong for its level, a player might try to abuse that
I think it makes perfect sense myself to left people cast lower level spells with higher slots without benefits. More specifically for spontaneous casters. As for a Wizard they can freely scale their spells to begin with. But if you’re playing a sorcerer and run out of 1st level heals but didn’t take heal 2, it seems silly to not be able to use a second slot to cast it without the hightening benefits. BUT for counteract level I would not give a sorcerer the benefit of it being a second level slot given they are casting a first level spell while a wizard I would.
I think there’s the opposite side of the question. You answered “Can I use a second level slot to cast spell that I only know at first level?” which in my mind has always been no RAW. The opposite question is “Can I use a second level spell to cast a second level spell without heightening it?” For example, if I have invisibility as a signature spell and only have fourth level spell slots left, can I cast it heightened at fourth level to gain the benefits of being a fourth level spell for dispel magic benefits, but do the second level mode (10 minutes but breaks on hostile action) instead of the fourth level mode (1 minute and doesn’t break on hostile action).
To be honest, Bulmahn’s Reddit comment has caused confusion more than anything, since he never elaborated in that particular thread or anywhere else. I’ve always assumed it’s his homebrew rule and personally, I don’t think it’s fair to prepared casters who have to specify precisely how many castings of each spell and at what level they have. If they have a higher-level spell slot available, they cannot freely swap it out for a more convenient spell (in general, of course). Prepared casters get vertical versatility, which allows them to heighten any spell to any level, but they have to decide that during their daily preparation, and spontaneous casters get horizontal versatility, having the freedom to cast any spell they know at every level as long as they have the spell slots available, but only for those levels. TLDR: I agree with the RAW interpretation, but since the rules are inconclusive, ask your GM for their interpretation
Can you prepare a lower level spell in higher level spell slot? For example, Adaptive Adept to add True Strike to my spell list. Can I prepare True Strike in a level 2 or level 3 spell slot, or can I not do that because it’s a level 1 spell slot that doesn’t heighten? And for bounded spellcasters, if you use Adaptive Adept to gain 1st Level Bless, do you lose that spell when you lose 1st level spell slots does this mean you can use 1st Level Bless with a 2nd level spell slot?
Does anyone have a source for the Mark Seifter comment? The Bulman reference ( reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/fmateq/can_you_cast_a_1st_level_spell_using_a_2nd_level/ ) is not that strong, the question he was asked was NOT specifically about spontaneous casters. It could have also been a question about “can you heighten a spell that doesn’t do anything special at the level you’re heightening it to” because magic missile doesn’t get extra missiles from heightening until level 3. So we really don’t know which question he thought he was answering: about a wizard or a sorcerer?
My question is this, does the spell that you Heightened above the required level retains the benefits of the proper level one. For example, as a wizard, when I cast a 9th level Feet to Fins spell (why you ask, because I’m a bored wizard :)), does the spell keeps the benefit of the 6th level cast spell? Same questions for the spells that Heightened every +2 spell level like Blink that you would cast as a 7th level spell.
The tricky part here is in counterspelling. The level of the spell slot will affect what can dispel or counter the spell. Personally I’d allow. It but only if the spelll is treated inn all ways as if cast using its “native” level. A caster should receive no additional benefit other than being able to consume a higher level slot to cast a lower level spell.