Lycanthropy and ECL

Knowledge Sinkhole

First Post

• Oct 16, 2003

• #1

Ok, so, if I understand things correctly:

A character who becomes afflicted with lycanthropy has 2 + the hit dice of the lycanthrope base animal added to his effective character level?

So, if a 5th level fighter were bitten by, say, a werebear, and infected with lycanthropy, he would become an ECL 13 character? (5 + 2 + 6)

I assume that would also affect the amount of xp he would need to reach his 6th fighter level?

Or is the level adjustment from afflicted lycanthropy only taken into account when a new character is made?

 

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The Souljourner

First Post

• Oct 16, 2003

• #2

Yes, ECL 13 is right, and yes that affects he amount of XP he needs for the next level. It's generally a bad idea for a character to gain and keep afflicted lycanthropy in a campaign, since it'll usually shoot him way ahead of the power curve (especially werebear).

Level adjustment is treated the same regardless of when it is applied. You always use your ECL when determining XP to level (in this case, assuming you have minimum for 5th level, you'd need 81,000xp to level up, just as you would need when going from 81st to 82nd level (heh).

-The Souljourner

 

Li Shenron

Legend

• Oct 16, 2003

• #3

The Souljourner said:

Yes, ECL 13 is right, and yes that affects he amount of XP he needs for the next level. It's generally a bad idea for a character to gain and keep afflicted lycanthropy in a campaign, since it'll usually shoot him way ahead of the power curve (especially werebear).

Level adjustment is treated the same regardless of when it is applied. You always use your ECL when determining XP to level (in this case, assuming you have minimum for 5th level, you'd need 81,000xp to level up, just as you would need when going from 81st to 82nd level (heh).

-The Souljourner

Click to expand...

I think he would need 13.000Xp to level up.

 

P

Pax

Banned

Banned

• Oct 16, 2003

• #4

Li, no. He would need enough to achieve 14th level (ECL 14) to add another level. Assuming he JUST got to 5th level, that means he has 10,000XP, and won't level until he has 91,000XP.

In other words, he needs 81,000XP before he can gain a single level.

Regardless of WHEN an ECL adjustment is applied, two characters of a given, identical ECL should have the same XP total when they each level up by one.

 

Leopold

NKL4LYFE

• Oct 16, 2003

• #5

didn't we just go over this?!?

 

Li Shenron

Legend

• Oct 16, 2003

• #6

...where are XP tables in the SRD?

 

W

Wraithdrit

First Post

• Oct 16, 2003

• #7

SRD does not cover advancement, so no XP levels. Sorry.

As for whether or not it is a good idea for a character to have a template added in mid campaign (be it Lycanthrope or whatever). I say as long as you play it out and have a fairly even keeled group (not a group prone to jealousy) then it should not be a problem.

Templates usually have serious RP consequences as well. So yeah, in melee you can turn into a bear thing and be uber, but well, you're a lycanthrope now! People that know will think you a freak, or a monster. Peasants will grab for ptichforks and torches. And you can forget about getting much aid if eat any villagers on accident.

So I say add a template mid campaign, just remember the RP consequences.

 

W

Wraithdrit

First Post

• Oct 16, 2003

• #8

Also, under 3.5, you are now an ECL 13 (or whatever) character and thus your XP rewards are going to be tiny compared the rest of the 5th level party, so they will catch up eventually.

 

A

Alchemist

First Post

• Oct 16, 2003

• #9

Also on this topic, Wizards has begun posting classed breakdowns in the spirit of Savage Species on their website to ease characters into their new powers without a gigantic, immediate discontinuity developing. At least, not quite as gigantic. You have to take the lycanthrope template levels with that progression, but the animal levels are optional.