D&D 5E Exhaustion for old 1e undead level drain

[Lyxen]

That was a 3e thing, if memory serves. I don't recall them having that sort of ability in 1e unless there was a hole in the wall or floor they could waft through.

It's an interesting point, I seem to have memories of something of the kind with AD&D, but I can't pinpoint it

But they do fly, and thus should be able to take advantage of that by getting above the PCs.

In any case, that's true.

 

[Voadam]

1e ghosts are explicitly ethereal so going through physical objects is something they can do.

Oil of Etherealness: This potion is actually a light oil which is applied externally to the dress and exposed flesh. It then confers etherealness. In the ethereal state the individual can pass through solid objects — sideways, upwards, downwards — or to different planes.

Manual of Planes page 11 "a traveler standing in the Border Ethereal can see into the Prime plane, but he is still an ethereal being."

1e Spectres and Wraiths MM entries do not even mention being incorporeal.

Spectres are very powerful undead humans whose primary existence is on the negative material plane. Spectres haunt the most desolate of places, tombs, and dungeons. They hate sunlight and living things. Daylight makes them powerless. Life makes them lament their unlife.
A spectre’s chilling touch causes 1-8 hit points of damage and drains 2 life energy levels from an opponent, the latter due to the negative force of the spectre. Thus, an 11th level character, or an 11 hit dice creature, struck by a spectre would suffer 1-8 hit points of damage plus loss in level ability, hit dice, etc. Such loss is permanent, but characters can regain lost levels through continued acquisition of experience points, of course. Certain magic might restore lost levels as well.
Spectres are not affected by sleep, charm, hold, or cold-based spells. Poison or paralyzation do not harm spectres. Holy water causes a spectre to suffer 2-8 hit points of damage for every vial-full which hits it. A raise dead spell will destroy a spectre unless it makes its saving throw versus magic. Any human totally drained of life energy by a spectre becomes a half-strength spectre under the control of the spectre which drained him.

Wraiths are undead, similar in nature to wights, but they exist more strongly on the negative material plane. They are found only in dark and gloomy places, for they have no power in full sunlight.
In addition to the chilling effect of its touch (1-6 hit points damage), a wraith drains on life energy at the rate of 1 per hit, just as a wight does. Similarly, the wraith can be struck only with silver weapons (which cause only one-half damage) or weapons which are magically enchanted (which score full damage).

 

[HammerMan]

Dang, now why didn't I think of that?? That is so obvious (and really cool!)

in 4e there was an encounter in a hall way where incorporeal undead would move attack and move so they didn't start or end there turns in the hall with the PCs... it was the most deadly encounter ever.

 

[Maxperson]

It's a really good point, however the level drain was the same, and so very unfair because of that in AD&D.

Worse than that, even if you did manage to get the level back from a restoration, you only came back at the beginning of the level you lost. More than once I was almost to the next level when I got hit by a drain and that lost experience was unrecoverable. 1e/2e drains sucked donkey butt.

3e was better, but allowing two saves meant that between two saves and restoration spells, I never as a player or DM actually saw a lost level during the entire time I played, and I played/DM'd up until about a year and a half ago.

 

[Maxperson]

Silly DMs who always had their undead attacking from ahead of the party...

That's what make Wraiths and Spectres so scary - they can easily fly to wherever they like and attack whoever they like, if not attacking from directly above in the first place.

Or below. Coming up under the party was a favorite of mine.

 

[Maxperson]

The old "specters attacking through walls, or ceiling, or even floor" thingie has been done a lot of times, and it's (rightly) considered quite unfair, especially since the rules are very unclear about what happens. In the worst interpretation, it's through the floor and the adventurers can do nothing...

I'm not saying not to use it, just be careful about the way you apply and rule it.

Yeah. I wouldn't have them be unattackable. They'd have to come up out of the floor to attack, not just reach up and touch a foot. They would, however, also go back down through the floor if things were going poorly. More than one party was harassed every so often by hit and run specter tactics.

 

[HammerMan]

3e was better, but allowing two saves meant that between two saves and restoration spells, I never as a player or DN actually saw a lost a level during the entire time I played, and I played/DM'd up until about a year and a half ago.

I remember it bein rare...but I can't remember actually loseing one now...

 

[Voadam]

in 4e there was an encounter in a hall way where incorporeal undead would move attack and move so they didn't start or end there turns in the hall with the PCs... it was the most deadly encounter ever.

3.5 had core MM Dread Wraiths, CR 11 wraiths with spring attack and a +16 touch attack for DC 25 fort save or take 1d8 Con drain. Spring attack and incorporeal meant pretty much readied attacks only if you were not flying high above the ground. It took a lot of readied magic missiles to take out their average 104 hp while they were usually hitting with their touch attacks. It does not take many d8s to burn through a PC's constitution and turn them into a thrall wraith. But there was also the 4th level clerical death ward which meant complete protection for one person for 1 minute per caster level.

 

[Li Shenron]

The fact that you can't non-magically heal level drain was a bit genre jarring.

Non-magical healing of level drain is dead easy: EARN YOUR XP AGAIN.

 

[HammerMan]

The fact that you can't non-magically heal level drain was a bit genre jarring. In Dracula they give transfusions and rest to help vampire bite victims recover. In AD&D the only mechanical options are for you to call in high level clerics to magic victims better.

non magic everything is pretty jarring to my idea of abilities of heroes...

I see no reason not to use healing kits and low level surgery type things to remove conditions and heal... maybe ones that take a hole long rest or more even...