Energy Drain Ruling

[Dolza]

During this weekend's gaming sessions one of the players got hit with Energy Drain. There was some confusion over how to rule the new spell casting ability of the Spirit Shaman that got struck. The character is 13th level he got hit for 6 levels

We did the -1 to atks/saves/etc.
We did the -5 hp/level.

My question was this, after losing the 6 levels was he a 7th level caster with access to spells of up to 4th level OR was he a 13th level shaman with an effective caster level of 7? Meaning he could cast his 5th, 6th, and 7th level spells just very weakly? we had a huge game stoppage on this and i'd like to know how you all have ruled this in the past?

thanks
dolza

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

13th level shaman, with an effective caster level of 7.

Note that energy drain also has the effect of removing access to one of your highest-level memorized spells.

If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell. (If she has more than one spell at her highest level, she chooses which she loses.) In addition, when she next prepares spells or regains spell slots, she gets one less spell slot at her highest spell level.

 

[UltimaGabe]

During this weekend's gaming sessions one of the players got hit with Energy Drain. There was some confusion over how to rule the new spell casting ability of the Spirit Shaman that got struck. The character is 13th level he got hit for 6 levels

We did the -1 to atks/saves/etc.
We did the -5 hp/level.

My question was this, after losing the 6 levels was he a 7th level caster with access to spells of up to 4th level OR was he a 13th level shaman with an effective caster level of 7? Meaning he could cast his 5th, 6th, and 7th level spells just very weakly? we had a huge game stoppage on this and i'd like to know how you all have ruled this in the past?

thanks
dolza

As Patryn said, he would still have access to some of his higher-level spells- depending on how many spells he had left. Since he took 6 negative levels, then he loses 6 of his highest-level spells (chosen by him).

 

[Dolza]

6 spells?

So you're saying that he looses 6 of his highest level spells? one for each negative level gained? As a spirit shaman his spells known look like this

7th- 3 spells
6th- 4 spells
etc on down to 1st level spells

so in effect, he would lose all of his 7th level spells and all but one of his 6th level spells?

thanks

dolza

 

[Dracomeander]

So you're saying that he looses 6 of his highest level spells? one for each negative level gained? As a spirit shaman his spells known look like this

7th- 3 spells
6th- 4 spells
etc on down to 1st level spells

so in effect, he would lose all of his 7th level spells and all but one of his 6th level spells?

thanks

dolza

No, he doesn't lose any of his spells known until the negative levels become permanent. He loses access to his daily spell slots starting from the highest and working down.