D&D 3E/3.5 Racial HD, ECL, and Reducing LA. (3.5)

[WHW4]

I have gone back and forth with every member in the group on how to do this, and it seems like every one of us come up with something different. Here's what the issue is:

18th lvl 3.5 game - a pseudodragon (+3 LA, 2 racial HD) PC is a warmage.

The player is buying off his LAs as they come (9th class lvl/15th/18). Given the 18th ECL of the campaign, ans his 2 racial hitdie, how many lvls of warmage can this character be and how far behind experience wise would he be?

My answer is 14th WM, and 13k behind. Is this right?

 

[Nomnath]

So,

Char start as ecl 5 (2 HD +3)

at ECL 14 (2 HD 3 LA 9 LVL) pay 13k to be ECL 13.

Then gain 5 more levels to be ECL 18 (2HD 2LA 14 lvl)

You are correct sir.

The next time he levels up, he should be able to pay 18000 exp to lose another LA.

 

[irdeggman]

And you cannot buy off racial hit dice.

 

[irdeggman]

Table 1-1 from Unearthed Arcana says the number of class levels (not counting racial hit dice) necessary for level adjustment for a +3 LA character are - 9, 15, 18

So starting at ECL 5 you need to gain 9 class levels - ECL 14, xp cost is (14-1) x 1000 = 13000

then gain another 6 class levels (ECL 19 (you have already bought back one LA) xp cost is (19-1) x 1000 = 18000 - you can't get here in an 18th level game.

and then gain another 3 class levels - ECL 21 - the +2 Racial hit dice actually prevents buying back the last LA in a non-epic game.

So in an 18th level game with a +2 racila hit cdice.

The PC could buy back 1 LA and end up with 2 racial hit dice, +2 LA and thus a 14 level warmage - it would have cost him 13,000 xp

So I also agree you are correct in your math