D&D (2024) Wights and Life Drain

[GMMichael]

Is there anything in 5E that has lasting effects?

The gap it causes in your wallet?

 

[KYRON45]

Back in my day there were consequences to leaving home with the intent to kill things and take their stuff.
Mummy rot, level drain, aging, paralyzation, disintegration, paper cuts!!!!
These kids these days with their short rests and their restorations.
Get a real jobs ya hippies!!!

 

[DragonLancer]

Lesser Restoration and a few other spells also recover it.

Greater Restoration. I had missed that too. Must read more closely.

 

[Stalker0]

Is there anything in 5E that has lasting effects?

Exhaustion. I believe a long rest only restores 1 exhaustion, so if you have a few levels of it it will linger.

 

[Distracted DM]

The warriors seem to avoid life drain- either high AC or high CON saves mean they don't see their max hp reduced as often.
Meanwhile, the fragile characters are getting their HP dropped pretty hard... This leads to the low HP characters wanting to rest, and the high HP characters thinking they can keep going.

Are there life drain abilities that don't target AC or CON?

 

[pukunui]

Back in my day there were consequences to leaving home with the intent to kill things and take their stuff.
Mummy rot, level drain, aging, paralyzation, disintegration, paper cuts!!!!
These kids these days with their short rests and their restorations.
Get a real jobs ya hippies!!!

Even that one is gone! You don't age if you badly fail your save against a 2024 ghost's scary face.

The warriors seem to avoid life drain- either high AC or high CON saves mean they don't see their max hp reduced as often.
Meanwhile, the fragile characters are getting their HP dropped pretty hard... This leads to the low HP characters wanting to rest, and the high HP characters thinking they can keep going.

Are there life drain abilities that don't target AC or CON?

Good question! I think only the Night Hag's Nightmare Haunting does not.

This is what I've been able to find:

• Harm spell: Con save (note: this spell can't reduce HP Max below 1)
• Blue Slaad: Con save (and your HP Max doesn't reset after a long rest while you are still cursed)
• Chasme: Requires a successful attack roll; no save
• Clay Golem: Requires a successful attack roll; no save
• Death Dog: Con saves (and your HP Max doesn't reset after a long rest if you are still poisoned)
• Death Knight: Con save
• Demilich: Con save (for both its Energy Drain legendary action and Enervating Domain lair effect)
• Gulthias Blight: Con save to resist initial damage / grapple but then damage and HP Max reduction becomes automatic while you are grappled
• Mummy: Requires a successful attack roll; no save (and it also specifies that your HP Max doesn't reset after a long rest)
• Mummy Lord: Requires a successful attack roll; no save (and no long rests while cursed!)
• Night Hag: Wis save for Dream spell damage (which also reduces HP Max in this case)
• Otyugh: Con save (and HP Max doesn't reset while you are poisoned)
• Specter: Requires a successful attack roll; no save
• Succubus: Con save technically but your HP Max reduces whether you pass or fail the save!
• Vampire: Con save
• Vampire Spawn: Con save
• Vampire Nightbringer: Requires a successful attack roll; no save
• Vampire Umbral Lord: Con save
• Wight: Con save
• Wraith: Requires a successful attack roll; no save

I think it's because hit points and Constitution are both representative of a creature's health and vitality.

 

[KYRON45]

Even that one is gone! You don't age if you badly fail your save against a 2024 ghost's

Is nothing sacred?!?

 

[pukunui]

Is nothing sacred?!?

Seems like only ability scores are at this point ... although I wouldn't be surprised if they go away next edition.

 

[billd91]

Yeah but getting rid of level drain is one of the best things that ever happened to the game.

I am thrilled that crap is gone too, but I do feel that the energy draining of some of the monsters has been nerfed a bit too much. The wight is an excellent example. The specter may be even a better one since that one fell from being a fairly powerful undead in AD&D (TWO levels of drain and on the turning table between mummy and vampire) to being CR1 in 5e. Exactly how that happened?

That said, I'm still kind of liking the 5e wraith, particularly since the 2024 version strips out the saving throw to avoid having max hit points reduced.
I might also be biased because the 5e.2014 wraith got me my first PC kill. Scored a critical hit on an already wounded 3rd level PC AND he failed the Con save. Did a lot of damage to him and to his max hit points. 8d8+3 damage to both current hit points and max hit points. Mmmm MMMMM.

 

[jasper]

life drain should be replace with exhaustion. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 13, one creature within 5 feet. Failure: 6 (1d8 + 2) Necrotic damage, and gain a level of exhaustion

vampire Bite (Bat or Vampire Form Only). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 17, one creature within 5 feet that is willing or that has the Grappled, Incapacitated, or Restrained condition. Failure: 6 (1d4 + 4) Piercing damage plus 13 (3d8) Necrotic damage. and gain 2 levels of exhaustion. .