[3.5] Hey, how about getting rid of level drain?

[El_Gringo]

Nothing's more annoying than level drain, whether it be by undead creatures or by dying. It doesn't make any sense to me that a character should somehow be less experienced due to the touch of some ghost. Add in all the paperwork that has to be done. Minus here, minus there. I can't find the justification for it, other than it being an old rule that shouldn't have been carried over.

 

[jgbrowning]

I like it. It is annoying. Its also unfriendly and somewhat frightening.

joe b.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Yeah, level drains a scary mother. I mean there you are and have all these skills and abilities then next thing you know you are first level commoner.

 

[gfunk]

Also, I like the way they changed level drain from 2E to 3E. Now, you don't actually lose a level for 24 h. During that time, you have plenty of time to get restored (or buff up your Fort save).

 

[Plane Sailing]

Although it is more usable than it used to be, it has never sat well with me - so I treat *all* level drains as CON drains (like the wraith gets). Those creatures that would drain 2 levels do 2d6 CON damage, those that drain 1 level do 1d6 CON damage.

This makes the creatures fearful, and still deadly to high level creatures without wiping out the training and experience gained during their adventures.

I don't anticipate it changing any more in 3.5e from what it is at present, but it's no real problem to change for most people who want to.

Cheers

 

[Olive]

i like it. it's scary. it's mean. and DnD is an abstract sytem, and XP is an abstract thing... think of it not as experience but life force. it's like permenancy or magic item creation. does magic item creation make a caster less experienced? nope, but you're not proposing getting rid of xp costs in that are you?

 

[Tsyr]

i like it. it's scary. it's mean. and DnD is an abstract sytem, and XP is an abstract thing... think of it not as experience but life force. it's like permenancy or magic item creation. does magic item creation make a caster less experienced? nope, but you're not proposing getting rid of xp costs in that are you?

...

Actualy, I have. That rule never sat well with me either.

 

[Olive]

Actualy, I have. That rule never sat well with me either.

ok, how did you balance it? what about permenancy?

 

[Tsyr]

In my world, it's just really, really hard to make magic items in the first place. Really exotic ingredients, etc. Thus, I keep balance by controlling the supply of the needed ingredients.

I don't use the vancian magic, so permanency doesn't exist at all.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Oh, we've softened D&D enough.

No more save or die poisons, lots of temporary ability damage, no aging for haste, free raise dead for elves.

Save some of the sacred cows! It's not like you can't recover from a level drain (unlike that save-or-die poison). There need to be some effects that still scare the pants off of players, and at least teh current (nerfed -- allows a save before its permanent) level drain does that.