A question about level drain....

[werk]

So, what happens if you lose levels and don't get them restored for a long time? (Happened in our campaign recently.) If you get more XP, do you get to keep it? What if you get enough XP to advance a level - but your XP is already 2 levels past your actual level?

You advance as you normally would, but you have negative levels.

So...you are 4th level and get drained two levels.
You carry around the two negative levels until you get enough xp to advance to 5th level.
When you advance to 5th level, you still have two negative levels.

You are a 5th level character, but suffer the affects of negative level penalties...which:

A creature takes the following penalties for each negative level it has gained:

-1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
-1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
-5 hit points.
-1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).
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.

NOTE: negative levels can impose a greater burden than losing a character level. That's why it's important not to just remove xp/levels.

 

[seans23]

You people are using the terms "negative level" and "level loss" interchangeably. They are very different. Werk is posting about negative levels, not level loss.

Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell, such as restoration. If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ draining creature’s racial HD + draining creature’s Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level.

Level Loss

A character who loses a level instantly loses one Hit Die. The character’s base attack bonus, base saving throw bonuses, and special class abilities are now reduced to the new, lower level. Likewise, the character loses any ability score gain, skill ranks, and any feat associated with the level (if applicable). If the exact ability score or skill ranks increased from a level now lost is unknown (or the player has forgotten), lose 1 point from the highest ability score or ranks from the highest-ranked skills. If a familiar or companion creature has abilities tied to a character who has lost a level, the creature’s abilities are adjusted to fit the character’s new level.

The victim’s experience point total is immediately set to the midpoint of the previous level.

 

[Len]

You people are using the terms "negative level" and "level loss" interchangeably. They are very different. Werk is posting about negative levels, not level loss.

Ah. I was talking about level loss because that seemed to be what sfgiants was asking about.

 

[werk]

Ah. I was talking about level loss because that seemed to be what sfgiants was asking about.

Since he used the term 'level drain' I assumed he was talking about negative levels from being drained, like from undead. See my first post, where I clarified what I was discussing.

Level drain and level loss are obviously different mechanics.

 

[sfgiants]

Yeah, I was asking about level loss. The character in question failed their save to remove the negative level.

On a related note, would it be unbalancing to instead houserule that energy drain doesn't affect xp, just gives you a permanent negative level? I just really don't like energy drain. It is quite possibly the nastiest effect a gamer can encounter....

 

[Thanee]

Wouldn't that be even tougher?

About the XP, we have house ruled, that you lose a fixed amount of XP, when you lose a level, equal to your (current level -1) x 1,000 XP.

Bye
Thanee

 

[werk]

Yeah, I was asking about level loss. The character in question failed their save to remove the negative level.

DOH!

On a related note, would it be unbalancing to instead houserule that energy drain doesn't affect xp, just gives you a permanent negative level? I just really don't like energy drain. It is quite possibly the nastiest effect a gamer can encounter....

It's not a house rule, energy drain doesn't affect xp...wait...do you mean level drain or level loss?

Edit - I really need to finish reading paragraphs...
On a failure, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one.
We always just left the negative level...double doh!

 

[seans23]

On a related note, would it be unbalancing to instead houserule that energy drain doesn't affect xp, just gives you a permanent negative level? I just really don't like energy drain. It is quite possibly the nastiest effect a gamer can encounter....

Losing a level isn't that big of a deal. The player will catch up on XP eventually.
Having a permanent negative level would suck, though.

I think the nastiest effect a gamer can encounter is an effect that causes the gamer to lose gear. Destrachans and rust monsters are much scarier than spectres and wights.