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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 6005947" data-attributes="member: 16760">Of all the monsters in the playtest Bestiary, the most disappointing is the wight.First off, because it can only last a round against a party of 5e characters, two if it gets lucky.But much more importantly, its Energy Drain power is pathetically unscary.  1d8+2 damage, and the wight heals half that much.  Honestly, it's better off using its sword.How the mighty have fallen!  Energy-draining undead were TERRIFYING in 1e and 2e.  Say what you will about the stupidity of the mechanic - and it was plenty stupid - but it did instill a very wholesome terror in both players and characters.  3e toned them down a lot, but they were still scary.1d8+2 damage isn't even remotely scary.  It's just like hitting someone with a sword, with the exception of the vampiric healing and the spawning upon death.What made energy draining terrifying was the fact that you got steadily weaker and less capable as the thing attacked you... and that there was a very good chance you wouldn't get your levels back.  Most scary of all, these things could kill 1st-level characters with but a touch!Now, level-draining itself is dumb.  But what can we replace it with, that will have the same effect?One possibility is draining Constitution - or perhaps even all the ability scores.  That's certainly ugly, especially in 5e, but recalculating one's sheet with each hit does not appeal.  And if you don't recalculate, it's not as scary... though if you die when any ability hits 0 (or 2?) then there's some potential.Another possibility is being drained of some high fraction of your hit points.  Let's say a wight's touch takes half your current hit points, or 10 hp, whichever is worse.  So a 40 hp fighter goes to 20, then 10, then he's dead.  He can take one more hit than a 1st level fighter can, but it still feels deadly.Oh, and if you go to zero?  You aren't 'dying', you're dead.  Is that too harsh?  Maybe the wight needs to coup-de-grace you.Yet another possibility would be an 'Energy Drained' condition, which gives penalties (or even disadvantage?) to certain checks and saves?  Yet this wouldn't escalate with further hits, which is part of the terror that is energy drain.Any other thoughts?</blockquote>

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