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<blockquote data-quote="Mishihari Lord" data-source="post: 6010815" data-attributes="member: 128">I loved the AD&amp;D energy drain.&nbsp; It was terrifying.&nbsp; Nothing since has matched it.&nbsp; The original would be my preference for 5E.Since that seems to be off the table, here's what I would like:&nbsp; each hit by an energy draining undead results in the condition &quot;Drained.&quot;&nbsp; On the first hit it's &quot;Drained 1&quot;, then &quot;Drained 2&quot;, and so on.&nbsp; It has the following effects:<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Every roll is reduced by the number in the condition, attack, damage, saves, skill checks, etc</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">While a character is &quot;Drained X&quot; they can't be healed in any manner.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">If a character dies while drained, he spawns as an undead after a suitable delay</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Removing &quot;Drained X&quot; requires either a high-level clerical spell or an expensive ritual</li>
</ul>This seems suitably scary to me, without requiring much bookkeeping.&nbsp; If you want different types of drains for undead you could apply just some of the elements on the list.&nbsp; You’d then need to keep track&nbsp; of the type of drain by specifying “Wraith Drain X” rather than just “Drain X”.Yes, it is a death spiral.&nbsp; It's supposed to be.&nbsp; I've never agreed with the various objections to death spirals.&nbsp; If the PCs are highly impaired, it's time to admit defeat and run.&nbsp; It would be really nice to have characters be able to lose a bit more often in D&amp;D without a game-wrecking TPK.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Mishihari Lord, post: 6010815, member: 128"] I loved the AD&D energy drain. It was terrifying. Nothing since has matched it. The original would be my preference for 5E. Since that seems to be off the table, here's what I would like: each hit by an energy draining undead results in the condition "Drained." On the first hit it's "Drained 1", then "Drained 2", and so on. It has the following effects: [LIST] [*]Every roll is reduced by the number in the condition, attack, damage, saves, skill checks, etc [*]While a character is "Drained X" they can't be healed in any manner. [*]If a character dies while drained, he spawns as an undead after a suitable delay [*]Removing "Drained X" requires either a high-level clerical spell or an expensive ritual [/LIST] This seems suitably scary to me, without requiring much bookkeeping. If you want different types of drains for undead you could apply just some of the elements on the list. You’d then need to keep track of the type of drain by specifying “Wraith Drain X” rather than just “Drain X”. Yes, it is a death spiral. It's supposed to be. I've never agreed with the various objections to death spirals. If the PCs are highly impaired, it's time to admit defeat and run. It would be really nice to have characters be able to lose a bit more often in D&D without a game-wrecking TPK. [/QUOTE]

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