energy drain

[jgsugden]

It actually seems a bit unbalanced to me ... the saves the next day seem like most of the time they will be trivial (with exceptions of course) since like you said you can either boost them or have access to restoration given time.

You always fail on a 1.

Also, assuming that you will have enough resources to give everyone bonuses to their saving throws (or restorations) is a bit questionable. I threw three spectres a large 10th level party (6 PCs). They ended up with 12 energy drains split amongst three characters. A few of those saving throws had to be made without any help.

Casting short duration spells to give a saving throw bonus, though allowed by the rules, seems a bit odd in the case of energy drain. I think a DM would be well in his rights to allow you to only apply the bonuses that are in effect for most of the time between when the energy drain is applied and when the effect becomes permanent. It isn't like there is a new effect coming into play after 24 hours. It is an effect that has been building over a 24 hour period.

 

[juliaromero]

Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains

But that seems to refer to a more general case of DR working to reduce energy drain directly -- they are just pointing out that it doesn't work against things like energy attacks and energy drains. I'm talking about something slightly different if you see what I'm getting at ... that there is no energy drain to reduce with DR if the attack deals no damage, which seems to be implied the energy drain rule.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

But that seems to refer to a more general case of DR working to reduce energy drain directly -- they are just pointing out that it doesn't work against things like energy attacks and energy drains. I'm talking about something slightly different if you see what I'm getting at ... that there is no energy drain to reduce with DR if the attack deals no damage, which seems to be implied the energy drain rule.

I'm not sure I understand.

Most creatures that inflict Energy Drains need to cause damage in order to actually Drain its victim. This simply means that those creatures can't just make a touch attack in order to Drain their victim. They need to make a regular attack and cause damage. Of course, against a creature with DR, if they inflict less that the DR'ed damage, they still cause an Energy Drain.

AR