shadowlight
First Post
Plane Sailing said:
This seems like a good way to handle it from a storytelling point of view...
Negative levels: an alternative?
- Thread starter Desdichado
- Start date
This seems like a good way to handle it from a storytelling point of view...
Desdichado
Hero
I thought about doing the same thing, but having some other option makes for some variety amongst special attacks! I kinda like the "neg levels" shortcut proposal by Chroma as an alternative.
Negative levels are called Energy Drain. Why not work from there:
Your energy is sapped by the mear touch of many undead and shadow creatures. Whenever you attempt to take an action, you must make a Fortitude save (DC 12 + 3x the number of Negative Levels you have). If you succeed, you take the action as normal. If you fail by 5 or more, you can not take the action. If you fail, you take the action at a penalty:
- Attacks, Saves, and Checks recieve a -2 penalty
- Movement is at -10'
- Spells and spell-like abilities require a successful Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level, or 17 for spell-like abilities) or fail
Negative levels persist for 24 hours. After this duration is over, make a Fortitude save (DC 15) for each negative level that you have. If you fail, it becomes permanent, requiring a Lesser Restoration, Restoration, Heal, Wish, Limited Wish, or Miracle to remove.
***
Well, it completely diverges from the concept of negative levels as we know them, but hey.
-Jeph
Your energy is sapped by the mear touch of many undead and shadow creatures. Whenever you attempt to take an action, you must make a Fortitude save (DC 12 + 3x the number of Negative Levels you have). If you succeed, you take the action as normal. If you fail by 5 or more, you can not take the action. If you fail, you take the action at a penalty:
- Attacks, Saves, and Checks recieve a -2 penalty
- Movement is at -10'
- Spells and spell-like abilities require a successful Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level, or 17 for spell-like abilities) or fail
Negative levels persist for 24 hours. After this duration is over, make a Fortitude save (DC 15) for each negative level that you have. If you fail, it becomes permanent, requiring a Lesser Restoration, Restoration, Heal, Wish, Limited Wish, or Miracle to remove.
***
Well, it completely diverges from the concept of negative levels as we know them, but hey.
-Jeph
MerakSpielman
First Post
Joshua Dyal said:
That's only half the problem. That's actually not that hard to do, what's hard is imagining a vampire running around slapping you and saying "who's ya daddy" and it knocks the levels right outta you!
Maybe the touch of certain undead is so stressful that parts of your brain shut down from the shock... a sort of spotty amnesia affects you. You forget a few of the useful tidbits you learned recently. After a day or so, it either becomes more serious (resulting in actual level loss) or is healed (and you remember everything again).
N Hammer
First Post
Jeph said:Negative levels are called Energy Drain. Why not work from there:
Your energy is sapped by the mear touch of many undead and shadow creatures. Whenever you attempt to take an action, you must make a Fortitude save (DC 12 + 3x the number of Negative Levels you have). If you succeed, you take the action as normal. If you fail by 5 or more, you can not take the action. If you fail, you take the action at a penalty:
- Attacks, Saves, and Checks recieve a -2 penalty
- Movement is at -10'
- Spells and spell-like abilities require a successful Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level, or 17 for spell-like abilities) or fail
Negative levels persist for 24 hours. After this duration is over, make a Fortitude save (DC 15) for each negative level that you have. If you fail, it becomes permanent, requiring a Lesser Restoration, Restoration, Heal, Wish, Limited Wish, or Miracle to remove.
***
Well, it completely diverges from the concept of negative levels as we know them, but hey.
-Jeph
Where the hell was this idea Friday night when I drained the Monk in my game...I like this idea...
shadowlight
First Post
Jeph said:Negative levels are called Energy Drain. Why not work from there:
Your energy is sapped by the mear touch of many undead and shadow creatures. Whenever you attempt to take an action, you must make a Fortitude save (DC 12 + 3x the number of Negative Levels you have). If you succeed, you take the action as normal. If you fail by 5 or more, you can not take the action. If you fail, you take the action at a penalty:
- Attacks, Saves, and Checks recieve a -2 penalty
- Movement is at -10'
- Spells and spell-like abilities require a successful Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level, or 17 for spell-like abilities) or fail
Negative levels persist for 24 hours. After this duration is over, make a Fortitude save (DC 15) for each negative level that you have. If you fail, it becomes permanent, requiring a Lesser Restoration, Restoration, Heal, Wish, Limited Wish, or Miracle to remove.
***
Well, it completely diverges from the concept of negative levels as we know them, but hey.
-Jeph
Cool! This is definitely the best variant negative level rule I've seen. I'll have to steal it!
...yoink!
jlhorner1974
First Post
I agree. This is very innovative, Jeph. I am trying not to have too many house rules, but this variant is extremely tempting and may even model the intent of a negative level even better than the original mechanic.
Well done.
Well done.
Ravellion
serves Gnome Master
Doesn't anyone think it's quite hard for the combat you are actually in? I mean, it's soemwhat easier to remove them, but those combat penalties are HARSH!Jeph said:Whoa . . . just thought that one up off the top of my head. Made it up as I typed. Maybe I should use it, too.
Rav
jlhorner1974
First Post
Yes, you may be right.
Low level characters will find it difficult to do anything, while it makes high level characters almost immune to energy drain.
The DCs can always be adjusted and the numbers fudged, but the idea is so different and interesting that it is worth further consideration and tuning.
Low level characters will find it difficult to do anything, while it makes high level characters almost immune to energy drain.
The DCs can always be adjusted and the numbers fudged, but the idea is so different and interesting that it is worth further consideration and tuning.
