Restoration question

[farscapesg1]

Since our party was recently subjected to a vampire, we need to try to counter the negative levels that we have been inflicted with. In my thread about the circumstances leading to the problem, it was mentioned that Restoration will restore all negative levels as long as it hasn't been 24 hours since being attacked (haven't had to make a saving throw to avoid level loss).

My problem is that Greater Restoration specifically says that it removes all negative levels, but Restoration does not. By my logic, that would mean that Restoration would only remove one negative level per casting, just like it does with lost levels.

Which way is correct?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Greater restoration dispels all negative levels plus restores all experience levels.

Restoration dispels all negative levels plus restores one experience level.

They both also do a few other things.

 

[farscapesg1]

Is there somewhere that specifically states this? The text for Restoration isn't very clear, and good old Customer Service at WOTC says that it only dispells 1 negative level :\

I'm worried because the wording for Greater Restoration specifically states that it dispells all negative levels, but Restoration does not have this stipulation in it's description. I have a feeling that by reading the two spells, the DM will interpret that Restoration indeed only dispells one negative level.

This spell functions like lesser restoration, except that it also dispels negative levels and restores one experience level to a creature who has had a level drained. The drained level is restored only if the time since the creature lost the level is equal to or less than one day per caster level. Thus, if a 10th-level character has been struck by a wight and drained to 9th level, restoration brings the character up to exactly the minimum number of experience points necessary to restore him to 10th level (45,000 XP), gaining him an additional Hit Die and level functions accordingly.

This spell functions like lesser restoration, except that it dispels all negative levels afflicting the healed creature. This effect also reverses level drains by a force or creature, restoring the creature to the highest level it had previously attained. The drained levels are restored only if the time since the creature lost the level is no more than one week per caster level.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Is there somewhere that specifically states this? The text for Restoration isn't very clear, and good old Customer Service at WOTC says that it only dispells 1 negative level :\

I can't speak for customer service, but Restoration uses the plural form of level. I find it impossible to read a plural as "one." In other words, "dispels negative levels" cannot mean "dispels one negative level". At a minimum it must mean more than one. If the DM wants to restrict it to 2, it's arbitrary, but I can't argue with it. From a balance perspective, I think it's okay to allow it to dispel all negative levels.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

This spell functions like lesser restoration, except that it dispels all negative levels afflicting the healed creature.

This portion of the quote you provided leads me to believe you are correct, and that Restoration only removes 1 negative level per casting. Otherwise, there'd be no "except" included in Greater Restoration's own clause regarding negative levels.

Restoration can be used to remove negative levels. That doesn't mean it does so with only one casting, but that it has the capability, something Lesser Restoration cannot do.

Greater Restoration takes it a step further, and can remove all negative levels.

Basically each spell in the chain improves upon what the previous spell was capable of, while also adding new functionality.

 

[Hypersmurf]

This portion of the quote you provided leads me to believe you are correct, and that Restoration only removes 1 negative level per casting. Otherwise, there'd be no "except" included in Greater Restoration's own clause regarding negative levels.

Er... the 'except' distinguishes its capabilities from Lesser Restoration... not from Restoration.

If it said "This spell functions like restoration, except that it dispels all negative levels afflicting the healed creature", then I would agree that there's a clear implication that Restoration does not dispel all negative levels. But that line doesn't compare Greater Restoration to Restoration at all, so there's no way to draw any conclusions about what Restoration can or cannot do from that line.

My reading is the same as Infiniti2000's: Restoration does negative levels (plural), but only one drained level; Greater Restoration does all negative levels and all drained levels.

-Hyp.

 

[ElectricDragon]

How's this:

Compare:

Originally Posted by PHB, Restoration
This spell functions like lesser restoration, except that it also dispels negative levels

to:

Originally Posted by PHB, Greater Restoration
This spell functions like lesser restoration, except that it dispels all negative levels afflicting the healed creature. This effect also reverses level drains

Note that neither of the bolded portions contain the word "all". If the first is assumed to mean "only one", then the other should also mean "only one".

Ciao
Dave

 

[LokiDR]

If customer support said it was 1 level, it must be multiple levels. Restoration says it "dispels negative levelS".

 

[Peter Gibbons]

I can't speak for customer service, but Restoration uses the plural form of level. I find it impossible to read a plural as "one." In other words, "dispels negative levels" cannot mean "dispels one negative level". At a minimum it must mean more than one. If the DM wants to restrict it to 2, it's arbitrary, but I can't argue with it.

I could.

Seriously, though, Infiniti2000 has it exactly right. If customer service said otherwise...well, it's certainly not the first time they've been wrong.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Er... the 'except' distinguishes its capabilities from Lesser Restoration... not from Restoration.

If it said "This spell functions like restoration, except that it dispels all negative levels afflicting the healed creature", then I would agree that there's a clear implication that Restoration does not dispel all negative levels. But that line doesn't compare Greater Restoration to Restoration at all, so there's no way to draw any conclusions about what Restoration can or cannot do from that line.

My reading is the same as Infiniti2000's: Restoration does negative levels (plural), but only one drained level; Greater Restoration does all negative levels and all drained levels.

Then why does Restoration use different terminology? D&D loves cut-and-paste. If the two spells were meant to function identically with regards to negative levels, why does one say it "dispels negative levels" while the other "dispels all negative levels"? It seems odd to me that they should function identically when one of the spell descriptions contains the word "all" and the other doesn't.