Taking arms, negative levels and lost hit points

[UltimaGabe]

Greater Restoration actually gets rid of any levels lost from Energy Drain, restoring you to the highest level you've been before being drained. Basically, it completely undoes Negative Levels, even if you've lost several.

The problem, however, is that it's a 7th level spell. Not many people are going to be able to cast it, especially considering its XP cost.

 

[Scion]

With greater restoration there is still a pretty good chance of massive exp loss though.

Say you were 100 exp from the next level, when you have your levels 'restored' you are at the minimum needed for that level.

Although greater doesnt specifically spell it out it would seem difficult to do it any other way. Do you keep exp you have gained since? do you add it to your former total? What exactly happens?

perhaps the book has an example in it? If greater does restore lost exp I'd like to know But, since it says, 'highest level previously attained' and not 'to its former exp total plus amount gained in the interim'...

I am still more than happy to simply ignore the part of the game where levels are lost through negative energy though, it just seems simpler.

 

[strongbow]

The difference btw Negative Levels and Level Drain

There is a big difference btw neg levels and level drain.

Negative Levels give you a -1 per neg level to a lot of things your character does, and are usually temporary. Sometimes you need to make saves to avoid negative levels becoming level drain, but most of the time these saves are done 24 hours or more after getting the negative level.

Level drain is far worse. The character actually loses levels, as opposed to having some penalties stack up. Level drain is much harder to fix, and can very well be a fate worse than death, i.e. the permanent loss of only one level from a raise dead or resurrection. Please be careful when using these terms. They represent two closely related but very distinct ideas.

Some of the early discussion in forming 3.0 among the game designers centered on level drain. The designers decided that instead of spending lots of time de-leveling your character (from level drain), that they would create a new quasi class of level loss- the negative level. Applying negative levels to a character is quite easy by comparison, and much more fun to play with. Adding this new condition let the designers have undead that scaled well with level, since the lower tier undead could inflict negative levels, and the more powerful undead inflict level drain. Higher level characters have the resources to deal with level drain, and can restore drained levels much easier.

So while some of you may hate negative levels, I welcome them. I do not wish to play with creatures that level drain, and you would see far more of it without the negative level mechanic. With 3.5 the designers threw the players a bone and made the spell death ward perform as its name suggests.

 

[Scion]

I could be wrong, but I dont think anyone here doesnt know the difference But, I suppose, just in case this should work:

SRD:
ENERGY DRAIN AND NEGATIVE LEVELS
Some horrible creatures, especially undead monsters, possess a fearsome supernatural ability to drain levels from those they strike in combat. The creature making an energy drain attack draws a portion of its victim’s life force from her. Most energy drain attacks require a successful melee attack roll—mere physical contact is not enough. Each successful energy drain attack bestows one or more negative levels on the opponent. A creature takes the following penalties for each negative level it has gained.
–1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
–1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
–5 hit points.
–1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).
If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell. (If she has more than one spell at her highest level, she chooses which she loses.) In addition, when she next prepares spells or regains spell slots, she gets one less spell slot at her highest spell level.
Negative levels remain for 24 hours or until removed with a spell, such as restoration. After 24 hours, the afflicted creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 attacker’s HD + attacker’s Cha modifier). (The DC is provided in the attacker’s description.) If the saving throw succeeds, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. The afflicted creature makes a separate saving throw for each negative level it has gained. If the save fails, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one.
A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight. A creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows (though not if the negative level is caused by a spell or similar effect).



While I agree that it is good they got rid of the instant-level-be-gone mechanics, I still dont think that they have gone far enough. Removing the actual level loss entirely would be much better in my book

 

[Scharlata]

Oops.... opened up a discussion of whether to level drain or not to level drain, well?

So far I couldn't evaluate if I was on the right track with my examplified paladin

Someone? Anyone?

Kind regards

 

[Scion]

Which part are you confused on still? was my original post not helpful enough?

What is left?

 

[Scharlata]

@ Scion: Got it now; trouble with posts; now working again

Kind regards

*foolish paladin*