[Unearthed Arcana] Life Leech feat

[atom crash]

OK, say a player in your campaign wanted to take the feat Life Leech from Unearthed Arcana. This feat allows you to gain temporary hit points from dying characters/creatures around you, and makes those dying characters/creatures lose an additional hit point each round as they bleed out. The temporary hit points last for 10 minutes. It is a passive ability that you can't turn off.

If you were to approve of this feat, how (if at all) would you limit its power?

A) a cap on the temporary hit points the character can receive at any given time
B) the character can only receive temporary hit points from humanoids/monstrous humanoids
C) you'd require the character also to select a flaw from Unearthed Arcana
D) you'd let it go as is
E) you wouldn't allow it at all
F) something else (please explain)

Is there something else I'm missing about this feat? It seems to allow for an unlimited amount of temporary hit points to be gained.

For the sake of argument and clarification, I'm trying to help a friend come up with a suitable limit to this feat for a player who's chosen it in his campaign without completely gutting the ability.

Thanks.

 

[Silveras]

OK, say a player in your campaign wanted to take the feat Life Leech from Unearthed Arcana. This feat allows you to gain temporary hit points from dying characters/creatures around you, and makes those dying characters/creatures lose an additional hit point each round as they bleed out. The temporary hit points last for 10 minutes. It is a passive ability that you can't turn off.

If you were to approve of this feat, how (if at all) would you limit its power?

A) a cap on the temporary hit points the character can receive at any given time
B) the character can only receive temporary hit points from humanoids/monstrous humanoids
C) you'd require the character also to select a flaw from Unearthed Arcana
D) you'd let it go as is
E) you wouldn't allow it at all
F) something else (please explain)

Is there something else I'm missing about this feat? It seems to allow for an unlimited amount of temporary hit points to be gained.

For the sake of argument and clarification, I'm trying to help a friend come up with a suitable limit to this feat for a player who's chosen it in his campaign without completely gutting the ability.

Thanks.

First, Unearthed Arcana is a book of variants. The spelltouched variant feats are a little on the strong side. In the first place, a DM should not allow a variant with which s/he has not thoroughly read and understood.

That being said, the power only allows you to drain 1 hp/round from creatures at between -1 and -9 hp. Creatures at 0 and above, or creatures that are fully dead (-10 and below), do not count.

To select the feat (for those who do not have the book), the requirement is that you have exposed to (victim of), and failed any save for, either the death touch domain granted power or the death knell spell (and lived, or been brought back, obviously).

To the point of your question, once it is allowed in the first place, I think it is limited enough by its own mechanics.

The character is limited by the supply of stable or dying creatures within 30 ft of him/her. After a few rounds of this character being nearby, they are going to die off (and thus stop being a source of hp). This power also affects fallen allies, making it necessary that the party heal fallen friends FAST. Why ? Because Joe the Fighter was taken to -5 hp and was dropped. On Frank the Life Leech's turn, Joe loses another hp (drops to -6). On Joe's initiative, he rolls to stabilize ... fails... and takes another 1 hp damage (drops to -7). Joe is losing 2 hp/round while Frank gains 1 from him.

More often than not, it is the party members who drop below 0 hp without being fully dead. If anything, this ability is more of a danger to them than a help to the character who took it.

I do not allow the spelltouched feats in my games, as I do not think merely being hit by a spell should be enough to allow you to gain a spell-like or supernatural ability.

 

[Scharlata]

F) something else (please explain)

Hi!

Maybe you take a look at the Libris Mortis' feat Profane Lifeleech (p. 29). I think that feat might come close to your player's idea and may be something less "brutal". Or just convert the feat to suit the needs of a character who hasn't the ability to rebuke undead.

Kind regards

P.S.: The feat allows you to give up two rebuke attempts to gain yourself temporary hit points dealing area damage to living creatures BUT NOT BELOW 0 hit points.

 

[Elrik_DarkFury]

I haven't seen someone use it in action ,so i don't know if this can become powerfull or not.
I think a cap would be nice (something according to his level or max hp ).

I would't like to see him start spending time over every near-dead enemy just to take advantage of every last remaining hp to be drained.

Also, i would require this to be role-played by the player.

-Is the leech-guy happy when he thinks he benefits from the death of other people
or he relishes absorbing their life ?
-he see this as a curse he can't lift or a dark blessing, a new power etc.


________________
The Wizard

 

[atom crash]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I had suggested a cap of (1 + Con bonus) x level temporary hit points. Currently, by my reading of the rules, it seems like the feat could give a character a load of temporary hit points on a battlefield full of dying goblins (or what-have-you creatures).

I don't think I'd allow such a feat, but my friend already opened that door in his game. Profane Lifeleech is probably a much better choice of feats.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I had suggested a cap of (1 + Con bonus) x level temporary hit points. Currently, by my reading of the rules, it seems like the feat could give a character a load of temporary hit points on a battlefield full of dying goblins (or what-have-you creatures).

It also KILLS HIS BUDDIES. They cannot automatically stabilise while he's around, and must be healed up to positive numbers, or they will gradually die.

This is a pretty big issue. My primary problem with the feat would not be that he can get a few bonus hitpoints - it would be that the rest of the party are paying the price.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Imagine a guy with this feat walking through a hospital
Sorry if my humor is a little dark.