You're planning to turn me into a What?

[Choon-Ma]

In the campaign I'm currently playing one of my fellow PC's is a cleric of Velsharoon (sp?). In general his goal is to make the undead a viable race in our faerun. To accomplish this, he has expressed his interest in turning me into a vampire.

I assume that, were this to happen, I would loose my human race, switch to vampire and get all it's bonuses and drawbacks. However, what would happen to my class levels? If I were to keep them my ECL would go up by 2 and I would have already used my first or maybe even second chance to lower it? How does switching races mid-campaign work in general?

 

[lukelightning]

Generally you keep your levels...your ECL goes up...but you don't get any XP to match, so you don't go up any levels till your XP matches your ECL.

 

[moritheil]

Unless you're using the SS or LM progressions, you suddenly become much higher ECL than the rest of the party. Don't plan on advancing anytime soon after you gain the vampire template (it's LA +7 or so, isn't it?)

 

[Choon-Ma]

So I would gain enough XP to level up twice but never really level up...

Ouch.

 

[lukelightning]

It's LA +8, and I'd say it's entirely warranted, given all the power a vampire gets. dominate person at will! Fast healing! DR! All those immunities! Stat bonuses! Energy drain!

Of course, I would flat-out disallow vampire PCs. You want to become a vampire? Fine. You're a vampire. Now hand over your character sheet and make up a new character. You're no longer the same person...you're a monster.

 

[moritheil]

So I would gain enough XP to level up twice but never really level up...

Ouch.

Well, in a sense you would suddenly be eight levels higher. But those levels would be tied up in being a vampire. So yeah, you would probably never advance again in that campaign.

(LA +8 according to the srd.)

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

Vampire out of MMI is listed as CR +2 but LA +8

You also have to be at least 5th or 6th level to acquire the template.

Somebody is going to have to explain to me how a ECL 14 character is only a CR 8 encounter however.

CR makes sense - LA doesn't.

 

[javcs]

Vampire out of MMI is listed as CR +2 but LA +8

You also have to be at least 5th or 6th level to acquire the template.

Somebody is going to have to explain to me how a ECL 14 character is only a CR 8 encounter however.

CR makes sense - LA doesn't.

The LA is vastly higher because the abilities are vastly more useful to a PC than an NPC, realistically speaking, the NPC Vampire is going to be using his abilities 'onscreen' vastly less often than the PC Vampire, thus having a vastly reduced effect on power level.

What kind of character are you playing? A lot of classes are going to be tanked unto oblivion with an LA +8.

 

[moritheil]

Somebody is going to have to explain to me how a ECL 14 character is only a CR 8 encounter however.

The vampire is relatively easy to defeat, but hard to kill permanently. (Though an intelligently played vampire can be pretty darn hard to defeat, too.)

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

The LA is vastly higher because the abilities are vastly more useful to a PC than an NPC, realistically speaking, the NPC Vampire is going to be using his abilities 'onscreen' vastly less often than the PC Vampire, thus having a vastly reduced effect on power level.

Huh?