Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Kind of a compilation of level-draining ideas
From: jwwalden@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (P'relan)
Date: 1 Sep 92 12:06:53 -0500
Distribution: na
Organization: Dept. of Physics

In article <67372@hydra.gatech.EDU>, ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz) writes:
> Drain hit point and/or abilities temporarily.
> 	This doesn't do much damage to the characters: "Oh, a vampire?
> 	One week of bedrest.  Not a problem."  It takes the terror out
> 	of undead.  Then there's no point.

I began this thread with my proposal along these lines and was surprised that
people found this solution to weaken undead severely.  Possibly that's because
several other people have proposed similar solutions.  Let me explain mine
again: one level loss = 1 strength point lost, 1 const point loss, and one hit
dice of hit points lost.  These losses cannot be regained by rest, but only by
magical healing which functions at 1/4 normal effectiveness (a heal spell
will restore the effects of one level loss while a restoration will restore
all levels lost because there are very few high level clerics in my campaign
and they generally will not cast restoration because of its aging side effects)
with ability scores being regained as lost hit dice are regained.  Let me
illustrate with an encounter that happened in my campaign.

Ignoring the majority of the party to reduce length, let's concentrate on the
9th level paladin (Str 18/00, Con 18, hp 96, armed with a holy avenger +5) (*)
fighting two spectres.  The paladin's AC is pretty good though I don't remember
exactly but he gets hit on the first round by one of the spectres for 5 points
of damage plus 12 points due to level loss plus 18 points since his Con dropped
from 18->16 so he lost 2 bonus hit points/level plus his strength is reduced to
17 (i.e. he's -2 to hit and -5 to damage from his original state).  As spectres
are noncorporeal undead they only take damage from his magical pluses so he has
no chance of killing one and thus gets hit again in the second round for 4
points of damage plus 12 points due to level loss plus another 18 points due to
his Con dropping to 14 and his strength is now 15 and he no longer has strength
bonuses to hit and damage.  By the end of the second round, the paladin only
has 27 hit points and could survive about 2-3 hits about the same as he could
have survived from a normal spectre.

Now certainly the combat effectiveness of the spectre hasn't decreased and in
fact, with how I treat damage on unliving creatures it's probably better.  How
about recovery times though?  At an average level of 9, the party doesn't have
access to a heal spell and only one cure critical wounds which may be needed
for another party member.  He can't regain the 9 hit points lost from normal
spectre damage until the remainder of his hit points are healed so he's reduced
to 27 hit points and to no combat bonuses from strength until the party can
muster some major healing magic to heal the 24 points due to life level loss =
96 normal hit points of healing to bring him up to 87 hit points and full
strength and con plus another 9 points of regular healing to bring him to full
strength.  Now that may not be a problem if you've got a week and a cleric on
your hands (plus your own lay on hands ability) but if you're in a dungeon,
you're in major trouble.

So yes, the after effects aren't as bad but that was one of my goals (the other
being that I just can't see how undead drain experience points - memory
draining monsters can do that but undead just don't make sense doing that) and
their combat abilities certainly are not weakened.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 P'relan (and Birith)      	   ``Time stand still -
 jwwalden@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu      I'm not looking back -
  or jwwalden@miavx1.bitnet	     But I want to look around me now.'' - RUSH