From: Rannou@info.polymtl.ca (Patrick Rannou)
Subject: Re: Kind of a compilation of level-draining ideas
Organization: Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Canada
	<4911@balrog.ctron.com> <67372@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 00:28:17 GMT

In article <67372@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz) writes:



OK, here's MY idea about level drain.

1) Use a saving throw vs Death Magic, at a malus equal to the undead hit dice.
   My players still nearly s**t in their pants every time they have
   to roll such a "save". 

2) No experience is lost, it's only that the PC has, like, is lifeforce
shredded up. If the PC is say 9th level, a vampire draining him will make
him a 9th level PC functionning as a 7th level PC. If he had say 100,000
XPs before the fight, and get 1000 XPs for the kill, then after the fight
the PC had 101,000 XPs. It's just that his lifeforce is so shredded up that
the PC can't FUNCTION at the level he is. Mages lose control on their
spell, health is affected, fighting prowess too, and all habilities
depending on level. UIt's not that the PC "forget"s things, just that he
realize that even if he still know them, is body had been damaged too much
for him to be able to function at peak power.

So, when (if) he gets a restoration, the PC will "erase" this -2 malus on
lifeforce level.

3) Only one half level is "permanent", the other comes back with full rest.
   While the non-permanent half-levels aren't back, curative magic work at
half effectiveness. Full rest makes 1 level per FULL day come back. Otherwise,
it's twice longer (low to medium activity) or takes a whole week (high
activity, likle trekking, heavy fighting, etc...) per level.

4)  If no priestly magic is available, malus effective levels are regained
at the rhitm of 1/2 effective level every true level.

 
5) Only the maximum hit points is reduced by a lost level, and no hit point
is regained when a level is regained.

Example: A fighter 3rd level with 14 CON has 5+10+2 HP = 17 HP.

He gets slashed for 4 HP, and drained one level. He now has an effective
level of 2, for a maximum of 15 HP, and a current HP value of 17 - 4 = 13
HP. He then gets another slash, for 2 HP of physical damage, which also
drains (miss his saves). Now his effective level is only 1, and since his
maximum hit points is only 5, not 13 - 2 = 11. That's a case where the
metaphysical damage to the soul/spirit/lifeforce appears physucally on the
body, like a colder feeling, shivering, hurt, and weakness.

The undead then strike for 3 HP damage, but the fighter saves. Thus he has
now only 2 HP left. Time for an heroic action! A lucky shot dispatches the
undead. Now the fighter quaffs a potion of healing. 2D4+2 = 10! But it is
only half power anyway. 2+5 = 7, but max is 5, so the fighter tops at 5 HP.
He takes a FULL day of rest (or 24 hours, whichever is longer) and nothing
happens to him, and thus the next day AFTER the one of rest he is nowe back
to effective level 2, still at 5 HP. He regained NO HP from rest that day.
Now he feels he has regained all the inner strength he could, and only time
or priestly magics could help more. He decides to quaff another potion of
healing, 9! Lucky guy (he would have wished to be so lucky on his saves,
tough!), so now he has 14 HP, 1 below is current maximum. Note that the
second potion is at full effect because all the temporary lost effective
levels were regained. Natural healing start again at the same time.

When he gets enough XP (remember that his XP total and "true" level didn't
change) to go up from level 3 to level 4, he gets back 1/2 effective
level. He is now a 4th level fighter with a lifeforce of level 3 and a
half. since 3.5 isn't enough to make 4, the fighter will operate at level 3
until either he gets to level 5, of he gets special magics.


6) Some undeads drain only half levels. If a PC is drained an odd number
of times, the biggest fraction goes to temporary level lost.

Ex: The fighter is hit three times, thus lose 1 level temporarily and half
a level "permanently". Thus, as soon as the PC gets up a true level, he'll
regain the 1/2 missing level.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

I like this set of options because:

1) Undeads still kick butt and make the party hit the panic button liek
there is no tomorrow.

2) The previous weeks of playing aren't WASTED because of a single hit.
Even if it takes years of gaming, the PC will always eventually be able to
erase his level maluses.

3) This options allows for PC to get very low in "effective" level in a
single fight with undeads, but not be forced thereafter to go back to town
because they are too low level now: they can rest  few days, and continue
on the adventure if they feel they're still up to it.

4) I feel it pretty well gives the "fragility of lifeforce" feeling I want,
since all defensive habilities get decreased a lot, but offsneive
habilities don't get so much affected. i.e. the PC is still strong, just
feel more feverish, colder...

5) The way the damage is handled allow for the physical attack to make a
physical effect (HP), but the drain attack to rarely make such physical
effects (only the maximum hit points are reduced). This shows that the
dxraining attack affects the soul/spirit, not the body. So it's perfectly
possible for a PC to drop dead from physical wounds and NOT turn undead
thereafter (if the undeads don't continue attacking him), or a PC to still
have HP left but lose them and become an undead because their lifeforce is
completely drained. (at level "-1", you really have no hit points. ). 
I like that.

6) A PC reduced to effective level zero still keeps all his experience,
thus keeps his class. But he's got only a tiny lifeforce left, the rest of
his soul 9spirit)) is nearly completely shredded in pieces. Major repairs
needed! 

7) powerful undeads like vampyres have more chances to drain since a save
is rolled for EVERY "level drained" that the undead inflict. Still, the
effect has more chance to NOT be fatal to high level players, and that's
good: vampires shouldn't resort to brute power when dealing with PCs, and
remember that the people that vampires kill in one shot are zero level
anyway. And anyway, I use minor vampires which are the equivalent of those
in the MM, and I use "boss" vampires which are more powerful. The vampire
from the castle Ravenloft module can drain up to 6 levels a round! (two
attacks, each can drain up to 3 levels, if the three saves are all missed).


8) Even if no higher level priests are available, regaining lost levels is
still possible, although it DOES take time.

9) Low levels can still make encounters with SOME undeads and hope to
survive. High levels now don't have to waste years and years of playing on
a single encounter.
--
/---------------------------\
| Patrick "Paradak" Rannou. |
| Rannou@info.polymtl.ca    |
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