Buying back level adjustment [Archive] - Wizards Community

Buying back level adjustment [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Travis_UI
03-17-04, 06:16 PM I asked this question once before, but I think it was on the Savage Species board, and there wasn't much discussion on the matter, so I don't know that it's really definitively answered. Anyway, until such a time as there is some kind of official ruling (if that ever happens) I'd like to gather some opinions.

When a character has multiple sources of level adjustment, for instance, is a creature from Savage Species with say a +4 level adjustment, and then also has one or more templates, say for instance one +1 template and one +2 template, would you say that the character would have to wait until 21st level to begin buying back level adjustment, or would each adjustment be addressed independently, such that the first template could be paid off at 3rd level, the second template could be paid off at 6th and 9th level, and the base race adjustment could begin to be paid off at 12th?
Hygric
03-17-04, 06:40 PM Interesting question.

I would want to see that character in action before making a decision. The whole idea of buying off LA is to stop a character from slipping behind the curve as levels go up, so I would want to see when the character started to "slip behind the curve" before making a decision.

I suppose that buying of LA at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 21, 27 and 30 would work mostly ok.
Greyman
03-17-04, 08:08 PM Level adjustments from multiple templates are supposedly additive. In practice they don't always stack, so the first thing you should consider is whether or not the LA of the three templates combined is the sum of their individual LA (that is, do the templates have any features that overlap, and so forth).

However, reguardless of the number of templates and how well they stack, Level Adjustment for a character is a single number. So when buying of LA you treat it as a whole, not as three seperate values.

However, I am dissatisfyed with the system presented in Unearthed Arcana for two reasons. Firstly, you cannot begin to reduce high level adjustments until epic levels, and they are the ones you want to reduce the most. Secondly, it does not take into account LA from acquired templates. What do you do, for example, if a drow has started reducing her racial LA when she then becomes a wererat?

I propose that LA should be reducable at character class levels: 3, 9, 18, 30 ... et cetera. This progression takes just as long, overall, as that determined by the starting LA, but the lengths between reduction points is in reverse sequence.

Thus where +2 LA is reducable at level 6 and 9 by the UA system, the levels are 3 and 9 by my sequence.

While the XP cost of reduction is somewhat cheaper, it is being paid in earlier instalments (when the character has less overal XP to pay).

Thoughts?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Travis_UI 03-17-04, 06:16 PM	I asked this question once before, but I think it was on the Savage Species board, and there wasn't much discussion on the matter, so I don't know that it's really definitively answered. Anyway, until such a time as there is some kind of official ruling (if that ever happens) I'd like to gather some opinions. When a character has multiple sources of level adjustment, for instance, is a creature from Savage Species with say a +4 level adjustment, and then also has one or more templates, say for instance one +1 template and one +2 template, would you say that the character would have to wait until 21st level to begin buying back level adjustment, or would each adjustment be addressed independently, such that the first template could be paid off at 3rd level, the second template could be paid off at 6th and 9th level, and the base race adjustment could begin to be paid off at 12th?
Hygric 03-17-04, 06:40 PM	Interesting question. I would want to see that character in action before making a decision. The whole idea of buying off LA is to stop a character from slipping behind the curve as levels go up, so I would want to see when the character started to "slip behind the curve" before making a decision. I suppose that buying of LA at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 21, 27 and 30 would work mostly ok.
Greyman 03-17-04, 08:08 PM	Level adjustments from multiple templates are supposedly additive. In practice they don't always stack, so the first thing you should consider is whether or not the LA of the three templates combined is the sum of their individual LA (that is, do the templates have any features that overlap, and so forth). However, reguardless of the number of templates and how well they stack, Level Adjustment for a character is a single number. So when buying of LA you treat it as a whole, not as three seperate values. However, I am dissatisfyed with the system presented in Unearthed Arcana for two reasons. Firstly, you cannot begin to reduce high level adjustments until epic levels, and they are the ones you want to reduce the most. Secondly, it does not take into account LA from acquired templates. What do you do, for example, if a drow has started reducing her racial LA when she then becomes a wererat? I propose that LA should be reducable at character class levels: 3, 9, 18, 30 ... et cetera. This progression takes just as long, overall, as that determined by the starting LA, but the lengths between reduction points is in reverse sequence. Thus where +2 LA is reducable at level 6 and 9 by the UA system, the levels are 3 and 9 by my sequence. While the XP cost of reduction is somewhat cheaper, it is being paid in earlier instalments (when the character has less overal XP to pay). Thoughts?