Post/Author/DateTime	Post
twetzel2k 04-20-07, 11:53 AM	Does anyone use a house rule for energy or level drain? or has it been discussed before. Let me know what you do or if there is a link.. thanks
RobbyPants 04-20-07, 12:05 PM	Is the idea that you want to replace negative levels with something else? If so, consider ability damage or drain to physical stats. Perhaps 1d6 Str damage instead of a level drain. Or perhaps 2 damage to Str, Dex, and Con for each level drained. Either way, Restoration will take care of it, so it is a similar power level. Is that what you were asking?
Arcade 04-20-07, 12:32 PM	In discussions I've seen before on this board, one option for energy drain is to use an XP decrease instead of the level drains. That way getting a level restored isn't a loss at all where as right now, a level lost is still half a level lost on average if it has to be restored. I've also considered using energy drain except that if you lose a level, you don't lose any of your abilities, just the XP. This way you don't have to worry about removing a level from anyone, but they will need to make up all the lost XP before they can rise any more levels. And I keep negative levels as is.
twetzel2k 04-20-07, 01:59 PM	yeah I was thinking CON drain, but something similar. I was also considering replacing it with a negative energy (like inflict wounds) to give it more punch. Give it more of a "movie" type feel to it that isn't as harsh penalty wise. Something like 2d8+5 extra inflict damage per hit without allowing a save for 1/2. Maybe adding a sickening effect that you can save for. The "movie" type vampire doesn't really have the energy drain, but is really really strong... tossing people around like matchsticks. and they typically radiate the unnatural cold. I just ran a game in which the party went up against a vampire and several got drained and it just sucked the fun right out the group. One comment was... "screw this, I'm going back to town, telling the employer to stuff it....I'm level 2 now from all this drain." When the party is low enough level that they don't have easy access to restoration drain is murder to a game night.
RobbyPants 04-20-07, 02:36 PM	I just ran a game in which the party went up against a vampire and several got drained and it just sucked the fun right out the group. One comment was... "screw this, I'm going back to town, telling the employer to stuff it....I'm level 2 now from all this drain." When the party is low enough level that they don't have easy access to restoration drain is murder to a game night. And that's why I removed energy drain from the vampire template I use! I figured blood drain is enough! But that's beside the point... Con drain could work too. I'd stay way from physical damage, because a lot of what makes D&D cool is all the wierd, non-HP ways the bad guys can hurt you. Besides, Con damage/drain will hurt your HP total anyway, so it all works out.
IronMouse 04-20-07, 07:18 PM	Try using Taint instead: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/taint.htm No absorbing items and the like, simply negative levels = taint score.