I got energy drained last night - HELP!!! [Archive] - Wizards Community

I got energy drained last night - HELP!!! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Mallachaz Nightbane
10-30-04, 07:19 AM Hi all,
My group are currently playing Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, and we got attacked by four Spectres last night during play :weep: . It was a surprise attack which I could do nothing about, so I bravely took it like a man (or rat as the case may be).
I play a Nezumi (Oriental Adventures) Rogue 7/Ninja Spy 2, who is just on the cusp of attaining 10th character level (45,000xp). My other PC, a Human Wizard 10 (I play two characters), managed to teleport us both out, while the other party members eventually managed to turn the Spectres

The energy drain drained two levels :weep: , taking him to the midpoint of 7th level rogue, loosing the Ninja Spy levels.
As I am now back with the rest of the party in a safe location, the plan is to have restore cast on me twice, to take my xp to the start of the 9th character level (which is 36,000xp). This means that I have 'lost' 9,000xp, which has probably taken 5 game sessions to obtain (longer than that in realtime, as we probably play this campaign once every two weeks.).

Needless to say, when you have strove to build up a PC, it sucks when you loose xp, and I hate nothing more.
Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get this back to my original xp total?
Is there a way? :confused:

Please help my poor rat!
Thanks, MN
Gryllmyre
10-30-04, 08:55 AM I don't know of any way myself, unless the DM is gracious enough to rule it that way. But I wouldn't press your luck.

On the brighter side, if/when the rest of your party raises before you do, you will get more XP than the rest them for encounters (at least, by 3.5 rules), helping you to catch up.

It definitely stinks to die or lose levels when you are close to raising. The sorceror in my group died and effectively lost 13000 xp because of it.

I especially hated having my levels drained when it happened, although levelling in 3.x is a lot less painful.
Shard of Suzail
10-30-04, 12:03 PM so let me get this straight, your two characters teleported away and then the rested of the party "managed to turn the spectres". So...you left them all to die and saved your characters? That doesnt sound very heroic.

Well, regardless of that, you`re going to have to live with the level loss. Energy drain creatures are dangerous and to be feared. If you play a game like elemental evil, you count yourself lucky if you live at all.
Bringslite
10-30-04, 12:18 PM Don't you get another save the next day to remove the negative lvls? Did you fail that also?
Insane Pixie
10-30-04, 12:34 PM I suggest you bring the DM a gift basket. That raised my D in English to an A-.
Arkat
10-30-04, 01:04 PM I suggest you bring the DM a gift basket. That raised my D in English to an A-.

Your English teacher was also your DM????????? :eek: :eek:

Sorry...It had to be done! :D :D
Insane Pixie
10-30-04, 01:31 PM LMFAO!!!

Actually, she did play. Last time I watched her play, she kicked serious fey :censored:!
Mallachaz Nightbane
10-31-04, 07:39 AM So...you left them all to die and saved your characters? That doesnt sound very heroic.

It wasn't quite like that. I discussed it with the party, and told them I was teleporting out, the remaining PCs were also going to teleport out, and one was going to cast fly and bug out too... but as I acted first, and fled, the remaining PCs chanced their arm and managed to turn them after a couple of 'very' tense rounds. If I had stayed I would have lost more levels, as my two characters have the worst fortitude saves of the whole party.

I am a hero - honest! I just have a common sense limit that kicked in after the first two levels got wiped from my rat! :)

You do get the save, but as I understand it, it still only reverts you back to minimum xp for the level. I wouldn't be that bothered except for the fact that I ended up loosing the maximum possible xp.
Shard of Suzail
10-31-04, 10:06 AM well, you acted in the right then. If the party had agreed to flee the scene and then changed their minds, then they are foolish. They are lucky to be alive. I always say, that when the party agrees to fight or to flee, that they should stick with that plan. A half retreat usually sees those who stick around killed or, worse, sees those who fled come back and then get killed.

You did right, your allies did wrong.
SpellMaster
10-31-04, 10:39 AM Don't you get another save the next day to remove the negative lvls? Did you fail that also?

You might want to look at what this guy has to say.

I would assume you already knew this, but if not, this could save your skin. By your story, it sounds like you got energy drained and that was it.

If the reverse is true, and you lost the levels by failing your fortitude save (which is probably true), then just get those levels back and be happy. Losing 9000 XP is much better than two whole levels, so count yourself lucky. Its better than dying, or permanently losing levels (such as waiting too long after the fact to have them removed).

But I would talk to the DM. He may be understanding and allow you to return to your previous experience.
Dartanel
10-31-04, 12:01 PM It wasn't quite like that. I discussed it with the party, and told them I was teleporting out, the remaining PCs were also going to teleport out, and one was going to cast fly and bug out too... but as I acted first, and fled, the remaining PCs chanced their arm and managed to turn them after a couple of 'very' tense rounds. If I had stayed I would have lost more levels, as my two characters have the worst fortitude saves of the whole party.

I am a hero - honest! I just have a common sense limit that kicked in after the first two levels got wiped from my rat! :)

You do get the save, but as I understand it, it still only reverts you back to minimum xp for the level. I wouldn't be that bothered except for the fact that I ended up loosing the maximum possible xp.

You're mistaking negative levels for level loss. If it hasn't been 24 hours since the encounter, you haven't yet lost any levels or XP. You just have a -2 to all your rolls and caster level.
If you can get those negative levels removed before the 24 hours are up, there will be no permanent damage. If you make the saves, there will be no permanent damage.
Mallachaz Nightbane
11-02-04, 02:30 PM So let me get this right... as it wasn't that clear in the book, but now I have re-read it...

When you get hit by a creature with energy drain, in this case a Spectre, you gain 2 negative levels if you fail your Fort save. This stays for 24 hours unless you cast Restoration, which 'dispels negative levels'. If our party didn't have access to Restoration, then after 24 hours I get another Fort save, which If I pass, I suffer no ill effects. If however, I fail, I lose 2 levels (level loss). These can be returned with Restoration (requiring 2 castings for each lost level), but this is where I end up loosing the xp.

Is this correct? If so, I am saved and my rat will thank you all, as well as myself.
Thanks, MN.
Saiph
11-02-04, 02:43 PM sounds good to me.

That's how I've always understood it. Negative levels and level loss are two different things, as stated above. It's often a point overlooked when you merely scan the relevant entries.
Dartanel
11-02-04, 02:54 PM So let me get this right... as it wasn't that clear in the book, but now I have re-read it...

When you get hit by a creature with energy drain, in this case a Spectre, you gain 2 negative levels if you fail your Fort save. This stays for 24 hours unless you cast Restoration, which 'dispels negative levels'. If our party didn't have access to Restoration, then after 24 hours I get another Fort save, which If I pass, I suffer no ill effects. If however, I fail, I lose 2 levels (level loss). These can be returned with Restoration (requiring 2 castings for each lost level), but this is where I end up loosing the xp.

Is this correct? If so, I am saved and my rat will thank you all, as well as myself.
Thanks, MN.

Almost.
You don't get the first fort save. Once the spectre nails you you get two neg levels guarunteed.
After 24 hours you make one fort save for each neg level (in this case two) and only if you fail one or both of these do you lose xp.
danielinthewolvesden
11-02-04, 06:23 PM Almost.
You don't get the first fort save. Once the spectre nails you you get two neg levels guarunteed.
After 24 hours you make one fort save for each neg level (in this case two) and only if you fail one or both of these do you lose xp.

Right, and be sure to have your FORT save buffed like nobodies business! Bears Endurance, Resistance, anything you can.
Bringslite
11-03-04, 01:50 AM Ahmen to that Daniel! I hadn't thought of that. Very clever. I have so much to learn about this game. :)
Psyker Nel'Restynn
11-03-04, 02:12 AM forget that, what you need to do is petition to whatever protector-of-stanky-vermin god you pray to, say that you were unjustly spanked by a human/elf/whatever infedel spectre who was unworthy to make a den in the giant sewer in the skies, so that he regains your levels and what not, and then see if you can milk this bad boy into making you a Vermin Avatar with superhuman powers of burrowing, hording shiney object, or whatever you rat-folk do. And whenever someone gets in your way, tell them to fcuk themselves or else you'll bit them in their ugly faces.
Mallachaz Nightbane
11-03-04, 02:16 PM Almost.
You don't get the first fort save. Once the spectre nails you you get two neg levels guarunteed.
After 24 hours you make one fort save for each neg level (in this case two) and only if you fail one or both of these do you lose xp.

Looking at the Spectre entry you are quite right, you get the 2 levels drained anyway, but it just helpfully tells you what you have got to save against in 24 hours time.
I presume If I get Restoration cast within the 24 hours though, I dont lose any levels anyway, as the negative levels are dispelled. I then needn't bother making the Fort saves?

Thanks for all the help you guys :)
MN
Insane Pixie
11-03-04, 03:44 PM And if that doesn't work, make a sacrifice to your patron deity. Sheep always seem to work well.
Ryoohki
11-03-04, 04:23 PM Yep, as someone whose characters get negative levels all the time, I'd like to mention there's other sources of negative levels.

There's from spells such as enervation and energy drain. Enervation gives you temporary negative levels which never result in level loss. Energy drain gives temporary negative levels which can turn into perm level loss if you fail a save 24 hours later.

Then there are creatures which give you the temporary negative levels (similar to the energy drain spell above) which gives you a save 24 hours later to resist getting perm level loss.

There's also when you hold items which has various alignment requirements. Those give you temporary negative levels only while you hold them (unless they say otherwise)

I think that about covers it.

But in ALL cases, you are given a chance 24 hours later to avoid having perm level loss, if there is a chance of that happening at all. There may be some exception to this rule, but I've never seen it.

And in all cases, if you get a restoration or greater restoration case upon you before the 24 hours is up, the temporary negative levels are removed and you're all happy again.

Negative levels are not as bad as they used to be, but they're still quite nasty if you have no cleric nearby to heal you. (I have a 9th level druid who currently has 3 negative levels with no one around to cast restoration on her - pray for me)

Also, I think it would be near impossible to cast a spell such as resistance right before you had to make the save 24 hours later. I doubt you can tell time that well. Heck, you probably can't even tell time well enough to be able to know when to cast endurance to try to help out your saves.

Kyle
Mallachaz Nightbane
11-03-04, 04:34 PM Thanks for that Kyle,
I'll be sure to pray for your druid. In fact my rat and wizard will do a prayer before the start of the foray into the Temple of Elemental Evil.
I think part of the issue stems from the fcat that I used to play AD&D (1E and 2E), and I rightly feared energy drains... They really used to suck. :)
Thanks again all,
MN
p.s. I think someone in my party is gonna have to buy or make a Wand of Restoration!!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mallachaz Nightbane 10-30-04, 07:19 AM	Hi all, My group are currently playing Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, and we got attacked by four Spectres last night during play :weep: . It was a surprise attack which I could do nothing about, so I bravely took it like a man (or rat as the case may be). I play a Nezumi (Oriental Adventures) Rogue 7/Ninja Spy 2, who is just on the cusp of attaining 10th character level (45,000xp). My other PC, a Human Wizard 10 (I play two characters), managed to teleport us both out, while the other party members eventually managed to turn the Spectres The energy drain drained two levels :weep: , taking him to the midpoint of 7th level rogue, loosing the Ninja Spy levels. As I am now back with the rest of the party in a safe location, the plan is to have restore cast on me twice, to take my xp to the start of the 9th character level (which is 36,000xp). This means that I have 'lost' 9,000xp, which has probably taken 5 game sessions to obtain (longer than that in realtime, as we probably play this campaign once every two weeks.). Needless to say, when you have strove to build up a PC, it sucks when you loose xp, and I hate nothing more. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get this back to my original xp total? Is there a way? :confused: Please help my poor rat! Thanks, MN
Gryllmyre 10-30-04, 08:55 AM	I don't know of any way myself, unless the DM is gracious enough to rule it that way. But I wouldn't press your luck. On the brighter side, if/when the rest of your party raises before you do, you will get more XP than the rest them for encounters (at least, by 3.5 rules), helping you to catch up. It definitely stinks to die or lose levels when you are close to raising. The sorceror in my group died and effectively lost 13000 xp because of it. I especially hated having my levels drained when it happened, although levelling in 3.x is a lot less painful.
Shard of Suzail 10-30-04, 12:03 PM	so let me get this straight, your two characters teleported away and then the rested of the party "managed to turn the spectres". So...you left them all to die and saved your characters? That doesnt sound very heroic. Well, regardless of that, you`re going to have to live with the level loss. Energy drain creatures are dangerous and to be feared. If you play a game like elemental evil, you count yourself lucky if you live at all.
Bringslite 10-30-04, 12:18 PM	Don't you get another save the next day to remove the negative lvls? Did you fail that also?
Insane Pixie 10-30-04, 12:34 PM	I suggest you bring the DM a gift basket. That raised my D in English to an A-.
Arkat 10-30-04, 01:04 PM	I suggest you bring the DM a gift basket. That raised my D in English to an A-. Your English teacher was also your DM????????? :eek: :eek: Sorry...It had to be done! :D :D
Insane Pixie 10-30-04, 01:31 PM	LMFAO!!! Actually, she did play. Last time I watched her play, she kicked serious fey :censored:!
Mallachaz Nightbane 10-31-04, 07:39 AM	So...you left them all to die and saved your characters? That doesnt sound very heroic. It wasn't quite like that. I discussed it with the party, and told them I was teleporting out, the remaining PCs were also going to teleport out, and one was going to cast fly and bug out too... but as I acted first, and fled, the remaining PCs chanced their arm and managed to turn them after a couple of 'very' tense rounds. If I had stayed I would have lost more levels, as my two characters have the worst fortitude saves of the whole party. I am a hero - honest! I just have a common sense limit that kicked in after the first two levels got wiped from my rat! :) You do get the save, but as I understand it, it still only reverts you back to minimum xp for the level. I wouldn't be that bothered except for the fact that I ended up loosing the maximum possible xp.
Shard of Suzail 10-31-04, 10:06 AM	well, you acted in the right then. If the party had agreed to flee the scene and then changed their minds, then they are foolish. They are lucky to be alive. I always say, that when the party agrees to fight or to flee, that they should stick with that plan. A half retreat usually sees those who stick around killed or, worse, sees those who fled come back and then get killed. You did right, your allies did wrong.
SpellMaster 10-31-04, 10:39 AM	Don't you get another save the next day to remove the negative lvls? Did you fail that also? You might want to look at what this guy has to say. I would assume you already knew this, but if not, this could save your skin. By your story, it sounds like you got energy drained and that was it. If the reverse is true, and you lost the levels by failing your fortitude save (which is probably true), then just get those levels back and be happy. Losing 9000 XP is much better than two whole levels, so count yourself lucky. Its better than dying, or permanently losing levels (such as waiting too long after the fact to have them removed). But I would talk to the DM. He may be understanding and allow you to return to your previous experience.
Dartanel 10-31-04, 12:01 PM	It wasn't quite like that. I discussed it with the party, and told them I was teleporting out, the remaining PCs were also going to teleport out, and one was going to cast fly and bug out too... but as I acted first, and fled, the remaining PCs chanced their arm and managed to turn them after a couple of 'very' tense rounds. If I had stayed I would have lost more levels, as my two characters have the worst fortitude saves of the whole party. I am a hero - honest! I just have a common sense limit that kicked in after the first two levels got wiped from my rat! :) You do get the save, but as I understand it, it still only reverts you back to minimum xp for the level. I wouldn't be that bothered except for the fact that I ended up loosing the maximum possible xp. You're mistaking negative levels for level loss. If it hasn't been 24 hours since the encounter, you haven't yet lost any levels or XP. You just have a -2 to all your rolls and caster level. If you can get those negative levels removed before the 24 hours are up, there will be no permanent damage. If you make the saves, there will be no permanent damage.
Mallachaz Nightbane 11-02-04, 02:30 PM	So let me get this right... as it wasn't that clear in the book, but now I have re-read it... When you get hit by a creature with energy drain, in this case a Spectre, you gain 2 negative levels if you fail your Fort save. This stays for 24 hours unless you cast Restoration, which 'dispels negative levels'. If our party didn't have access to Restoration, then after 24 hours I get another Fort save, which If I pass, I suffer no ill effects. If however, I fail, I lose 2 levels (level loss). These can be returned with Restoration (requiring 2 castings for each lost level), but this is where I end up loosing the xp. Is this correct? If so, I am saved and my rat will thank you all, as well as myself. Thanks, MN.
Saiph 11-02-04, 02:43 PM	sounds good to me. That's how I've always understood it. Negative levels and level loss are two different things, as stated above. It's often a point overlooked when you merely scan the relevant entries.
Dartanel 11-02-04, 02:54 PM	So let me get this right... as it wasn't that clear in the book, but now I have re-read it... When you get hit by a creature with energy drain, in this case a Spectre, you gain 2 negative levels if you fail your Fort save. This stays for 24 hours unless you cast Restoration, which 'dispels negative levels'. If our party didn't have access to Restoration, then after 24 hours I get another Fort save, which If I pass, I suffer no ill effects. If however, I fail, I lose 2 levels (level loss). These can be returned with Restoration (requiring 2 castings for each lost level), but this is where I end up loosing the xp. Is this correct? If so, I am saved and my rat will thank you all, as well as myself. Thanks, MN. Almost. You don't get the first fort save. Once the spectre nails you you get two neg levels guarunteed. After 24 hours you make one fort save for each neg level (in this case two) and only if you fail one or both of these do you lose xp.
danielinthewolvesden 11-02-04, 06:23 PM	Almost. You don't get the first fort save. Once the spectre nails you you get two neg levels guarunteed. After 24 hours you make one fort save for each neg level (in this case two) and only if you fail one or both of these do you lose xp. Right, and be sure to have your FORT save buffed like nobodies business! Bears Endurance, Resistance, anything you can.
Bringslite 11-03-04, 01:50 AM	Ahmen to that Daniel! I hadn't thought of that. Very clever. I have so much to learn about this game. :)
Psyker Nel'Restynn 11-03-04, 02:12 AM	forget that, what you need to do is petition to whatever protector-of-stanky-vermin god you pray to, say that you were unjustly spanked by a human/elf/whatever infedel spectre who was unworthy to make a den in the giant sewer in the skies, so that he regains your levels and what not, and then see if you can milk this bad boy into making you a Vermin Avatar with superhuman powers of burrowing, hording shiney object, or whatever you rat-folk do. And whenever someone gets in your way, tell them to fcuk themselves or else you'll bit them in their ugly faces.
Mallachaz Nightbane 11-03-04, 02:16 PM	Almost. You don't get the first fort save. Once the spectre nails you you get two neg levels guarunteed. After 24 hours you make one fort save for each neg level (in this case two) and only if you fail one or both of these do you lose xp. Looking at the Spectre entry you are quite right, you get the 2 levels drained anyway, but it just helpfully tells you what you have got to save against in 24 hours time. I presume If I get Restoration cast within the 24 hours though, I dont lose any levels anyway, as the negative levels are dispelled. I then needn't bother making the Fort saves? Thanks for all the help you guys :) MN
Insane Pixie 11-03-04, 03:44 PM	And if that doesn't work, make a sacrifice to your patron deity. Sheep always seem to work well.
Ryoohki 11-03-04, 04:23 PM	Yep, as someone whose characters get negative levels all the time, I'd like to mention there's other sources of negative levels. There's from spells such as enervation and energy drain. Enervation gives you temporary negative levels which never result in level loss. Energy drain gives temporary negative levels which can turn into perm level loss if you fail a save 24 hours later. Then there are creatures which give you the temporary negative levels (similar to the energy drain spell above) which gives you a save 24 hours later to resist getting perm level loss. There's also when you hold items which has various alignment requirements. Those give you temporary negative levels only while you hold them (unless they say otherwise) I think that about covers it. But in ALL cases, you are given a chance 24 hours later to avoid having perm level loss, if there is a chance of that happening at all. There may be some exception to this rule, but I've never seen it. And in all cases, if you get a restoration or greater restoration case upon you before the 24 hours is up, the temporary negative levels are removed and you're all happy again. Negative levels are not as bad as they used to be, but they're still quite nasty if you have no cleric nearby to heal you. (I have a 9th level druid who currently has 3 negative levels with no one around to cast restoration on her - pray for me) Also, I think it would be near impossible to cast a spell such as resistance right before you had to make the save 24 hours later. I doubt you can tell time that well. Heck, you probably can't even tell time well enough to be able to know when to cast endurance to try to help out your saves. Kyle
Mallachaz Nightbane 11-03-04, 04:34 PM	Thanks for that Kyle, I'll be sure to pray for your druid. In fact my rat and wizard will do a prayer before the start of the foray into the Temple of Elemental Evil. I think part of the issue stems from the fcat that I used to play AD&D (1E and 2E), and I rightly feared energy drains... They really used to suck. :) Thanks again all, MN p.s. I think someone in my party is gonna have to buy or make a Wand of Restoration!!