Results 31 to 38 of 38
-
2013-09-09, 04:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
Re: Lvl Draining (Belkar's and also in general)
Magic missile can kill an enemy, if you're powerful enough. But what if you aren't? What if there is someone much more powerful enough that you can't kill through brute force? Then you could use guerrilla tactics. Attack him, drain a few levels, retreat. Do it again the next day, or the next week, or whenever his guard is lowered. Repeat until enemy is weak enough for you to beat using brute force.
Of course, I know this is almost certainly impossible in D&D (Mainly because, as was stated, negative levels can come back, but also for other reasons I'm sure), but that's an example, in my mind, of why this would be much more powerful than any other 9th level spell, except perhaps Wish.
("I wish my foe lost a level". I wonder if the DM would allow that...)Avatar by Gurgleflep
-
2013-09-09, 04:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
Re: Lvl Draining (Belkar's and also in general)
Yeah, the main purpose for enervation in most casters' arsenal isn't to permanently cripple characters, its to soften them up by reducing their saving throws and other defenses for a more properly lethal attack.
-
2013-09-09, 04:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2004
Re: Lvl Draining (Belkar's and also in general)
You had said that Energy Drain is "way too powerful a spell" unless there's an easy way to restore lost levels. But I wouldn't call any of the ways of (e.g.) surviving Meteor Swarm or thwarting Shapechange (...I could go on for every offensively-usable ninth level spell in the core game, to contribute to my overall feeling of "huh?" here; do you really find Energy Drain nastier than Wail of the Banshee, Gate, Imprisonment, or Weird?...) anywhere near as "easy" as access to Restoration, so perhaps you should explain what you mean by "easy."
Last edited by Kish; 2013-09-09 at 08:07 PM.
Orth Plays: Currently Baldur's Gate II
-
2013-09-09, 07:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2013
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Gender
Re: Lvl Draining (Belkar's and also in general)
http://umn.academia.edu/JackVishneski - My Academic Portfolio
https://soundcloud.com/vishneskiaudio - My Audio Engineer Portfolio
-
2013-09-09, 08:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
Re: Lvl Draining (Belkar's and also in general)
-
2013-09-09, 08:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
Re: Lvl Draining (Belkar's and also in general)
Last edited by littlebum2002; 2013-09-09 at 08:17 PM.
Avatar by Gurgleflep
-
2013-09-09, 10:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
- Gender
-
2013-09-10, 10:27 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2013
- Gender
Re: Lvl Draining (Belkar's and also in general)
Ah, didn't see the 15 hour cap before. Thanks.
As for Negative Levels disappearing on a failed save, my only reply is: meh. Kinda sucks, but can still be restored with a 4th-level spell if done within 1 day/caster level, which gives you a week at minimum to prepare Restoration or find someone who can cast it.