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When a character loses a
level of energy, he or she loses an xperience level.
That is, he or she loses
HP =equal= to those gained with the acquisition of the former experience
level (including bonus points for constitution),
all abilities gained with
the experience level now lost, and experience points sufficient to bring
the total possessed to the mid-point of the next lower level.
Example:
A Footpad (T2) drained of one energy level becomes a Rogue (Apprentice)
(T1) with 625 XP. (SA) <example
added>
If this brings the character
below 1st level of experience, then the individual is a 0 level person
never capable of gaining experience again. <alt: see GHA.117>
If a 0 level individual
is drained an energy level, he or she is dead (possibly to become an undead
monster).
In order to allow for the
possibility of the loss of HD due to energy level draining, you
might require that players
record the score of each hit die rolled for their
characters, so that when
a level is lost the appropriate number of HP also lost can be known immediately.
A multi-classed character
(or character with two classes) who is drained of an experience level always
loses the highest level he or she has gained
(e.g., a halfling 2nd level
fighter/3rd level thief would lose one level of thieving ability).
If all levels are equal,
the highest level of the class which requires the greatest amount of experience
points is lost.
If a multi-classed character
(e.g., a fighter/magic-user) is struck by a creature which drains two levels,
a level is drained from each class.
When a character is drained
of all energy levels, he or she might become
an undead monster of the
same sort which killed him or her.
(See the appropriate paragraphs
pertaining to the undead monsters concerned in the MONSTER MANUAL.)
(ie., cf. wight,
wraith,
spectre,
vampire)
<>
These lesser undead are controlled
by their slayer/drainer.
Each has but half the HD
of a normal undead monster of this same type.
<>
Q: Does level draining
by undead apply
to psionic levels of mastery?
A: Yes, indeed; level
drain applies to all
benefits gained by level
of experience,
which is the basis for determining
levels of
mastery of psionic disciplines.
(Polyhedron #3)
ADQ: If a M-U, illusionist,
cleric, druid, ranger or
paladin loses a
level due to energy drain,
what happens
to the spells already memorized?
Doees the character lose
some?
ADA: Yes. Spellcasters
who lose levels
also lose use of the spells
gained as a
result of those levels.
When the level
drain occurs, use the appropriate
"Spells
Usable By Class and Level"
Table to
determine how many spells
of each type
can be carried at the character's
new
level. Then randomly determine
which of
the spells currently
known will be immediately
forgotten to bring the spell
load in
line with the character's
lower level.
(Polyhedron #18)
Lesser Vampires:
Lesser vampires have but half their former level of exerience with respect
to their profession (cleric, fighter, etc.) <heading added>
at the time they initially
encountered and were subsequently slain/drained by their now-master vampire,
i.e., an 8th level thief
killed by a vampire, even though drained to below 0 level in the process,
returns as a 4th level thief vampire, as appropriate.
However, upon the destruction
of their slayer/drainer,
such lesser undead gain
energy levels from characters they subsequently slay/drain until they reach
the maximum number of hit dice
(and their former level
of class experience as well, if applicable)
appropriate to their type
of undead monster.
Upon reaching full hit dice
status,
they are able to slay/drain
and control lesser undead as they once were.
Question: Are creatures
entitled to save vs. level loss when
hit by a wight, wraith,
spectre, etc.?
Answer: No.— J. Ward,
W. Niebling
Question: What are
the exact effects of the succubus’ energy-draining power?
What is an “energy level”?
Answer: Quite simply,
an energy level is equivalent to a level of exper-
ience. Losing an experience
level means losing a number of
XP which will bring the
victim down to the lowest
possible point total allowable
for the next lowest level. Example:
A 4th-level fighter with
15,000 experience points get a big smack
from a succubus,
turning him into a 3rd-level fighter with 4,001 XP.
As specified
in the MM description of the vampire,
a loss in energy level also
requires “corresponding losses
in hit dice, ability level,
attack level, etc.” In the case of our
unfortunate fighter, the
loss in level would also mean the loss of
one weapon proficiency and
the loss of any other abilities or
characteristics he received
simply by virtue of being 4th level.
The loss does not include
personal possessions, and does not
involve a mandatory decrease
in an ability score.
(Correction: "XP
sufficient to bring the total possessed to the mid-point of the next lower
level")
Alternatives to Energy Draining
Many DMs are reluctant to use undead
as much as the vivid descriptions of
these monsters tempt them to; it seems
unfair to DMs and players alike to lose
10 years of life (in a campaign where
time is largely ignored, the loss is meaningless;
in a roleplaying campaign, the
loss seems horribly steep) at the mere
sight of a ghost, or have a single undead
attack drain one or even two levels of
hard-won experience, robbing a player
of the game benefits of what might be
literally years of AD&D® game
play.
The horror and might of undead
must be preserved: to merely turn a
level-draining ability into so many dice
of physical damage seems a poor solution.
DMs may well devise their own
solutions, but here are some alternatives
to an attack that would normally
result in a loss of character experience.
_______________________________
Roll d10 once for every level drained (eg. once for a wight hit, or twice for a wraith hit), or for every 10 years of aging.
d10
1. Temporary paralysis with no save, either complete or partial,
thereby preventing spell-casting, climbing,
picking locks, and giving a -2 penalty
to AC and attacks, for 1d12 + 10
rounds; curable.
<(note: the section on ghouls gives detailed
rules for paralysis, incl. partial paralysis)>
2. Loss of all experience gained back to the minimum required for the character's current level.
3. Immediate loss of consciousness,
loss of 2d6 HP, plus
a permanent loss of 1 hit point per drain attack, plus
possible loss of currently memorized spells.
4. Loss of ability points at random;
character must save vs. poison to see if
each loss is permanent.
5. Permanent withering of touched
limb (limited wish or wish notwithstanding), or
bestowal of a disease of severe, chronic
nature.
6. Bestowal of minor permanent curse (see "Curses!", DRAGON® Magazine, issue No. 77).
7. Character stricken with insanity
(refer to DMG for types), or, if the character
is a spell-caster, the PC permanently
loses knowledge of how to cast a
certain spell at random or perform a
type of a magic.
8. Alignment shift of character,
one
step per attack, toward that of the
attacking undead. Note that this could
cause back-and-forth alignment shifts
as a character with a long career
encounters undead of different alignments.
9. Immediate feeblemindedness
plus
a permanent loss of 1 ability point at random
choice, save vs. poison to avoid).
10. No effect || loss of 1 level, as per standard energy drain.
JASON THE RULESREADER wrote:
Gary,
Would you allow a saving
throw for level drain?
Never!
Simple as that.
Cheers,
Gary
garhkal wrote:
Ok another for you to ponder.
When you played and gmed,
how were undead energy drains handled... When the pc got hit, did they
roll the HD for lost points, or did they 'remove what they rolled' when
they gained that level?
the loss was determined
by the number of HPs gained when the now-lost level was attained, or were
gained...
If there was no record, then the total HPs for the unfortunate PC were averaged per level, and that number was the loss for each level drained.
Cheers,
Gary
Elfdart wrote:
Are my eyes playing tricks
or did the Colonel admit to going (relatively) easy on players? 
As a matter of fact I am
usually prone to giving regular players in a campaign I am running a break
in regards to loss of their character,
or a severe diminishment
of that game perso9na due to level drain or similar loss.
That does not apply to players
with characters that I judge to have uwarranted levels, cocky ones that
ignore warnings, those that play foolishly,
or the magic items of any
character whatsoever 
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by mistere29
I would like your thoughts
on posion and level drain in OAD&D.
Do you agree when some gamers say they are too deadly. If not, why, and did those dangers see frequent use in you campaign?
Thanks
No I don't agree with those
wimpy whiners who are afraid of a few living dead <stickouttongue>
There were always plenty
of them in the adventures I ran, and likewise in those that I was playing
in.
For example, in one Jim
Ward scenario, the first monsters we encountered were liches attacking
us with rods of cancellation.
This was likely in revenge
for some of the perils Jim had to face with me as DM, such as when a vampire
had his PC trapped.
Darned if Jim didn't roll
well enough to force the vampire to dust-mote form while I couldn't hit
his PC no matter what.
To answer specifically:
First, a cleric or two with
a party means the threat is lessened dramatically.
Second, m-us have plenty
of long-range spells to deal with undead.
Third, most other PC types
have enough armor to make hitting them pretty difficlt.
In general the alert and
wary party will not be surprised by undead, be able to stay at a distance
to make touch by the undead difficult.
Wise players know when to
have their PCs run away.
In extremis, le=ost levels
can be restored by use of wishes and clerical spells,
Next those cry babies will be moaning about being turned to stone.
Tell the complainers they
should be playing a CRPG where they can save and thus avoid all real danger--ues
cheat codes too 
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by scadgrad
And finally, one last question
concerning level-draining, the latest edition makes this setback considerably
less problematic than in the original. Personally, I prefer something closer
to the original ruling, but I'm wondering, did your original players detest
this rule as much as one might imagine (God knows my players always loathed
it)? And, was this simply a very real method of instilling a sense of dread
and fear into the players when confronted by powerful Undead? It always
seemed cruel to me, but boy, it made those encounters tense and perhaps
that was the point all along.
Continued good health to
you Sir and looking forward to what you and the Trolls do w/ Castle Xagyg.
How I detest namby-pamby
whiners that expect to play a real RPG without threat of character death
or loss of a level, stat points, or even choice magic items! Without such
possibilities, what it the purpose of play, a race to see which character
can have the greatest level, highest stats, and largest horde of treasure?
That is just too flaccid for words.
As an aside, level draining is less cruel that house rules I have heard about that cause loss of sight or appendages.
You pegged the reason for my adding that to the system. The threat is potent, yet does not actually kill the PC. There is even a clerical restoration possible, that costing much in the way of monetary and magical items likely, thus getting them out of play and giving more reason to PC to keep adventuring.
That said, when I was playing
I dreaded seeing level-draining undead monsters, and thus they added as
much excitement to the situation as might a death-dealing dragon
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Griffith
Dragonlake
Hi Gary, I wanted to get
your opinion on the level draining ability of undead. Personally I have
no problem with it both as a player and as a DM. I believe that between
turning undead and restoration, a careful party can deal with such creatures
successfully albeit with a great deal of healthy fear.
However, there are some others who hate level draining. One argument against level draining is that at least in 3rd edition, it causes too much bookkeeping. Given the complexity of 3rd edition character descriptions, I can understand that argument but I think it is really an indictment of 3rd edition rules rather than level draining.
In the 30 years that have
elapsed since the AD&D Monster Manual
was released, have you changed your opinion on level draining?
Sbiort answer: No, I still
am q=wholly behind loss of levels from undead and certain magic items.
As you note there are sufficient
counters to such loss as to mitigate the worst effects if the PC party
is played well.
I can not comment on the 3E system of handling this, as such effect never happened in the 20 or so game sessions I did play using that system.
In my experience most of the players that whine about level draining are either not truly skillful ones or pure power gamers.
Cheers,
Gary
