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Does Death Ward still negate the negative levels penalties when affected by spells like Thanatopic Enervation?
Once again, Thanatopic need rewording. It seems like this metamagic also was made with Death Ward 3.5 version because it says like if Death Ward gives immunity against Death spells and Pathfinder version just add a +4 to the save.
Thanatopic Enervation should allow to affect someone with Death Ward protection but Enervation has a Duration Instantaneous which provokes a condition on the target of temporary negative levels. So I think that the target would still get the negative levels inflicted by enervation or any other spell but while Death Ward it's in effect the target wouldn't have any penalties associated with negative levels.
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No, Thanatopic metamagic negates the defense provided by Death Ward.
Benefit: A thanatopic spell pierces defenses and immunities that protect against death effects, negative levels, and energy drain, affecting the target as if the protective barrier did not exist.
For example, you could cast a thanatopic vampiric touch or enervation spell on a target under the effects of death ward, and the target would suffer the normal effect of the spell.
Part of "the normal effect" of the spell is being affected by negative levels, which means penalties to hit points, attack rolls, caster level rolls, skill/ability rolls, and saves. If the scenario were that Thanatopic spell didn't pierce through Death Ward like this, you would have the odd potentially of a critical hit with Enervate doing 8 negative levels on a level 8 character and yet not killing them as long as the spell was in effect, which is silly.
No, Thanatopic metamagic negates the defense provided by Death Ward.
Part of "the normal effect" of the spell is being affected by negative levels, which means penalties to hit points, attack rolls, caster level rolls, skill/ability rolls, and saves. If the scenario were that Thanatopic spell didn't pierce through Death Ward like this, you would have the odd potentially of a critical hit with Enervate doing 8 negative levels on a level 8 character and yet not killing them as long as the spell was in effect, which is silly.Benefit: A thanatopic spell pierces defenses and immunities that protect against death effects, negative levels, and energy drain, affecting the target as if the protective barrier did not exist.
For example, you could cast a thanatopic vampiric touch or enervation spell on a target under the effects of death ward, and the target would suffer the normal effect of the spell.
I don't agree on that because I do believe the creature does have the negative levels inflicted just not the penalties -8 to saves, skills etc etc. So in your example with a creature of 8 levels it would had died anyway.
The spell is no longer in effect because it's instantaneous duration and the Thanatopic had ended too. It already pierce the defenses and immunities to affect the target, so only the normal negative levels condition remains, otherwise the spell could be removed and dispelled with Dispel Magic.
On the contrary, Thanatopic spell also pierces through the undead traits that make them immune to death effects and negative levels. You can actually kill an undead creature with a Thanatopic Enervate, for example. Considering that the immunity to level draining provided by being undead and by a Death Ward is identical, it's clear that Thanatopic spell pierces Death Ward fully and would kill the creature.
On the contrary, Thanatopic spell also pierces through the undead traits that make them immune to death effects and negative levels. You can actually kill an undead creature with a Thanatopic Enervate, for example. Considering that the immunity to level draining provided by being undead and by a Death Ward is identical, it's clear that Thanatopic spell pierces Death Ward fully and would kill the creature.
I said the creature would still had died. The negative levels are still there undead or not undead. I was just saying that a person that had Death Ward wouldnt had the penalties associated with negative energy while the Death Ward last. So if the creature reach a negative level equals to it's Hit Dice then it dies.
Just so I'm clear, you're saying that concerning the penalties (ie. negative effects), for having negative levels, dying when their number equals your hit dice isn't one of them? Because that's the only way this line of reasoning makes sense, if somehow the cumulative -1 to rolls and -5 current/max hp per negative levels are in an entirely separate category from the "die when these = level" condition. And as you can see from the following, the game doesn't appear to make any such distinction. You get a negative level, it ALL applies.
Some spells and a number of undead creatures have the ability to drain away life and energy; this dreadful attack results in “negative levels.” These cause a character to take a number of penalties.For each negative level a creature has, it takes a cumulative –1 penalty on all ability checks, attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, saving throws, and skill checks. In addition, the creature reduces its current and total hit points by 5 for each negative level it possesses. The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed. Spellcasters do not lose any prepared spells or slots as a result of negative levels. If a creature's negative levels equal or exceed its total Hit Dice, it dies.
A creature with temporary negative levels receives a new saving throw to remove the negative level each day. The DC of this save is the same as the effect that caused the negative levels.
Some abilities and spells (such as raise dead) bestow permanent level drain on a creature. These are treated just like temporary negative levels, but they do not allow a new save each day to remove them. Level drain can be removed through spells like restoration. Permanent negative levels remain after a dead creature is restored to life. A creature whose permanent negative levels equal its Hit Dice cannot be brought back to life through spells like raise dead and resurrection without also receiving a restoration spell, cast the round after it is restored to life.
Remember, specific overrides general. These negative levels were inflicted by a specific effect from a metamagic that rode along on the spell which says that Death Ward's general protections are utterly worthless against it.
So if for example a Vampire Wizard use Thanatopic Enervation inflicting 4 negatives levels and also lets say he also did one more negative energy due his Energy Drain ability to a human target. Now he got a total of 5 negative levels. The Thanatopic had nothing to pierce since there were no immunities when the spell got cast and the spell has an instantaneous duration, so only the negative level condition persist.
Now.... the target is Level 10 and cast Death Ward. Death Ward spells says it doesn't remove negative levels but removes penalties from the negative levels while Death Ward last. So I think the human would still have the negative levels just not the penalties for a while.
If he gets 5 more negative levels for a total of 10 he will still die even if death ward removes penalties.