Energy Drain (Su) This attack saps a living opponent's vital energy and happens automatically when a melee or ranged attack hits. Each successful energy drain bestows one or more negative levels (the creature's description specifies how many). If an attack that includes an energy drain scores a critical hit, it bestows twice the listed number of negative levels. Unless otherwise specified in the creature's description, a draining creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows on an opponent. These temporary hit points last for a maximum of 1 hour. Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell, such as restoration. If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 draining creature's racial HD + draining creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level becomes permanent. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level.
Format: energy drain (2 levels, DC 18); Location: Special Attacks and individual attacks.
They are temp to perm. A restoration spell cast before 24 hours passes they are still considered temporary level loss and all temporary negative levels is removed by a single casting of restoration.
If 24 hours passes your paladin starts making saves, one at a time, one for each level he has lost. So his save will get better as he makes saves. Any he fails are permanent and require a restoration (and 1,000gp of diamond dust) to remove 1 negative level.
In our pathfinder campaign, my PC (a paladin) got a bunch of negative levels from a vampire's slam attack. There was no save at that time (which is a shame...) but I'm wondering what happens next.
Here's what I'm thinking:
- All the negative levels are permanent. Restoration can restore one and then we need to wait a week and cast again. And so on.
OR
- The negative levels are temporary. After 24 hours, I make saves for each. Any failures become permanent and then we need to use restoration.
Then again, perhaps I'm incorrect either way. How do we resolve the negative levels from the vampire's slam attack?
IIRC you make a fort save in 24 hours for every save. Every failed save results in a permanent level. You don't have to wait a week between restorations though.
Energy Drain (Su) This attack saps a living opponent's vital energy and happens automatically when a melee or ranged attack hits. Each successful energy drain bestows one or more negative levels (the creature's description specifies how many). If an attack that includes an energy drain scores a critical hit, it bestows twice the listed number of negative levels. Unless otherwise specified in the creature's description, a draining creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows on an opponent. These temporary hit points last for a maximum of 1 hour. Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell, such as restoration.If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 draining creature's racial HD + draining creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level becomes permanent. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level.edit:all that work just to be ninja'd