Energy Drain lists the number of levels lost and the DC for resisting the attack, but not what type of save you make. It's fortitude, right?
Assuming fortitude because that's the type of save to resist the negative levels becoming permanent, but I can't find information on the initial attack's save.
Yes, you get a Fortitude save 24 hours after getting hit by an energy drain attack to remove the negative levels, but at the time of the attack typically there is no save.
Yes, you get a Fortitude save 24 hours after getting hit by an energy drain attack to remove the negative levels, but at the time of the attack typically there is no save.
Oh wow. I was looking at the wight stat block and it lists energy drain and then the number of levels lost and the DC. I figured the DC was for resisting the drain in the first place... that's a rough attack.
Yes, energy drain is a rough attack. In 2E and 1E, there was no save, and the only spell to deal with it was restoration, a 7th level cleric spell that required a 14th level cleric with 18 or higher Wisdom to cast. Wights had stats not too different from what they are now. Yes, I've been playing a while :) We now get a save to remove the levels a day later and the restoration spell is available to 7th level clerics with 14 or higher Wisdom. So it's gotten easier to deal with, especially since you can buff up your Fort save the next day when it's time to save against each negative level (you save separately for each one, by the way).
Yes, energy drain is a rough attack. In 2E and 1E, there was no save, and the only spell to deal with it was restoration, a 7th level cleric spell that required a 14th level cleric with 18 or higher Wisdom to cast. Wights had stats not too different from what they are now. Yes, I've been playing a while :) We now get a save to remove the levels a day later and the restoration spell is available to 7th level clerics with 14 or higher Wisdom. So it's gotten easier to deal with, especially since you can buff up your Fort save the next day when it's time to save against each negative level (you save separately for each one, by the way).
I want to throw some energy draining enemies at my players so they'll have something to be afraid of, but I don't know what they'll fear more. The threat of negative levels or the book keeping that comes with it :/
Another pleasant change with the modern era is that the bookkeeping is simpler. The victim of a negative level takes a -1 to a number of rolls for each negative level. They also lose 5 hp from their permanent total. This goes away when the negative levels do. If you reread the section on energy drain, you'll find it isn't that bad really.
Another pleasant change with the modern era is that the bookkeeping is simpler. The victim of a negative level takes a -1 to a number of rolls for each negative level. They also lose 5 hp from their permanent total. This goes away when the negative levels do. If you reread the section on energy drain, you'll find it isn't that bad really.
I hadn't cross referenced the universal monster rules for energy drain with the negative level information in the core rulebook until I read your post. Thanks for pointing that out.
No problem. I'm still learning too. Regardless, wights still suck at low levels :p And the diamond dust for restoration got on my nerves in a previous campaign. You can always have the wights slaughter some nice innocent commoners, who can then rise up as wights...lots of potential for horror right there.
Failing that, have a pair of nightwalkers punt them back and forth through a prismatic wall. That worked for making players afraid of undead in an old 2E game a friend of mine played :) Nothing like being a dead stone statue on another plane to encourage people to avoid big nasty things!
No problem. I'm still learning too. Regardless, wights still suck at low levels :p And the diamond dust for restoration got on my nerves in a previous campaign. You can always have the wights slaughter some nice innocent commoners, who can then rise up as wights...lots of potential for horror right there.
Failing that, have a pair of nightwalkers punt them back and forth through a prismatic wall. That worked for making players afraid of undead in an old 2E game a friend of mine played :) Nothing like being a dead stone statue on another plane to encourage people to avoid big nasty things!
I'll think about the first idea, I am after all running a very horror driven campaign. :)
So it's gotten easier to deal with, especially since you can buff up your Fort save the next day when it's time to save against each negative level (you save separately for each one, by the way).
Allowing to buff before saves that happen the next day is pretty generous. This came up in another thread, and I believe SKR or JJ weighed in that they don't allow that. Can't locate it right now.
The saving throw is an abstraction of the body fighting the affliction over the course of the day. At some point, you check to see if your condition has improved. Having a higher Fort for a few minutes wouldn't help much. If you were buffed for the day, it would be more palatable.
It is similar to spending a week crafting and then bumping your Int before you roll to see how you did. Having a higher Int for a few minutes had no bearing on how well you crafted during the last week.
From a mechanics perspective, how do you know when you are about to make a saving throw and should apply the buffs? Short of divination and accurate timekeeping, you probably can't buff beforehand anyway.