Hi Guys.
recently come across something; forgive me if it is already in the threads but i couldnt find an answer on a search.
energy drain bestows negative levels, that much is clear.. but are all negative level effects classed as energy drain? for example, if a (my) character is immune to energy drain then enervation/energy drain spells have no effect. but what about the negative level effect my (good) character would suffer from holding an unholy weapon?
not that my character would want to hold such a weapon out of choice, but i grabbed it off the demon that had someone we needed to talk to impaled on the other end of it..
there are other things out there i am sure that just say 'gains one negative level' etc.. do they all class as energy drain effects?
I would say no
Energy Drain is an effect that imposes a negative level but the Negative level is a thing on it's own.
Kind of a status effect like Stunned or Sickened.
No, the holy weapon does not drain one level, it "bestows one permanent negative level" while you hold it. Also, "This negative level cannot be overcome in any way (including by restoration spells) while the weapon is wielded."
This is not even close to the actual game mechanic of "Energy Drain" which
A) Allows a save
B) Can be removed
C) Lasts for a limited duration with additional saves to remove it
Two different things.
Besides which, the Holy ability says the negative level cannot be overcome in any way, so your immunity cannot overcome it.
firstly 'energy drain' doesnt have an initial save (the spell that is)
secondly 'cannot be overcome in any way' yeah that has been overrulled so many times.. gods (i am one) wish spell (can cast it at will with no components) etc etc.
my question is what exactly counts as 'energy drain' mechanically? i cannot actually find a definition anywhere.. as far as i am concerned 'bestows one negative level' is an energy drain effect as much as enervation is. enervation doesnt mention being an energy drain effect, wither does 'energy drain' the spell for that matter.
Uh. It specifically states it cannot be overcome in any way. So now you've entered house rule territory.
Energy Drain is a spell and specific creature attack. If you are immune to Energy Drain then you are immune to the spell and specific creature attack. Unless it states you are immune to negative levels from other sources, then you are not.
What is allowing you to be immune to energy drain?
i am a god, i am immune to energy drain amongst other things..
i wouldnt feel comfortable playing under a DM that doesnt rule that gods can overcome affects of objects with a spell of their own.. ie, if a god casts restoration, then it should remove the negative level regardless of the item wording.
Well, being a god would be considered house-ruling and not specifically a 'Rules Question'. That's because a GM is the final arbiter, so it doesn't matter what we say if the GM rules otherwise.
But think of it like this: The holy/unholy weapon's negative energy effect comes from a dissonance in the weapon's power source and the holder's connection to a higher power. It is basically applying a dampening field on the character. It isn't draining your power, it is causing interference, like how a microwave can reduce a wireless network's speed.
So if you're arguing that you're following rules about being a god that you made up, then we can't help. If you're saying "I'm a god and I achieved this by applying these qualities" then we can try, but it only goes so far. A good question would be if Wish can overcome the weapon's drain... and I'd say no. It could completely remove the Holy or Unholy weapon enchantment, which would have a similar effect (it could also be used change the character's alignment), but it wouldn't make someone immune to the effect.
that may be true, but just to confuse matters there is the following things scattered about.. this is from the Vavakia Demon block.
Smoking Wound (Su)
The wounds caused by a vavakia’s fangs result in tremendous and eerie wounds. Rather than blood, wisps of green smoke constantly weep from a vavakia’s bite wound—a grim manifestation of the demon’s effect on a mortal soul. Each time a vavakia bites a creature, it bestows two negative levels—the wounds continue to smoke as long as the victim suffers those negative levels. The smoking wounds cause the victim to become sickened because of the hideous sensation and rank smell of the vapors. An effect that removes this sickened condition only temporarily causes the wounds to stop smoking—they begin smoking again in 1d6 rounds and persist as long as the victim suffers from the associated negative levels. Nonliving creatures bitten by a vavakia are immune to its energy-draining bite and do not exhibit smoking wounds. The Fortitude save to remove these negative levels is DC 25. The save DC is Charisma-based.
this is an effect that 'bestows negative levels' which is then described as an energy draining effect..
How does this confuse matters? It specifically states that the Negative Levels it bestows are considered an energy draining effect. Therefor the rules pertaining to energy draining effects apply.