A character with 12HD looked the wrong way at an Astradaemon and received 16 temporary negative levels. Now he’s dead. The group healer wants to cast Raise Dead on him. This will bestow an additional 2 negative levels. How does this work? Did the character’s negative levels disappear when he died, allowing him to only have 2 negative levels upon resurrection? Or will he have a total of 18 negative levels upon resurrection, effectively killing him again?
A character with 12HD looked the wrong way at an Astradaemon and received 16 temporary negative levels. Now he’s dead. The group healer wants to cast Raise Dead on him. This will bestow an additional 2 negative levels. How does this work? Did the character’s negative levels disappear when he died, allowing him to only have 2 negative levels upon resurrection? Or will he have a total of 18 negative levels upon resurrection, effectively killing him again?
They go away when dead.
I don't believe they do actually. Pretty sure he'd take the 2 Con damage.
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There is this line in the Energy Drain section:
Permanent negative levels remain after a dead creature is restored to life.
The implication is that temporary negative levels do not. In fact, if raise dead didn't remove the temporary negative levels, the subject would immediately just die again.
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.
I agree there is an implication that temporary negative levels do not remain when restored to life, since it specifies permanent negative levels do remain.
As strange as it sounds, you could allow the dead character a save to remove temp negative levels if you want them to persist after dead.
And if you can Raise Dead someone with permanent negative levels with a 1 round grace to cast Restoration, I can't see how temporary negative levels wouldn't allow it even if they are also retained.
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.
I agree there is an implication that temporary negative levels do not remain when restored to life, since it specifies permanent negative levels do remain.
As strange as it sounds, you could allow the dead character a save to remove temp negative levels if you want them to persist after dead.
And if you can Raise Dead someone with permanent negative levels with a 1 round grace to cast...
That was another thing I'm not getting: Restoration is a 3 round cast; how does the 1 round grace help? Unless you're getting help from another spell caster? Do they need to just time it so they begin casting 2 rounds before the primary caster finishes Raise Dead?
You finish the spell after the third round, and you have an extra round after that to cast it.
You finish the spell after the third round, and you have an extra round after that to cast it.
Soo same question?
The way i read it, you have to start casting right after resurrecting the target. The spell starts being cast on your action, takes 3 rounds of concentration to finish, and is finished by the start of your 4th round.
0: Raise Dead
1: Begin casting Restoration
2: Concentrate on Restoration
3: Concentrate on Restoration
4: Restoration finished casting and you can act again.
A spell that takes 1 round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed.
A spell that takes 1 minute to cast comes into effect just before your turn 1 minute later (and for each of those 10 rounds, you are casting a spell as a full-round action, just as noted above for 1-round casting times). These actions must be consecutive and uninterrupted, or the spell automatically fails.
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As noted by Ryric, per the rules on energy drain and level loss, only "permanent negative levels remain after a dead creature is restored to life." If it were intended that temporary negative levels also remain, it would have been stated. The inclusion of the word "permanent" would be rendered meaningless if it meant all types of negative levels. (Plus it would be silly if a character would be killed off automatically with a raise dead).
The next question raised here is whether dying by level drain is considered a "death effect" so as to require a Resurrection instead. The Pathfinder FAQ states "Energy drain is not a death effect."