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View Full Version : Death by Negative Levels



Jeramiahh
2009-09-16, 01:25 AM
So, this came up in a campaign, a while back, and I thought it was an interesting scenario. Long story short, we had a Major Holy Artifact, that grants -2 levels to evil wielders; in a very bad situation, we were almost captured, and turned over the Artifact to the villains; the lackey receiving it was either a Warrior 1 or 2. At this point, we asked the DM what happens; does he just melt, or turn into dust, or something, since his negative levels now equaled or exceeded his actual levels, even though it wasn't permanent? And what of his ultimate fate? According to the rules, he's supposed to rise as a wight, but it seems wrong for a Holy Artifact to cause something to rise as a wight.

As it was, we did rule he died a horrible death, ala the Nazi who looked in the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones, and we didn't hang around to see if he rose or not... just wondering what everyone else thinks about what should have happened.

Tempest Fennac
2009-09-16, 01:28 AM
I'd say that he'd just be dead as if he'd lost all his levels through Enervation or a Wight with him being raisable using Raise Dead (I don't recall hearing anything about energy drain from non-Undead causing people to animate or making them un-revivable).

Keld Denar
2009-09-16, 01:47 AM
Yes, the mook would die. As far as what would happen after, thats mostly DM interpretation. A good item bestowing negative levels upon an evil person isn't the same as getting the bad touch from a wight. One is a recoil of holy goodness, much like the simple heat from your toaster...neither good, nor evil. The other is a connection to the negative energy plane, a vile place that saps life from the living.

Even though mechanically the symptoms are the same, doesn't mean they have to be the same. Most of the time, something slain by negative levels comes back as a wight. Sometimes, though, they don't. Even if the rules DID say that they ALWAYS come back as a wight, its still within the DM's domain to change.

Honestly, I'd go with the rule of cool on this one, and have some epic Indiana Jones style nazi melting complete with screaming and little white light that is composed of purified redeamed soul that ascends toward the ceiling before merging with the positive energy plane in a flash of brilliant energy. That would be epic. The artifact was so powerful that even though it destroyed his body, it clensed the evil from his soul...just by touching it.

Epic epicness!