Familiars and negative levels? [3.5]

[gomipile]

If a familiar is based on a creature with 1 HD, how many negative levels kill it? One negative level because it still only has 1 HD? Or as many as the master's character level, based on the following rule from the SRD?

Hit Dice
For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.

Basically, are negative levels "effects related to number of Hit Dice?"

[faceroll]

Yes. Here is the text on negative levels:

Energy Drained

The character gains one or more negative levels, which might permanently drain the character’s levels. If the subject has at least as many negative levels as Hit Dice, he dies. Each negative level gives a creature the following penalties: -1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks; loss of 5 hit points; and -1 to effective level (for determining the power, duration, DC, and other details of spells or special abilities). In addition, a spellcaster loses one spell or spell slot from the highest spell level castable.

[gomipile]

Which of my questions was your "yes" in response to? Your answer could mean two totally different things, depending.

[gomipile]

Is it wrong for me to be confused by a single-word "Yes." answer to a post of mine that has four question marks in it?

[ericgrau]

Yes to all?

It takes a number of negative levels equal to the master's HD, though at 5 HP per negative level he might be dead before that point.

[gomipile]

Yes to all?

It takes a number of negative levels equal to the master's HD, though at 5 HP per negative level he might be dead before that point.

If you said yes to all, you'd be saying yes to "One negative level because it still only has 1 HD?"

Of course, I should have mentioned that I'm looking for a little more than just the answer. Since people usually explain and expound on this forum, I didn't feel it necessary to ask for the extra explanation in my OP.

What I'd like is a decent rules explanation that says why one should look at death to negative levels as one of the "effects related to number of Hit Dice." I know that intuitively and according to conversational meaning and grammar, it is. However, the in-game technical definition of "effects." might be more precise. I don't know that it is, I just want to be sure.

[Starbuck_II]

If a familiar is based on a creature with 1 HD, how many negative levels kill it? One negative level because it still only has 1 HD? Or as many as the master's character level, based on the following rule from the SRD?

Hit Dice
For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.

Basically, are negative levels "effects related to number of Hit Dice?"

Dying from negative levels is an effect related to HD. So yes Master's if higher (it should be).
But negative levels also cause hp damage that might kill him due to low HPs (5 x negative level might be more than 1/2 master= familiar's hp)