Soul Eater?

[Necroticplague]

How exactly does a soul eater's energy drain ability work? It simply says "the touch of a soul eater." Does this mean that bestowing a negative level is a touch attack? Do you bestow negative levels when you hit with a natural weapon? Do you get to drain souls by a simple handshake? Are people grappling you afflicted?If the ability is it's own touch attack, does it get iterative attacks?

[AmberVael]

I don't think there is any completely RAW answer to this, but given that the class requires you to have a focus on a natural weapon, and most energy drain special abilities are delivered alongside a natural attack (see Vampire, Wight, and Devourer), I think it is a fair assumption that your natural attacks deal a negative level alongside their normal damage when they hit.

That said, best to take it up with your DM for clarification.

[Flickerdart]

Supernatural abilities are standard actions unless specified. A case would be made that the ability is a standard action touch attack that drains a level.

[Cog]

It's debated. There's two ways of reading it, to my knowledge:

You can make a touch attack to deliver negative levels. As this is an attack granted by the class, it follows the usual rules for Su abilities, meaning it's a standard action unless otherwise defined (and it's not otherwise defined). You get one attack per round.
Your touch - any touch - qualifies for delivering negative levels. It's not a separate attack, and so not a separate action; it simply triggers whenever you do at least hit touch AC with a regular attack, and so works as many times per round as you can make attacks.

Touch is an action on your part, so it would (possibly, depending on above) apply on your grapple attempts but not your opponent's.

[AmberVael]

By the way (not directed to anyone in particular), it's worthwhile to read the text Energy Drain ability.

It has this one note, which should be of interest:


Most energy drain attacks require a successful melee attack roll—mere physical contact is not enough.

Now, granted it says most so it isn't a hard and fast rule that must be applied, but if you're flailing around trying to find something to help you define this ability, it's probably a decent consideration to have in mind.

[Cog]

The Soul Eater's own description of "touch" is a hard-and-fast rule, though, used consistently through the ability's description.

[AmberVael]

If by "Hard and fast" you mean "never mechanically explained."

Is it a melee touch? It is any contact? Will clothing and similar materials interfere, or what?
Doesn't say.

So really, your best choice is to ask the DM.

[Cog]

Touch rules are explained in the Magic Overview section of the rules, actually.

[AmberVael]

No, it explains the spell range of touch, which has nothing to do with abilities that aren't spells. You can also find rules for touch attacks in Actions in Combat, but Soul Eater doesn't say "touch attack." It just says touch. And this isn't a quirk of BoVD, either- there are plenty instances in the book where it says touch attack for similar special abilities (see Rotting Touch from thrall of demogorgon and Death Touch from thrall of Orcus, for example).