Half a Negative Level?

[White_Drake]

I'm playing a character who is taking the Half-Dragon Savage Progression for a Shadow Dragon. Normally these progressions grant one half damage for breath weapons at second level, however, half-shadow dragons' breath weapon grants a negative level. How would this work?

[Mari01]

Round down as usual I'd assume. You wouldn't get a full negative level until it increased again.

[The Random NPC]

While you may not be able to deal a negative level to your opponents, you could take a metabreath feat, such as entangling breath, and focus on that to disable them.

[JeminiZero]

There is really no such thing as half a negative level. That said, a negative level (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#energyDrainAndNegativeLevels) has a myriad of effects:



•-1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
•-1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
•-5 hit points.
•-1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).
•If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell. (If she has more than one spell at her highest level, she chooses which she loses.) In addition, when she next prepares spells or regains spell slots, she gets one less spell slot at her highest spell level.


See if your DM will allow your breath weapon to just deal 5 damage for now.

[Slipperychicken]

Negative Levels aren't damage, therefore you don't half them. Not like you could half them anyway. Conditions are not divisible.

[Malimar]

Rounding Fractions: (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#roundingFractions)

In general, if you wind up with a fraction, round down, even if the fraction is one-half or larger.

1/2 = 0.


Exception: Certain rolls, such as damage and hit points, have a minimum of 1.

A negative level is not a roll, and is certainly not one of the two rolls called out as examples of rolls that have a minimum of 1. So this exception would seem not to apply, and you're still left with zero.

[nedz]

What happens when you have enough xp to take you half way to the next level ?
Do you gain half a level ?
Of course you don't.

Same thing here.

[Runestar]

I believe its breath weapon is listed as "fort: negates". So the target doesn't lose anything on a successful save, and takes a negative level on a failed one. :smallsmile: