Crap, I still don't understand Level Adjustment. Help!

[Ozreth]

So I've gone ahead and let a player be a Tiefling, but I realized that after years I still don't really understand LA as I have never had a player choose a LA race before.

So, in this case, it's a Tiefling Ranger. How do they go about leveling, picking skills, etc?

Thanks! The DMG is super vague on this.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Basically, you're going to require as much xp to level as if you were one level higher than you are now. Your Ranger will be a Tiefling Ranger 1, who needs as much experience as a level 2 character to advance to the next level.

You could also look up the Lesser Tiefling variant and have no LA. :-)

[Hiro Protagonest]

The only thing not based on hit dice or levels in one class are the things that are based off character level. I'm not sure whether you use hit dice or ECL for that. Everything else is based off of hit dice, or levels in one class plus certain PrCs.

[Reynard]

They just treat being [being an LA+X Race] as having some dead character levels in exchange for the benefits the class gives. For example, in a game that started at level 6, a character with an LA+1 race would only have 5 levels in their class/classes. And LA+2 one would have just 4.

They don't gain BAB or skills points for the levels they traded to play the LA+X Race, so a Fighter with +2 LA would have 2 lass BAB than one without.

[Mando Knight]

You could also look up the Lesser Tiefling variant and have no LA. :-)

If you decide to look up "Lesser Aasimar" and try to convince the DM that it's fair and balanced, the residents of the Playground cannot be held accountable for the books that will be thrown at your head. (Lesser Tiefling, though, is safer.)

[Ozreth]

Gotcha. So, basically, he fills out everything on his sheet that is related to race, but nothing that is related to the class? Such as skill points, class abilities etc.

Then, when everybody else hits level 2, he gets all of the stuff that comes with his class and is now considered level 1. When everybody else hits level 3, he hits level 2? So on and so forth?

[Lateral]

Gotcha. So, basically, he fills out everything on his sheet that is related to race, but nothing that is related to the class? Such as skill points, class abilities etc.

Then, when everybody else hits level 2, he gets all of the stuff that comes with his class and is now considered level 1. When everybody else hits level 3, he hits level 2? So on and so forth?

Nope, sorry. You can't play a character with LA at level one. You'd have no hit die.

[eggs]

A Monster Manual Tiefling can't exist below ECL2. So it either needs to be thrown into the party an ECL ahead (probably reasonable in this case, not so reasonable with stronger races), or use something like the Savage progression Tiefling (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) to start with reduced racial benefits and a class level at ECL1, then spend another level later to obtain the full set of racial traits.

[Slipperychicken]

Think of it like "paying" X levels to be the race, or have the template. You start out X levels behind the rest of the party, because the race/template is supposed to be so awesome that it's worth that many levels. Since you "pay" levels, you don't get a hit die for them, or BAB, or class features.


Your ECL (Estimated Character Level) is equal to X+C, where C = number of Hit Dice, and X = Level Adjustment. If the game starts at ECL 5, and you have 3 level adjustment, you only start with two class levels, and the Level Adjustment brings you up to ECL 5.


EDIT: The Savage Progression seems like your best bet to play a Tiefling at level 1.

[sonofzeal]

Gotcha. So, basically, he fills out everything on his sheet that is related to race, but nothing that is related to the class? Such as skill points, class abilities etc.

Then, when everybody else hits level 2, he gets all of the stuff that comes with his class and is now considered level 1. When everybody else hits level 3, he hits level 2? So on and so forth?
So on and so forth, yes. But like they said, you can't exactly start as one from lvl1 or you'd have 0 hp. A flexible DM might let it slide though.



In general, everything is a level. A monster's Racial Hit Dice are exactly like class levels, though absent of class features. And LA is exactly like levels too, they just don't give you anything. A Minotaur PC might have six Racial Hit Dice, two LA, four levels of Fighter, and one level of Barbarian - adding up to an effective lvl 13 character. They'd travel in a lvl 13 party, have the experience of a lvl 13 character, and level up when they get to the experience for a lvl 14 character.

It's actually pretty easy once you get used to it. A level is a level is a level.

[Ozreth]

Bah! Not sure why this is all going over my head. Just just need to figure out what should or shouldnt be on this persons character sheet starting play haha.

There is supposed to be a lesser tiefling in the PGtF but I don't see it in there.

[Douglas]

For purposes of experience points (both how much he gains from challenges and how much he needs to level up), expected wealth by level, and what level party he's supposed to be in, each point of level adjustment is treated as the same as one actual level. For absolutely everything else, it's treated as if it doesn't exist.

For a tiefling in a level 1 party, you could use the Savage Progression someone already linked to, or you could just say the difference isn't enough to worry about when it will only last one level. If you go the latter route, he should start at level 1 with 0 experience just like everyone else, but he won't level up to 2 until he gets 3000 xp, the point where everyone else reaches level 3.

[eggs]

It's not there specifically, but there's a blurb near the end about "Lesser Planetouched" in a general sense. The gist is just to change them into humanoids and drop the LA.

[Ozreth]

If you go the latter route, he should start at level 1 with 0 experience just like everyone else, but he won't level up to 2 until he gets 3000 xp, the point where everyone else reaches level 3.

Alright, that's what I was thinking and it sounds good. However, does he start with ranger skill points and abilities or no? And he's gonna have negatives to attack rolls and all that, yes?

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Bah! Not sure why this is all going over my head. Just just need to figure out what should or shouldnt be on this persons character sheet starting play haha.

There is supposed to be a lesser tiefling in the PGtF but I don't see it in there.

It's the standard Tiefling, but you lose the Outsider type. So you lose MWP and become vulnerable to a number of things like Charm Person.

[Douglas]

Alright, that's what I was thinking and it sounds good. However, does he start with ranger skill points and abilities or no? And he's gonna have negatives to attack rolls and all that, yes?
Ranger skills and abilities. The gist of that suggestion was basically "ignore the fact that level adjustment exists until he'd hit level 2". For larger level adjustments this would be a bad idea, but a mere +1 LA isn't going to make that big a difference.

[Namfuak]

There is supposed to be a lesser tiefling in the PGtF but I don't see it in there.

Lesser Planetouched, PGtF page 191. Basically, you trade your outsider type for Humanoid (planetouched), which is susceptible to spells/effects that work on outsiders or spells/effects that work on humanoids (so both hold person and banishment work against them). This seems like a small weakness to exchange for 1 LA, but if your DM plays it right it can actually be quite debilitating. Also, since you are now humanoid, you can't do some of the alter self shenanigans that you can as an outsider.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Nope, he's in all respects a regular level 1 ranger.

[Urpriest]

I say this a lot these days: Monster Guide. Link in sig.