I am Blessed or am i cursed

[Nosta]

so I Gain A power item In The pathfinder Game I am In
A Gm designed Artifact: A Page of a unknown Tome (Don't know what Tome it is) That has Strange unknown writing

I am Not able to Get rid of it as it is Bound to me
well this item is on me I Increase my ECL From 16 to 20 Gaining any class Benefits and other things from gaining levels
it also Bestows me with Half Celestial Temp For Free

How ever here is were it gets fun: At the end of each game day I Gain A negative level (they stack)
the only way not to die is to find another page

My question is what do negative levels do in pathfinder beside kill you if you have to many

[tomandtish]

The short answer... yes?

The long answer: cursed.

As you've written it, it sounds like you're getting +4 effective levels for class features (and a template) while you possess the item (which you can't get rid of). But you're picking u a negative level each day. And negative levels can get nasty. From the Pathfinder SRD:


For each negative level a creature has, it takes a cumulative –1 penalty on all ability checks, attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, saving throws, and skill checks. In addition, the creature reduces its current and total hit points by 5 for each negative level it possesses. The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed. Spellcasters do not lose any prepared spells or slots as a result of negative levels. If a creature’s negative levels equal or exceed its total Hit Dice, it dies.

A creature with temporary negative levels receives a new saving throw to remove the negative level each day. The DC of this save is the same as the effect that caused the negative levels.

Some abilities and spells (such as raise dead) bestow permanent level drain on a creature. These are treated just like temporary negative levels, but they do not allow a new save each day to remove them. Level drain can be removed through spells like restoration. Permanent negative levels remain after a dead creature is restored to life. A creature whose permanent negative levels equal its Hit Dice cannot be brought back to life through spells like raise dead and resurrection without also receiving a restoration spell, cast the round after it is restored to life.

So unless you have some other way of removing the negative levels besides finding pages (and since it is an artifact I'm assuming the normal methods don't work), in 4 days AT BEST you've broken even on the levels.

I say at best because I'm actually assuming you're getting spells per level, extra smitings, etc. But not extra HD, save increases, etc. unless they are a class feature.

So a nice item for maybe days 1-2, then it starts going down hill fast if you can't find the pages. Question:

Will finding pages remove a negative level you've obtained? So if you found the item on day one, no page day 2 (1 negative level) and two pages day 3, do you have no negative level, or one? Same question if you found two pages on day 2 and none on day 3 (can you "save up" pages)?

[NOhara24]

so I Gain A power item In The pathfinder Game I am In
A Gm designed Artifact: A Page of a unknown Tome (Don't know what Tome it is) That has Strange unknown writing

I am Not able to Get rid of it as it is Bound to me
well this item is on me I Increase my ECL From 16 to 20 Gaining any class Benefits and other things from gaining levels
it also Bestows me with Half Celestial Temp For Free

How ever here is were it gets fun: At the end of each game day I Gain A negative level (they stack)
the only way not to die is to find another page

My question is what do negative levels do in pathfinder beside kill you if you have to many

This sounds pretty un-fun. Creeping dread outside game time isn't something I like to instill in my players.

[OldTrees1]

Can you remove those negative levels with daily castings of Restoration magic?

[Nosta]

Can you remove those negative levels with daily castings of Restoration magic?

I don't know to much yet
All I know is each Day I Gain 1 Neg Level so in 20 Days I Die
If I find a page of the Book then the counter resets
I have no Idea how many pages
Monsters and Npc may Drop A page

Knowing my Gm there is probably some Huge Benefit for completing the Book

[OldTrees1]

I don't know to much yet
All I know is each Day I Gain 1 Neg Level so in 20 Days I Die
If I find a page of the Book then the counter resets
I have no Idea how many pages
Monsters and Npc may Drop A page

Knowing my Gm there is probably some Huge Benefit for completing the Book

You are a 16th level party. I refuse to believe nobody in your party can cast Restoration magic after a day's warning. So test it out on the morrow.

In the meantime, find pages as they appear. It sounds like the GM is planning on them dropping a bit shy of 1 per day(if it resets 1 level) or after an increasing number of days(if it is a total reset).

[Nosta]

You are a 16th level party. I refuse to believe nobody in your party can cast Restoration magic after a day's warning. So test it out on the morrow .


Ya Bout that. My party only spell caster is Sorcerer who took Stormborn Bloodline and is More about characters having flavor than power
My other party members Are A warlord and a Gunslinger

[OldTrees1]

Ya Bout that. My party only spell caster is Sorcerer who took Stormborn Bloodline and is More about characters having flavor than power
My other party members Are A warlord and a Gunslinger

Well, how close is the nearest hospital temple? They might expect some weekly donations from you.

[Nosta]

Also how do you Role-play Negative level. Would My character Be in Pain the more of them He got. How do you Normally Role-play it besides it reducing your ability ?

[OldTrees1]

Also how do you Role-play Negative level. Would My character Be in Pain the more of them He got. How do you Normally Role-play it besides it reducing your ability ?

Vampires do 2 things, they give you negative levels and they drain you Con. I would roleplay it as a victim of a vampire (Have you read Dracula?).

Succubi give you negative levels. However literature of the effects is a bit more risque. So no suggestions.

[Eldaran]

If I remember correctly from your other thread, you're a Myrmidon Fighter. The main problem you're going to run into here is your saves. The attack penalty isn't going to be a big deal unless you get a ton of negative levels, the HP loss is fairly minor, a lot less than one level gives you. But the save penalty is huge. After a week your Will and Ref saves are going to be below zero base. If you don't already have a +5 resistance bonus, get that. And probably get any other source of save boosting you can get like a Pale Green Prism Ioun Stone and a Luck Stone.

[Nosta]

If I remember correctly from your other thread, you're a Myrmidon Fighter. The main problem you're going to run into here is your saves. The attack penalty isn't going to be a big deal unless you get a ton of negative levels, the HP loss is fairly minor, a lot less than one level gives you. But the save penalty is huge. After a week your Will and Ref saves are going to be below zero base. If you don't already have a +5 resistance bonus, get that. And probably get any other source of save boosting you can get like a Pale Green Prism Ioun Stone and a Luck Stone.


well I plan to have that scarlet throne maneuver that allows you to use a sense motive check in place of saving throw

[Mordaedil]

Roleplaying negative levels is a tricky thing. Your very knowledge and learned experience vanishes from your mind. Days blur together one through the next. Weeks feels like days. Eventually months feel like hours in passing. You have a hard time focusing on what you do best, but you try to do it to the best of your ability even as you feel tired constantly and you forget how to do things you knew yesterday that you learned a month ago. You start to get lethargic about changes in your surroundings. Impressions fleet and you struggle to remember what name belongs to what face, at least until your levels are fully drained. Newly made alliances and broken trusts are forgotten. Newly made enemies and redeemed villains are treated with indifference.

It's painful, but not in the same way that losing constitution or wisdom is. But it can feel like it is a loss of all ability scores in a way. You aren't actually exhausted, but new impressions just don't sit with you. There's been too much too quickly.