I need some help with level adjustment buy off.

[NecroDancer]

Lets assume I'm playing a Thri-Kreen from the XPH, they have 2 racial hit dice and a LA of +2.

It costs 45,000 xp to get to level 6 because of the +2 LA and 2 racial hit dice. I would then pay 6,000 xp to reduce my ECL by 1

I would need 66,000 xp to get to level 9 and then I would pay 11,000 xp to reduce my ECL by 1 again (so I'd have a LA of 0).

However the 2 racial hit dice would still be effecting my ECL so I'd still level up slowly. how would I get rid of the increased ECL?

[EndocrineBandit]

By getting rid of the racial hit dice. Being hit with raise dead should do that, I think. Maybe use wish to turn the last rhd into a class hd?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Reducing Level Adjustments (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm) for reference.

You're correct in all of that except the cost to reduce the level adjustment the first time. 45,000 xp is ECL 10, so it will cost you 9,000 xp to go from +2 LA to +1 LA.

Racial HD count toward your character level, you're basically multiclassed into Monstrous Humanoid (but it never counts for the multiclassing xp penalty). Those two racial HD are counted for gaining new feats and ability score increases, determining your max skill ranks, etc. They give BAB, base saves, hit dice, everything a class level gives, except class features. You should consider the racial abilities to be the class features of those racial HD.

Racial HD are not optional, and there's no way to get rid of them. An adult of that species has that many racial HD, end of story. If you have fewer your character is an adolescent or even an infant, probably unfit for adventuring, and you would need to spend your levels gained on taking enough racial HD to grow up before you could gain any class levels.

Edit: Level loss effects only remove your most recent level gained, so you would need to be drained down to 0 HD to get rid of all the racial HD, which kills the character.

[InvisibleBison]

Edit: Level loss effects only remove your most recent level gained, so you would need to be drained down to 0 HD to get rid of all the racial HD, which kills the character.

No, you'd only need to be drained down to 1 racial HD, which you could then swap out for a class level.

[NecroDancer]

Thanks for the help :), I'll try to see if I can find a way to be safty level drained when the opportunity presents itself.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

No, you'd only need to be drained down to 1 racial HD, which you could then swap out for a class level.

No, you would need to be a Humanoid and be drained down to 1 racial HD, as only Humanoids mention that (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#humanoidType).

Furthermore, that does not trump the RAW for the Thri-Kreen race:
"Racial Hit Dice: A thri-kreen character begins with two levels of monstrous humanoid..."

You'll need to lose the hit dice during play, which means permanently losing levels which you must make up afterward. Finally, it would take a house rule for your DM to allow you to take class levels instead of spending your levels to regain the racial HD.

[EndocrineBandit]

So... The brand new thri-kreen couldn't lose one racial hit die before getting an actual class level through raise dead, then use wish shenanigans to convert the remaining RHD to a class?

[InvisibleBison]

No, you would need to be a Humanoid and be drained down to 1 racial HD, as only Humanoids mention that (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#humanoidType).

Creatures with 1 or less HD replace their monster levels with their character levels. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#humanoidsAndClassLevels) Admittedly, the heading for that paragraph is "Humanoids and Class Levels", but the actual text of the rule just says creatures.

[KillianHawkeye]

I would still read that as only applying to creatures who naturally have only one racial Hit Die, not ones who've had their extra Hit Dice lost via level drain or by death and resurrection.

[Fouredged Sword]

Your best "RAW" bet is to have been level drained. You should be a few levels behind at the start because of EXP loss. Basically you have to pay for 4 levels twice. You will have to lose your 2nd HD (ECL 4) twice (3000 exp each time), then buy off your first LA at level 6 (ECL 8) for 7000exp and then 9 (ECL 10) for 9000 exp. In total this whole thing costs 22000 exp. The earliest start you can afford to have all this done would be a level 12 start (you would be level 9 with zero RHD or LA and 8000 spare exp)

It is best to do this as soon as you can during your character's existence as the higher your ECL the more exp you lose. Assuming your DM starts the game