Is there a magic item that steals experience points? (3.5)

[Medler360]

One of my players wants a weapon(or item) that steals xp from other players and monsters. I know its completely over powered, but the idea is now stuck in my head. Is there an item, or a weapon, that steals xp. If not is there a way to make something similar?

[Malimar]

The thing that's represented as "stealing XP" in some other games (vampires in Angband drain XP, for example) is generally represented in D&D by energy drain causing negative levels.

AFAIK there's nothing that takes XP from a foe and gives it to you (except insofar as defeating a foe with negative levels gives you XP for solving the encounter).

[Mike Miller]

That doesn't really work so great if you stop and think about it. XP is just an abstract concept you can use to level up, which is another abstract concept of growth. Lots of groups don't even use XP but instead level up when it is time. If the player is so focused on leveling up, maybe refocus the player on performing his/her role in the group better, which will solve problems and earn XP

[Vaern]

There's nothing that'll steal experience, at least in a manner that can be weaponized in a meaningful way.
The closest thing I know of is an item in PHB2 that will allow the wearer to supply their own experience points to someone else for the purpose of creating a magic item. The item that the experience is being dedicated to and the amount to be supplied is agreed upon when the talisman is bound and it does not function if the subject is unwilling, though, so it can't be grossly abused.

[Yogibear41]

There's nothing that'll steal experience, at least in a manner that can be weaponized in a meaningful way.
The closest thing I know of is an item in PHB2 that will allow the wearer to supply their own experience points to someone else for the purpose of creating a magic item. The item that the experience is being dedicated to and the amount to be supplied is agreed upon when the talisman is bound and it does not function if the subject is unwilling, though, so it can't be grossly abused.

That also lists a variant where you can take it from an unwilling person, citing a bovd magic item, but it's a variant or custom magic item.

[Jormengand]

Sort of. But it's expensive, kinda heavy on the evil, and doesn't give you that much XP: to top it off, you can only use the XP to craft. From thinaun, a special material which traps the soul of anything it kills, to a variety of items that can steal souls directly, all of these can be used to craft evil items with the souls, saving you a whole 3 experience points per soul. You get a much better deal if you sacrifice people (look at the dark craft rules in the Book of Vile Darkness) but that's not a magic item really. In any case, you still have to kill the person in question, so...

[Menzath]

Besides what was mentioned I recall there being a spell(or class feature?) Where you can use a binded demons xp to help craft items.
So if you could make someone an evil outsider that might be possible.
Might have been in either the book of nine hells or the abyss one.

[javcs]

Sort of. But it's expensive, kinda heavy on the evil, and doesn't give you that much XP: to top it off, you can only use the XP to craft. From thinaun, a special material which traps the soul of anything it kills, to a variety of items that can steal souls directly, all of these can be used to craft evil items with the souls, saving you a whole 3 experience points per soul. You get a much better deal if you sacrifice people (look at the dark craft rules in the Book of Vile Darkness) but that's not a magic item really. In any case, you still have to kill the person in question, so...

Souls (per BoVD) are actually worth 10xp for the purposes of spellcasting and/or crafting XP costs. Of course, since a Wish is 5k XP and fiends will often give wishes in exchange for souls ... a flat 10xp is low, IMO.

With the right gear set-up, one might be able to both sacrifice someone for Dark Craft XP, and then use their soul for XP. RAW, anyways - it's quite possible that the DM will not let you ritually sacrifice someone, and hold onto their soul for
Note: Dark Craft XP is only one application per crafting, but you can use as many souls as you like.

There's also the Artificer's Retain Essence ability, which lets them disassemble magic items for the Craft Reserve XP. It's particularly good when combined with Dark Craft XP sacrifice - use the Dark Craft XP on smaller items, using all the Dark Craft XP, then disassemble them for unlimited Craft Reserve XP (as long as you keep sacrificing people).


If you go third party ... Encyclopedia Arcane: Blood Magic has a festival of sacrifice option, which produces 1k XP for item creation per day of sacrifice (a festival of sacrifice requires 100 sacrifices for the first day, and each subsequent day must have at least 10 more sacrifices than the day before); item creation must begin within one day of the end of the festival. This is significantly more time efficient, but will produce less XP per sacrifice.



There are also a few other ways to game the system for crafting XP.



There are also a couple of artifacts that will give you enough XP to level in a specific class, but they're single-use. And, since they're artifacts, it's not like you can sacrifice people for XP to make them.



However ... take XP from someone else and use it in order to level up? Not so much.
There are also ways to extend your own lifespan by killing someone (or multiple someones), but unless you're trading age/lifespan potential for XP, that won't work either.

[ayvango]

variety of items that can steal souls directly, all of these can be used to craft evil items with the souls
And then some cleric casts true resurrection and you magic ceases to work since it has insufficient soul supply now.

[javcs]

And then some cleric casts true resurrection and you magic ceases to work since it has insufficient soul supply now.

Nope. Use a soul to create an item (or to cast a spell), and the soul is consumed entirely, or used up to the extent that there are no remains worth caring about - even if the item does not require all the meagre XP a soul yields. Nothing can bring that soul back to life.


It's a means of making someone permadead.

[ayvango]

Nothing can bring that soul back to life.
Nothing but true resurrection. It overcomes all after-death hardships short of divine intervention. It resurrects even after decades. It pays no regard to where soul go, and what rules are set in the domain. And if some devil used that soul to build his weapon - it is bad for him. That is why you should buy only seasoned souls from accredited suppliers.

[Goaty14]

Nothing but true resurrection. It overcomes all after-death hardships short of divine intervention. It resurrects even after decades. It pays no regard to where soul go, and what rules are set in the domain. And if some devil used that soul to build his weapon - it is bad for him. That is why you should buy only seasoned souls from accredited suppliers.

Unless the victim has been removed of it's truename, in which case you should just give up1 because then you know your GM REALLY wants the player dead.

1Or you could do a ritual of renaming, but finding a truenamer that can do that is like finding an epic-level commoner.

[javcs]

Nothing but true resurrection. It overcomes all after-death hardships short of divine intervention. It resurrects even after decades. It pays no regard to where soul go, and what rules are set in the domain. And if some devil used that soul to build his weapon - it is bad for him. That is why you should buy only seasoned souls from accredited suppliers.

Nope. True Res requires an intact soul. More specifically, the soul must be "free and willing to return".

Per BoVD, using a soul in any way other than simply transferring it as barter consumes it completely, destroying it forever. No soul left means that the dead guy's soul is not "free and willing to return".
Even if it didn't destroy the soul, I would consider "currently being used to power a magical item" as constrained such that the soul is not free to return.
.

[Jormengand]

Souls (per BoVD) are actually worth 10xp for the purposes of spellcasting and/or crafting XP costs. Of course, since a Wish is 5k XP and fiends will often give wishes in exchange for souls ... a flat 10xp is low, IMO.

I forgot the numbers because they are, as you mentioned, bad.


1Or you could do a ritual of renaming, but finding a truenamer that can do that is like finding an epic-level commoner.

No, it's worse than that. It's not an utterance: truenamers can't even do it. You don't have to find a truenamer: you have to find a near-epic wizard or sorcerer who blew a feat (truename training) and some skill points and some more build resources on being able to cast truespeak spells (because the DCs are too high to make without effort). More likely a wizard, partly because truespeak is int-based, and partly because no sorcerer is gonna blow a spell known on ritual of renaming.

Plus, I'm not even sure ritual of renaming even works at all, but if it did, it would create a new soul rather than breaking your fancy evil item.

[JyP]

Not strictly an item, but Cadaver Golems from Libris Mortis can sort of steal talents from others, replacing according body parts.

edit: I once did a Planar Thief build, whose concept was to steal spells, powers, and finally life from others :

Soot the Planar Thief (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20312748&postcount=124)
Stealing jink is only good for Clueless knights of the cross-trade - a true blood steals Power.

Directly stealing XP is like stealing all life experience from someone, leaving him sort of amnesic... I am sure there are various mechanisms to do so in D&D 3.5, even a great example in BBEG threads not too long ago ;)

[javcs]

I forgot the numbers because they are, as you mentioned, bad.

Yep.
Also, 3 is the multiplier for Dark Craft XP. That may have been a contributing factor.

[Jormengand]

Yep.
Also, 3 is the multiplier for Dark Craft XP. That may have been a contributing factor.

Probably. I'm sure there's something else that gives 3 XP per unit, but I don't recall what it is.

[Lapak]

In a way, every magic weapon does this. By killing your enemies, and granting you the experience points that they are worth.

[javcs]

Probably. I'm sure there's something else that gives 3 XP per unit, but I don't recall what it is.

Ah, it's Liquid Pain that's 3xp per unit. And that happens to be located just down the column of the same page as the Souls as Power section of BoVD.

So ... possibly also the Exalted equivalent of Liquid Pain, whatever that's called ... Distilled Joy/Ambrosia. And nope, that's only 2xp per unit.

[Velaryon]

Souls (per BoVD) are actually worth 10xp for the purposes of spellcasting and/or crafting XP costs. Of course, since a Wish is 5k XP and fiends will often give wishes in exchange for souls ... a flat 10xp is low, IMO.

Fluff-wise, I could certainly buy an explanation that one's own soul freely given is worth more to a fiend than another's soul taken by force, but even so, that is a huge disparity.

[javcs]

Fluff-wise, I could certainly buy an explanation that one's own soul freely given is worth more to a fiend than another's soul taken by force, but even so, that is a huge disparity.
Souls are used as currency, of sorts. That soul you're using up could've been one of those freely given souls, if you got off of someone else. Or it could be some merchant you shanked in the last town over after he tried to cheat you. Or it could the soul of a Great Wyrm dragon you managed to steal/trap. Or it could be some random peasant (human commoner 1) who you killed after he didn't grovel enough to satisfy you.

[Endarire]

There is if you make one.

Probably not the answer you wanted.