LA Buy-off problem

[Holocron Coder]

I'm thinking of making a character for a game that has a rather decent level adjustment. +5, in fact. I can't seem to wrap my mind around the LA buyoff option well enough to figure out how to make a lvl 20 character with this LA.

I guess, can someone figure out how it all works out and explain it to me? Possibly with numbers and figures... that'd be awesome :)

[Arbitrarity]

Euch, +5 LA. Ok, here we go.

When class levels = LA*3, you can "buy back" a level. (In this case, level 15, ECL 20). Then, you pay 19000 XP ((ECL-1)*1000), and have however much XP you should. You are now ECL 19, with LA+4, and 15 class levels. When you gain another 12 class levels, at ECL 31, you can do this again, losing 30000 XP, and having LA +3. 9 more class levels, ECL 39, LA +2. 6 more, at ECL 44, LA+1, and at ECL 46, your level adjustment is gone.

If you had LA+4, it would be ECL 16, ECL 24, ECL 29, and ECL 31.

Basically, when your class level is your original LA*3, you can buy back one LA. When you gain another (Current LA)*3 class levels, you can buy back another. In another (Current LA)*3 levels, you can buy back another, etc.

[Holocron Coder]

Ow. So, at 20th level I'd be a.. lvl 15 char, with 4 of LA and 19k in the hole until 20th lvl?

[Arbitrarity]

At ECL 20, you'd either be an ECL 19 character with 15 class levels down 19000 XP from 20'th minimum, or an ECL 20 character with 16 class levels, down no XP. It depends on the DM position of what constitutes an ECL 20 character. Is that XP? Is that before XP usage for crafting, etc? If it's the base, i.e. crafting magic items means that you lose a level, then you're ECL 19. Otherwise, ECL 20.

What the heck are you using that has +5 LA?

[CASTLEMIKE]

Check out the http://www.d20srd.org/ under Races, Reducing Level Adjustments in the Variant rules.

[Holocron Coder]

Yeah, I read those rules, castlemike, but I didn't quite understand them :) They've been explained though.

The +5? It's a dire werewolf. May not be optimized, but I'm going for flavor, so...

[Holocron Coder]

lagged double-post, ignore

[CASTLEMIKE]

Yeah, I read those rules, castlemike, but I didn't quite understand them :) They've been explained though.

The +5? It's a dire werewolf. May not be optimized, but I'm going for flavor, so...

That helps out quite a bit more figuring out LA for a natural or infected lycanthrope.

Using Races of Faerun minor race lycanthrope and LA on pages 145 and 146.

Afflicted lycanthropes get a +1 LA and Natural get a +2 LA for the lycanthropy.

Now a were bear is a 6HD creature similar to a dire wolf with 6 HD and has an example on page 146 of Races of Faerun for a level 4 Fighter Natural Werebear having an ECL of 12 (Only +2 LAs to buydown).

You don't buy down racial HD just the disease so you would be able to buy down at level 3 for a +1LA Afflicted lycanthrope and levels 3 and 9 for a +2 true lycanthrope.

Buying down at levels 3 and 9 for a True lycanthrope as early as possible should give you a level 19 character with 6 levels devoted to racial hit die and 13 devoted to classes.

Since by Savage Species you can stagger leveling up in racial hit die an Afflicted +1 LA lycanthrope should be able to buy down with 4,000 Experience points if done as early as possible leveling up from level 3 to level 4.

So say you have 195,000 experience points to make your level 20 PC with an afflicted +1 LA dire were wolf you should have 6 racial hit die and 14 class hit die.

Hope that helps.

[Jasdoif]

Using Races of Faerun minor race lycanthrope and LA on pages 145 and 146.

Afflicted lycanthropes get a +1 LA and Natural get a +2 LA for the lycanthropy.That's an interesting difference....The template in the SRD says afflicted lycanthropes are +2 LA and natural are +3.

[Holocron Coder]

Actually, how MMI reads, its creature + 2 for afflicted (which is what he'd be). As the spot for dire werewolf's LA reads '--', I'm not sure what to make of it. Though, the examples for a simple werewolf read LA +3 for a classless human.

[Gralamin]

Actually, how MMI reads, its creature + 2 for afflicted (which is what he'd be). As the spot for dire werewolf's LA reads '--', I'm not sure what to make of it. Though, the examples for a simple werewolf read LA +3 for a classless human.

A Dire Werewolf's LA is always the same as an lycanthrope (+2 or +3). However, you do gain 6 animal hitdice.
Because of this, a Level 1 Dire Werewolf [Class] Counts as a Level 9 or 10 character (Depending on the +2 or +3 LA).
You can buy off the +2 or +3 LA, Following unearthed Arcana. You ignore the the animal hitdice for LA Buy off.

[Holocron Coder]

Ah, alright.

This is a somewhat related question. I saw a supplement that contained a class for the werewolf eventually overcoming the alignment and forced-change problems it has. Does anyone remember what class this is or what it was supplemented to?

[Fax Celestis]

Ah, alright.

This is a somewhat related question. I saw a supplement that contained a class for the werewolf eventually overcoming the alignment and forced-change problems it has. Does anyone remember what class this is or what it was supplemented to?

That'd be Savage Species.

[PinkysBrain]

Even with LA buyoff high LAs are still ridiculously bad, low LAs on the other hand are ridiculously good.

[martyboy74]

That'd be Savage Species.

Is that section of the book decent, or is it as broken as the rest of the book?

[Vaynor]

Is that section of the book decent, or is it as broken as the rest of the book?

It's 3.0 which is the problem. Unless the DM objects, it will work, but make sure to go through the entire thing looking for differences from 3.5 and change them.

Of course, SS is fairly broken in general, so most DM's won't allow it.

[Holocron Coder]

I actually don't see that class I was thinking of in the book. Color me blind, mayhap...

[CASTLEMIKE]

Lycanthrope page 147 Savage Species devotes a paragraph to the Control Shape skill.

Page 44 Waterdeep City of Splendors the Favored in Guild feat fringe benefit for a member of the Church of Selune also provides a +2 sacred bonus on Control Shape checks.