Qualifying for Life Drain feat (3.5

[Skullruss]

So i want to use life drain (https://dndtools.net/feats/libris-mortis-the-book-of-the-dead--71/life-drain--3409/) along with fell drain and other nasty stuff on a dread necromancer build to weaken enemies whilst buffing myself, at a basic level. I need to find a way to grab this feat without La, and yes, I know about Soul Eater, but i want to lichify at level 20. Any way i can do this, or should i just go for the dip?

P.S. If you have any ideas on stacking negative levels for optimal temp hp, im game. My main combo will be fell drain with Kelgore's Grave Mist

[Deophaun]

First, that is a Site That Shall Not Be Linked due to painfully obvious copyright issues. Please edit.

Second, Dread Necro 12 should already qualify you. The requirement for the feat is rather generically worded such that any supernatural ability that inflicts an energy drain should work for it.

[torrasque666]

First, that is a Site That Shall Not Be Linked due to painfully obvious copyright issues. Please edit.

Second, Dread Necro 12 should already qualify you. The requirement for the feat is rather generically worded such that any supernatural ability that inflicts an energy drain should work for it.

I dunno. The capitalization implies that its very specifically the ability called Energy Drain, like what a vampire has.

[Deophaun]

I dunno. The capitalization implies that its very specifically the ability called Energy Drain, like what a vampire has.
There is no capitalization, which implies the exact opposite.

[Nifft]

Not sure capital letters mean anything. The vampire energy drain entry itself uses "energy drain" uncapitalized:



Energy Drain (Su)
Living creatures hit by a vampire’s slam attack (or any other natural weapon the vampire might possess) gain two negative levels. For each negative level bestowed, the vampire gains 5 temporary hit points. A vampire can use its energy drain ability once per round.

Source: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/vampire.htm

[Deophaun]

Not sure capital letters mean anything. The vampire energy drain entry itself uses "energy drain" uncapitalized
And? The vampire's Energy Drain ability is an energy drain attack; that doesn't mean the vampire's Energy Drain is the only energy drain attack:

energy drain: An attack that saps a creature’s vital energy giving it negative levels, which might permanently drain the creature’s levels.
The Dread Necromancer's Enervating Touch ability gives negative levels that may permanently drain a creature's levels, making it an energy drain. The feat has "energy drain as a supernatural ability" as a prereq, not "Energy Drain as a supernatural ability" as a prereq. Enervation Touch thus qualifies.

[WhamBamSam]

If your DM rules that you do need the specific ability you can get it from Alter Self+Assume Supernatural Ability. Being a Dread Necromancer, you'd likely benefit from going Necropolitan anyway, so Vampire Spawn would suit your purpose. For Aberrations (say a Synad or Elan), Vampiric Ixitxachitl works. I think there may be a tiny construct as well, which would be an option for a Warforged Scout.

Snagging Alter Self is a bit awkward on a Dread Necro. You could go for Arcane Disciple (Transformation) or maybe the less restrictive reading of Extra Spell.

[Thurbane]

I was going to suggest the Death Devotion feat, but that's spell-like, not supernatural...

[RoboEmperor]

The only way to get that Su ability is the Assume Supernatural Ability feat, or become a Vampire yourself. Dweomerkeeper might work if you make Enervation or Energy Drain into a Su ability but your DM might disagree.

[Deophaun]

BTW, if Enervating Touch is not "energy drain," that means it gets around immunity to energy drain provided by things such as death ward. And no, it isn't covered under "negative energy effects" or "necromantic effects," because nothing in the ability mentions that Enervating Touch is either.

So, if it doesn't allow you to qualify, that's a very nice consolation prize. Suck the levels out of whatever golem you come across.

[torrasque666]

BTW, if Enervating Touch is not "energy drain," that means it gets around immunity to energy drain provided by things such as death ward. And no, it isn't covered under "negative energy effects" or "necromantic effects," because nothing in the ability mentions that Enervating Touch is either.

So, if it doesn't allow you to qualify, that's a very nice consolation prize. Suck the levels out of whatever golem you come across.
Have to find some way to get around the whole "cannot use the [Ghost] feats unless a ghost" thing. Or being a ghost, which isn't actually all that bad.

[Deophaun]

Have to find some way to get around the whole "cannot use the [Ghost] feats unless a ghost" thing. Or being a ghost, which isn't actually all that bad.
What do [Ghost] feats have to do with anything?

[torrasque666]

What do [Ghost] feats have to do with anything?
You are referring to the feat Eneverating Touch from Ghostwalk right?

I completely derped. Forgot that the Dread Necromancer's ability is ALSO called Eneverating Touch.