PDA

View Full Version : Temporary HP stack?



Muffin_Man
2008-04-05, 09:19 AM
I have a friend who is abusing the vampire Energy Drain, the Temp HP he gain for it stack? and the negative levels?

Someone could give me a link or a indication for where I might find a rule for this?

Thanks in advance.

OzymandiasVolt
2008-04-05, 09:21 AM
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/vampire.htm

The entry on Energy Drain specifies that temporary hit points gained from it fade after one hour. Since the text under Vampire doesn't contradict this, it's safe to assume the time limit is still in effect.

Negative levels stack unless otherwise specified.

The Vampire's blood drain ability doesn't specify whether or not the temporary hit points stack or not, and it doesn't achieve its effect by energy drain so the entry on energy drain doesn't apply. It appears that technically he could go around blood draining things to gain infinite temporary hit points. Troubling...

Ah, here we are:



Do temporary hit points from two applications of the
same effect stack? What about from different effects? If I
have temporary hit points from multiple sources, how
should I apply damage?

Temporary hit points from two applications of the same
effect don’t stack; instead, the highest number of temporary hit
points applies in place of all others. Temporary hit points from
different sources stack, but you must keep track of them
separately.

For example, imagine a character who gained 15 temporary
hit points from an aid spell. After taking 8 points of damage,
she has 7 temporary hit points left from the spell. If another aid
spell were cast on the same character granting 12 temporary hit
points, this total would replace the other spell’s total, meaning
the character would now have 12 temporary hit points (rather
than 19). If the character then cast false life on herself, she
would add the full benefit of that spell to the temporary hit
points from the aid spell.

This also applies to temporary hit points gained from
energy drain and similar special abilities. Each successful
attack counts as one application of the effect (meaning that an
attack that bestows 2 or more negative levels still counts as
only one application of the effect). For example, a wight gains
5 temporary hit points each time it bestows a negative level
with its slam attack. If it bestows another negative level while it
has 2 temporary hit points remaining from the first attack, the
new temporary hit points would replace the old ones.

Temporary hit points are “first-in, first-out.” Damage
should be taken off the oldest temporary-hit-point-granting
effect first; when that effect is exhausted, apply damage to the
next oldest effect. For this reason, you must track each supply
of temporary hit points separately.

Chosen_of_Vecna
2008-04-05, 11:15 AM
Vampires have +8 LA. Which means that a level 9 character has 12 HP. Let him get as many temporary HP as he can.

Negative levels stack.

@Ozymandius

I disagree. WotC is being stupid. The entry for vampires says: "Vampires gain 5 temporary HP for each negative level bestowed." Vampires bestow 2 negative levels per hit. If 5 Temp HP is the actual maximum then 5 per hit would be exactly the same as 5 per negative level.

WotC just doesn't want people aiding themselves up to 400 Temp HP. But Vampires should be able to gain more then 10 total temp HP.

Chronos
2008-04-05, 11:26 AM
I disagree. WotC is being stupid. The entry for vampires says: "Vampires gain 5 temporary HP for each negative level bestowed." Vampires bestow 2 negative levels per hit. If 5 Temp HP is the actual maximum then 5 per hit would be exactly the same as 5 per negative level.5 temp HP isn't the actual maximum. Where did you get that from? Each application of a vampire's energy drain ability bestows 2 negative levels, which gives the vampire 5 temporary HP per negative level, or 10. If you had a creature which could bestow three negative levels per hit, it'd gain 15 temporary HP, and if a vampire scores a critical hit, it bestows four negatives, and gains 20 temp HP.

Chosen_of_Vecna
2008-04-05, 11:37 AM
5 temp HP isn't the actual maximum. Where did you get that from? Each application of a vampire's energy drain ability bestows 2 negative levels, which gives the vampire 5 temporary HP per negative level, or 10. If you had a creature which could bestow three negative levels per hit, it'd gain 15 temporary HP, and if a vampire scores a critical hit, it bestows four negatives, and gains 20 temp HP.

It was based on the interpretation above that temp hp doesn't stack with itself, and I was showing why that interpretation doesn't make sense next to the vampire entry.

hamishspence
2008-04-05, 11:37 AM
vampiric weapon property is very useful (unapproachable East): gives you healing instead of temporary hit points, each time target stabbed.

If I was to use Artemis in game, I would retcon his dagger to be vampiric, instead of defending as it currently is. Better fit with novels.

Starbuck_II
2008-04-05, 12:36 PM
Vampires have +8 LA. Which means that a level 9 character has 12 HP. Let him get as many temporary HP as he can.

Nope, you can't even be a Vampire without 5 HD.
If you have 4 or less HD, you can only become a Vampire Spawn.

Chosen_of_Vecna
2008-04-05, 12:54 PM
Oh, my bad, level 13 character with 5d12 HP. Who dies from a single Fireball. Yeah, let him get his Temp HP.

Muffin_Man
2008-04-05, 01:12 PM
Oh, my bad, level 13 character with 5d12 HP. Who dies from a single Fireball. Yeah, let him get his Temp HP.

Gestalt game... it was getting WAY too cheesy, even for gestalt.

Thanks a lot OzymandiasVolt, it was very helpfull.

Chronos
2008-04-05, 02:57 PM
It was based on the interpretation above that temp hp doesn't stack with itself, and I was showing why that interpretation doesn't make sense next to the vampire entry.I don't follow. A vampire who gains 10 temporary HP isn't getting 5 temporary HP and then another 5 that stacks with it; he's gaining 10 temporary HP all in one effect.