Level adjustments?

[Korivan]

Im not sure where, but ive read people talking about buyback or something similar to that in dealing with level adjustments. Im thinking this is a way to get around the level adjustments. What is this and how does it work? Also, is there ways around level adjustments, and if so, what is the limitations?

[SurlySeraph]

Here.minimumpostlength

[Cedrass]

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/ra...djustments.htm

This is what you're looking for. Long story short, take your LA, multiply by 3, and when you get to taht level, you pay the level's cost but you don't level up. Now you have to gain as much XP as needed for your level, but your level adujustement doesn't factor in, so you count as a character without any level adjustement at all.

Ex: You roll up an Aasimar. When you get level 3, you have the option of "getting" to level 4, in other words gain 3000 xp, but not leveling up. When you do, pay that 3k xp, you effectively become a character without level adjustement. So level 4 will cost 3k xp, level 5 will cost 4k, etc.

[Starscream]

Cedrass explained it best. I just wanted to point out that it works fairly well from a mathematical viewpoint, even though descriptions and examples always make it sound like you are getting screwed.

Eventually it will result in an overall savings in XP compared to not doing it. A little expenditure early on will save a lot later.

[Cedrass]

I'm actually glad you posted that :P

Even thought I know how it works, I never dared trying it cause I was pretty sure I'd get screwed :P Will have to test it now .

[Korivan]

Thank you

[KillianHawkeye]

Long story short, take your LA, multiply by 3, and when you get to taht level, you pay the level's cost but you don't level up. Now you have to gain as much XP as needed for your level, but your level adujustement doesn't factor in, so you count as a character without any level adjustement at all.

Correction, you count as a character with a level adjustment of 1 less. It takes multiple iterations to reduce a higher LA down to 0.

[Cedrass]

Correction, you count as a character with a level adjustment of 1 less. It takes multiple iterations to reduce a higher LA down to 0.

Oops. My mistake

[Devils_Advocate]

Even thought I know how it works, I never dared trying it cause I was pretty sure I'd get screwed :P

At first I though that it was bad short term, but if you look at the rules carefully, it's actually strictly beneficial. When you lose a level's worth of XP, you don't have to give up a level; you just give up a point of LA, which is a good thing.

Basically, instead of always being a level's worth of XP behind (because LA +1 means you're one level behind everyone else), you're now only a fixed amount of XP behind. That fixed amount is a level's worth when you reduce your LA, but it becomes relatively less the more levels you gain, since the amount of XP needed to level keeps increasing.

So, once your LA is paid off, you're just a LA +0 character who gave up some XP in exchange for some extras -- just like with Permanency, inherent stat bonuses from Wish, magic item crafting, etc. It's just that in this case the extras come in the form of a more powerful race.

[Lycanthromancer]

Don't forget the XP gravy-train. You'll be one level behind the rest of the group, which means you get more XP for the same encounters, until you level up. And since your party will still be slightly ahead of you, there'll be another encounter or two here and there where you'll be just a few XP behind, but be one level lower. So you might actually end up with more XP than they do for awhile.

[Frog Dragon]

Who actually follows the charts to the letter? I know I only give them a passing look and then mostly Ad Hoc XP. Has worked so far. Means I don't think youll wind up with more Xp than the others.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Who actually follows the charts to the letter? I know I only give them a passing look and then mostly Ad Hoc XP. Has worked so far. Means I don't think youll wind up with more Xp than the others.

Not in your games, but in many games, even if the DM doesn't follow the chart, even if he ignores the chart completely, he's supposed to award XP on the basis of how hard the fight is, meaning that you should get more for being a level behind.

And the XP-river is the one thing that makes item crafting viable, so it is generally a good idea to use it whenever a player has different XP for any reason.

[Curmudgeon]

he's supposed to award XP on the basis of how hard the fight is, meaning that you should get more for being a level behind.

This isn't going to help as much as you think. It doesn't kick in until you have different ECLs, which means identical XP until after the first LA buyoff. But you're behind on LA worth of hit points and other things that can keep you alive from the beginning, and LA+1 worth as soon as you buy off that first LA when everybody else is going up a level. Things could get pretty scary before you start to catch up with the rest of the group.

[Devils_Advocate]

But you're behind on LA worth of hit points and other things that can keep you alive from the beginning, and LA+1 worth as soon as you buy off that first LA when everybody else is going up a level.

You get to go up a level yourself before you give up the XP to reduce your LA. You're only down by as much as you were down by before.

I thought that you had to give up a level's worth of XP without leveling, but upon reading that part of the rules more carefully, it turned out that I was wrong. Again: Buying off LA is strictly beneficial. It's there to help!

[Curmudgeon]

Ah, OK. You're still behind on HP -- but that's because of the initial LA, not the buyoff.