Using HP as a resource [D&D 3.5]

[Draxar]

I'm thinking of playing a character with a level drain ability (Shadow Dragon), and I'm wondering if there's anything interesting I can do with the temporary HP I'll gain from doing that – any accessible spells, prestige classes, or similar that you expend HP to create effects?

Anything else interesting for a Very Young Shadow dragon (which gets you nine-tenths concealment) with 1-4 class levels would also be good.

[Tanaric]

The only low level spell that springs to mind is Blade of Blood, which empowers a weapon to do 1d6 extra damage, or +2d6 (total +3d6) if you take 5 points of damage.

[ericgrau]

Vicious weapon?

[Dimers]

Divine Sacrifice, paladin/blackguard spell, 1st level, in Complete Divine. The spell lasts for (CL) rounds, and in each round you can choose to sacrifice up to 10 hp for up to +5d6 damage on your next successful attack (which doesn't have to be that round).

If you use a melee weapon, the "vicious" enchantment deals +2d6 damage to your enemy and 1d6 to you. It's a +1 ability. That'd be sorta like using extra HP ...

The blood mage PrC lets you sacrifice HP to boost CL by +1 and/or add +d6 damage to each spell target that would take damage normally.

Aside from that, the only things I can think of cause ability damage, not HP damage. OTOH, there are quite a few books I don't have.

[Draxar]

Vicious weapon?

That could work; stick it on a amulet of natural weapons.

I do wish the Souldrinker PrC synergised better with creatures that already had an ability to drain levels, and let you use those drains for something more interesting – as it is, the majority of the powers of the class kick in the moment you drain a single level, so pat a cat and kill it, and then gain 4 strength, constitution and dexterity, +2 to all saves, abiiity checks and skill checks, +2 to the DCs of your stuff, a force ray, and twice as often supernatural abilities.

I wonder if you could turn the Lifedrinker PrC into a level-drain based thing...

Edit: You could, if not for the Lifedrinker's obsession with casting. Not that useful until later levels.

[PhoenixRivers]

couple levels of psion in it, with the overchannel feat?

[Draxar]

couple levels of psion in it, with the overchannel feat?

Possibly. Main problem is at that point you've got few powers that aren't that great, which you can then enhance to being better, but still much less than your actual ECL. You'll also be casting relatively few times a day, as Overchannel just lets you cast at a higher level, it doesn't give you the extra power points to augment with like Wild Surge does.