Level adjustment

[Cilvyn]

Hello folks,

For the first time i wanna play a halfbreed: Spring child.
I think i'll be a druid, sorcerer or rogue but that doesnt realy matter. What the question is: What does Level adjustment do?

What I read is a level 1wizard would be a level 3 character (since the LA of a spring child is +2)

If the party starts at level 1, do i start at level -1 or something??

Thanx,

Cil

[Tempest Fennac]

It means you count as already having levels, meaning you need more experience to level up (eg: a level 1 character with an LA of 1 would need as much Exp. as a level 2 character to reach level 2). What are the racial abilities for Spring Children? Talking the DM into letting you play a nerfed version which isn't strong enough to have LA could be wise.

[FMArthur]

If it isn't already clear, you simply can't play a character whose level adjustment is equal to or higher than the ECL (effective character level) your DM says you start at. You need at least one level with hit dice to use a character.

Effective character level, since you might not know, is your character's combined class levels (adding together levels from all of your different classes if you're multiclassed), racial hit dice (which are basically empty levels that advance Hit Points, Base Attack, Saves, and skills depending on the creature type), and level adjustment. You can start off without any class levels, if your chosen race has a combined racial hit dice and level adjustment total the same as your ECL. Your ECL determines the amount of experience you recieve from encounters and the amount you will need to level up, and since you're replacing a class level for every level adjustment (or racial hit die) you have, it works as a balancing factor for stronger races.

[Tokiko Mima]

If your party starts at level 1, you technically won't be able to play an LA +2 race. Level adjustment adds to your ECL (effective character level) so a 1st level Spring Child (from Bastards and Bloodlines by Green Ronin, I assume) is effectively a third level character, but for most other purposes counts only as first level.

If you're playing to higher levels, you should ask your DM if you could buy off the LA via the rules in Unearthed Arcana. If so then by level 9 it won't count against you at all and could end up being quite worthwhile. On the other hand if a DM says you can't buy off or reduce LA, then Level Adjustments are almost invariably a raw deal you should do without.

You might also ask the DM if you could use a Savage Species style monstrous progression (like what's done with the Minotaur in this example) that reduces your level bonuses to be initially on par with an LA +0 character, and gradually allows you to gain the full Spring Child bonuses as you level up, instead of gaining class levels.

[Tempest Fennac]

They don't honestly look that powerful to me at all apart from the stat boosts (I'd say giving them -2 Str and +2 Cha should be enough to get them down to LA 0; being able to talk with plants to a degree while being ageless and getting a boost to mind-affecting spells aren't that strong).