Enervating question and answer from CustServ

[Scharlata]

Hi to all enervated and empathic negative level winners!

My char was the target of an Enervation spell. The DM got a 3 and my char took the corresponding negative levels.

The negative levels from Enervation (see the spell) caused a net penalty of -3 on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, and effective level. Additionally they caused the loss of three spells.

That's fine (err.... not so fine), but:

Was my char to take 15 points of damage, too, as if he gained the negative levels from a creature with the ability to cause energy drain (and thereby negative levels)?

Or not?

Thanx for your consideration.

Kind regards

 

[hobgoblin]

energy drain and similar only inflict real level loss when its permanent, enervation is not permanent and have no chance of ever becomeing permanent (like the temporary energy drain have). only effects are -1 effective level pr level drained and -1 to all tests (and for magic users, loss of spell slots). take a closer look at the text for energy drain if you can and allso read the last bit of the enervation text. this is all based on 3.0 btw...

 

[Tatsukun]

No unless the caster was a creature with the ability to drain levels (wraith sorcerers anyone??)

No really, I would say not. It's a spell, not a SU effect; so no HP loss. If it did cause HP damage, it would probably say so in the spell.

For a lateral reference, if you are CON drained by a spell all the way to 0, you don't become a wraith unless a wraith actually did it with it's (SU) special ability. If a wraith did it with a spell, well that's a DM call (and probably a RBDM if there really ARE Sorcerer wraiths!).

-Tatsu

 

[Scharlata]

No unless the caster was a creature with the ability to drain levels (wraith sorcerers anyone??) [...]

I need it the 3.5 way.

Page 293 of the DMG says (last sentence in ENERGY DRAIN AND NEGATIVE LEVLES): "A creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows (though NOT if the negative level is caused by a spell or similar effect)."

Does that mean that a spell cannot (by virtue of being a spell and not an ability) cause hit point loss, or does that only mean that a spell does not provide the caster with the associated 5 temporary hit points?

Kind regards

 

[Scion]

SRD:
A creature takes the following penalties for each negative level it has gained.
–1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
–1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
–5 hit points.
–1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).
If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell. (If she has more than one spell at her highest level, she chooses which she loses.) In addition, when she next prepares spells or regains spell slots, she gets one less spell slot at her highest spell level.


Sounds like hp are lost to me. Oh, and negative levels on casters is one of the most horrible things ever.

 

[Laman Stahros]

As per the 3.5 PHB page 226, under the write up for the Enervation spell, the character does not lose hitpoints. In the write up for the spell (second paragraph), it lists what negatives the character suffers and it does not list a lose of hitpoints. YMMV.

 

[hobgoblin]

only place that the energy drain text says that hitpoints are lost is when actual levels are lost from energy drain going permanent. before that we are just talking negative levels, not actual level loss (ie the levels are effectivly suppressed). there is a slight but important difference between actual level loss and effective level loss. with actual level loss you loose exp, with effective level loss your level is just reduced when it acts as a modifier for some effect or similar. its more like your spirit belives you to be weaker then you are but your body is still as strong. but there is a chance that what the spirit belives can become real, and that is when you roll fortitude to see if your body can reverse the change in belife or not. the temporary hitpoints gained are from the converted energy that have been drained, not from actual hitpoint drain.

 

[Scharlata]

[...] the temporary hitpoints gained are from the converted energy that have been drained, not from actual hitpoint drain.

Hi!

Thanx to all for your input.

The Enervation spell doen't mention the loss of 5 hit points per negative level gained. The MM doesn't mention the loss of hit points either. Only the DMG lists the loss of 5 hp/NL, but exempts any spell or similar effect.

So, I'll propose this and your replies to my DM in the vague hope of not losing my char...

Kind regards

 

[Scharlata]

Hi!

I got an answer from CustServ (WotC):

Dear Customer Service!

Does someone who is the victim of an Enervation spell and gained a
negative level lose 5 hit points?
The spell's description doesn't mention the loss of hit points.

Yes, they take all the penalties of a negative level, including the -5 hit points.

Steve
Customer Service Department
Wizards of the Coast
*Please quote this e-mail in any reply.*

Kind regards

 

[dcollins]

I actually agree with Customer Service on this one, although it speaks porrly of the way enervation is written in the rules. It is simplest for all energy drains to work the same.

From the SRD:

ENERGY DRAIN AND NEGATIVE LEVELS...
A creature takes the following penalties for each negative level it has gained.
–1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
–1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
–5 hit points.
–1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).